• e-Academy offers training for anyone interested in starting a career in tourism or hospitality and for tourism professionals who want to extend their skills

• Free learning content and self-paced online learning courses with a special focus on career building and sustainable tourism practices

• e-Academy is powered by atingi in partnership with German Development Agency GIZ, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and developed in partnership with eLearning experts from common sense

• The online platform is part of the TUI Academy programme, which offers disadvantaged young people access high quality education, work experience and life skills coaching

Berlin, 26th May 2023. The TUI Care Foundation is launching a new e-Academy that upskills and reskills learners and promotes employment development in tourism destinations worldwide. The digital learning platform offers free learning content in the form of self-paced learning courses with two focus areas: Career building and sustainable tourism. 

Access to education is essential to improving life chances. With the TUI Care Foundation’s free e-Academy, people from all backgrounds can access high-quality education in tourism. Thanks to its fully digital approach, the e-Academy provides learning opportunities to everyone around the world, from young self-starters to established tourism professionals. The courses are self-paced and provide learners with the flexibility needed to complete the courses at their own pace. 

The e-Academy consists of two elements: The Career Academy and the Sustainability Academy. The Career Academy is aimed at anyone who would like to start a career in tourism or hospitality. An extensive set of courses helps learners explore the different career paths in tourism and hospitality, understand the basics of the industry and get first-hand insights into required skills. The Sustainability Academy targets tourism professionals who want to increase their knowledge of sustainable tourism practices. This set of courses takes the learner through best practices in environmental management and social governance and demonstrates how to champion sustainability for a positive impact. 

Online learning is delivered by professionals from across the tourism industry, ensuring that learners receive training content that lives up to the practical requirements of the industry. Combining a storytelling approach, the use of interactive elements with case studies, and testimonies from people working in industry, the e-Academy aims to convey high-quality learning in an appealing and entertaining way. Upon completion of any course, every learner will be awarded a badge, endorsed by major brands in the tourism industry and recognising their newly acquired skills. 

Jan-Gerrit Groeneveld, Project lead atingi at German Development Agency GIZ: ‘’We are proud to work in partnership with the TUI Care Foundation and provide digital education opportunities in the tourism industry. GIZ’s goal with the digital learning platform atingi is to provide inclusive, accessible, relevant, safe, and secure digital learning for all, and it's encouraging to see organisations leveraging our solution and working together with us to achieve this. With a focus on partner countries in the Global South, the impact of this initiative is particularly significant in promoting equitable access to education and enhancing opportunities for learners in these regions.’’ 

Andreas Hörfurter, Managing Director, common sense: "Tourism destinations provide a wide range of opportunities for professional development. So, there's a real potential for learning to contribute to the improvement  of professional careers and sustainable development. That's why we're proud to have partnered with the TUI Care Foundation to develop the e-Academy platform and create a wide range of online courses for the travel and tourism industry together. Our learner-centered design approach, combined with the TUI’s expertise and commitment to excellence, has resulted in a platform that is not only user-friendly and accessible, but also offers learners the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers." 

The e-Academy is part of the TUI Care Foundation’s TUI Academy programme, which offers training for disadvantaged young people to access high quality education, work experience, life skills coaching and a brighter future. 

The platform can be accessed here.