Tour guide training | Frequently asked questions
- What is the knowledge for tour guides e-learning program?
- Do I have to do this course?
- Will the course replace the current Tour Operator Workshop held in the park?
- How much will the course cost?
- How long will the course take to complete?
- Can I complete the course remotely?
- Who is running the course?
- What is Learnline?
- What about participants who don't have a computer?
- Is the course compulsory?
- How will participants be assessed?
- What will participants receive?
- Will successful completion of entry-level tour guide training become a permit requirement?
- I've been a tour guide for years, why do I need a certificate?
- I already have my Certificate I/II/III/IV in Tour Guiding, do I have to do this course?
- I guide in Kakadu National Park and only go to Uluru-Kata Tjuta once or twice a year; do I have to do both courses?
- Will international or interstate guides escorting tour groups, or guides on extended tours through the NT, have to do the course?
- How can I obtain more information or register my interest to do the course?
1. What is the Knowledge for Tour Guides e-learning program?
In the past Parks Australia and the traditional Aboriginal owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park have been running park-based Tour Operator Workshops/Seminars for people interested in having accurate, culturally appropriate knowledge of these parks.
While these three-day workshops were popular and successful, they were difficult for some tour guides to access and could not fully satisfy the demand for training. Also, there was evidence that some tour guides were not providing visitors with accurate information.
As a result, Parks Australia and Charles Darwin University (CDU) have developed an entry-level tour guide training package to be delivered through CDU using a range of interactive, flexible learning tools, including a CD ROM with audio and visual learning aids, and an online discussion forum available through Learnline. The course is also available in print format or it can be delivered face to face by special arrangement with CDU.
This entry-level training covers the key areas of visitor safety, understanding the parks' natural and cultural values and history, minimising environmental impact and legal compliance. Park staff, Aboriginal traditional owners and the tourism industry have been consulted in developing the course.
A specific course has been developed for each park. The Kakadu course was released in November 2006 and the course for Uluru-Kata Tjuta was released in August 2009.
2. Do I have to do this course?
Tour guides responsible for the safety and welfare of visitors to Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks are required by Parks Australia to have successfully completed the course for each park they guide in.
For Kakadu, from 2008 it has been a compulsory requirement for tour guides leading tour groups in the park to have completed the course.
For Uluru-Kata Tjuta, from 2011 it has been a compulsory requirement for all guides and drivers interpreting the park and its values to have completed the course.
3. Will the course replace the current Tour Operator Workshop/Seminar?
The Knowledge for Tour Guides course has replaced the basic training content of the tour operator workshops in both parks. In the future traditional owners and park staff will continue to hold the popular park-based tour operator workshops/seminars. The Knowledge for Tour Guides course will be a prerequisite for attendance at the workshops, which will no longer include basic training. The content of the park-based workshops will be enhanced to provide a more in-depth experience of local culture.
4. How much will the course cost?
Course fees are payable to Charles Darwin University upon enrolment. Fees for Australian residents are $168.00 to complete the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park unit and $200.00 for the Kakadu National Park unit.
5. How long will the course take to complete?
Because of the flexible nature of delivery, participants will undertake learning at their own pace, and much will depend on the participant's existing knowledge of the subject matter.
CDU advises that the course may require 100 contact hours. However depending on your experience and prior knowledge completing the course may take a significantly shorter period of time with some guides having completed the assessments in a matter of days.
Individual support will be available to assist participants to work through the materials and learning and assessment activities. The CDU coordinator will have more details.
6. Can I complete the course remotely?
Yes. The content of both the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Knowledge for Tour Guides course and the Kakadu Knowledge for Tour Guides course can be learnt either online through a range of interactive, flexible learning tools and a discussion forum available through Learnline, or via CD ROM with audio and visual learning aids. The course materials can also be made available to students in print format or can be delivered face to face by appointment at Charles Darwin University with either Martin Bollmeyer, in Alice Springs (ph: (08) 8959 5252), or Ben Humphries in Darwin (ph: (08) 8946 7954).
Assessments can be emailed or posted to the School of Hospitality and Tourism at Charles Darwin University. Alternatively guides can complete their assessments orally over the telephone.
7. Who is running the course?
Participants will be enrolled through Charles Darwin University's School of Tourism and Hospitality in the Interpret Aspects of Local Australian Indigenous Culture unit. The course will be delivered on CD ROM, giving students access to CDU's Learnline e-learning website. For those who don't have access to a computer or the internet, the course can be made available in print.
8. What is Learnline?
Learnline is used by Charles Darwin University to make subjects available online. Learnline allows participants to undertake interactive learning activities, download information and link to other websites. Participants can also view their progress and participate in online class discussion.
9. What about participants who don't have a computer?
Participants who don't have a computer can purchase the printed version of the Uluru course by contacting Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park by email: uluru.info@environment.gov.au or phone: (08) 8956 1100.
10. Is the course compulsory?
The Kakadu Board of Management has resolved that successful completion of the entry-level tour guide training is mandatory for the person that maintains primary responsibility for a tour group while they are in the park. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management has resolved that successful completion of the entry-level tour guide training is mandatory for all persons interpreting the park and its values.
For Kakadu, completion of the course has been compulsory since 1 April 2008. For Uluru-Kata Tjuta, completion of the course has been compulsory since 1 April 2011.
This applies whether the company visits the park only once a year, or more frequently.
11. How will participants be assessed?
Tour guides can complete the course at their own pace. They do not need to attend classes. This is a flexible program where all the tools needed to complete the course are supplied at the time of enrolment. This means that guides can complete their assessment questions through whichever means they are most comfortable with - be it written or video/audio recordings, by email, in an interactive workshop, face-to-face or over the phone.
Participants will be assessed by the Tour Guiding Trainer and Assessor from CDU's School of Hospitality and Tourism.
12. What will participants receive?
Course participants who successfully complete the tour guide training course will receive a nationally-recognised Statement of Attainment from CDU. Course participants will also receive certification from Parks Australia.
13. Will successful completion of entry-level tour guide training become a permit requirement?
From 1 April 2008 in Kakadu National Park, permits to conduct tours for commercial purposes have included a condition stating that the permittee's tour guides, i.e. the person with primary responsibility for the permittee's clients, must have successfully completed the entry-level tour guide training course. This is similar to the condition that requires the tour guide to hold a Senior First Aid Certificate.
From 1 April 2011 in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, permits to conduct tours for commercial purposes will include a condition stating that the permittee must ensure that each of the permittee's staff that provides the permittee's clients with information about the park and its values must have successfully completed the entry-level tour guide training course.
14. I've been a tour guide for years, why do I need a certificate?
As stakeholders in an increasingly professional industry, Parks Australia and the Boards of Management of Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks are aware that the information presented to visitors by tour guides directly impacts on visitor safety and experience.
These courses have been specifically developed by CDU using information collected by Parks Australia on behalf of the Aboriginal traditional owners of the two parks. Each course is specifically tailored to the respective park.
The entry-level tour guide training course has been developed to ensure that the information presented to visitors is of the highest standard, and is part of a broader move towards industry-accredited national benchmarks in education and training.
15. I already have my Certificate I/II/III/IV in Tour Guiding, do I have to do this course?
Yes. While tour guides who have already completed a nationally accredited tourism qualification may have successfully completed the elective unit Interpret Aspects of Local Australian Indigenous Culture, the Knowledge for Tour Guides courses have been developed recently with information specific to guiding in Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks.
The Boards of Management of the parks have determined that guides need knowledge specific to each park to maximise safety, compliance, and the accuracy of information provided to park visitors.
While credit transfer and recognition of prior learning are available for the unit Interpret Aspects of Local Australian Indigenous Culture, successful completion of the assessment sections of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu tour guide training courses will be required to gain certification from Parks Australia to guide in either of these parks.
16. I guide in Kakadu National Park and only go to Uluru-Kata Tjuta once or twice a year; do I have to do both courses?
Due to the differences between Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks, most of the content in each course is park-specific. Tour guides operating at both parks who are responsible for the safety and welfare of visitors will need to show that they understand these differences by successfully completing both certificates.
Those who complete the training for Kakadu, and then undertake the training course for Uluru-Kata Tjuta, will be enrolled in a unit called Research and Share General Information on Australian Indigenous Culture. Similarly, those who initially undertake the training for Uluru-Kata Tjuta, will be enrolled in this second unit, which will equip them with knowledge specific to Kakadu.
17. Will international or interstate guides escorting tour groups, or guides on extended tours through the NT, have to do the course?
All tour guides with primary responsibility for visitors to Kakadu National Park are required to have successfully completed the entry-level tour guide training course. Foreign language speaking guides who are contracted by commercial tour operators to communicate with non English speaking clients need to have completed the course as they are the primary guide delivering safety and interpretive information to these clients.
Successful completion of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta course is a permit requirement for all tour guides and drivers who interpret the park and its values. Visiting international or interstate guides escorting tour groups, or guides on extended tours, must use the services of an accredited guide if they have not successfully completed the course themselves. The park has a list of accredited local "Step on Guides" who can provide high quality interpretation in languages other than English. All visiting international guides escorting tour groups must have the relevant work authority to work in Australia. Visit www.immi.gov.au/immigration/coming-to-australia/ for details.
18. How can I obtain more information or register my interest to do the course?
Those seeking more information on the Kakadu course should contact:
Charles Darwin University
Tourism and Hospitality Central
Palmerston Campus
Charles Darwin University NT 0909
Phone: 08 8946 7954
Fax: 08 8946 7833
International: +61 8 8946 7954
Kakadu Course Email: kakadu-online@cdu.edu.au
Enrolment information is available on the CDU website:
cdu.edu.au/tourismhospitality/kakadu-knowledge.html
Those seeking more information or to register their interest in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta course should contact:
Charles Darwin University
Tourism and Hospitality Central
Alice Springs Campus
Charles Darwin University NT 0909
Phone: 08 8959 5252
International: +61 8 8959 5252
Uluru-Kata Tjuta Course Email: uluru-online@cdu.edu.au
Enrolment information is available on the CDU website:
cdu.edu.au/cduvet/business-service/TjutaTourGuide.html
