The Department of Economic Development has expressed its support for Isle of Man College’s training course, ‘Introduction to the Isle of Man’, for people interested in becoming a Tour Guide. The course forms the first part of the Blue Badge Guide qualification, the nationally recognised standard for guiding.

Tour guides are required for a variety of visitors, including groups, cruise passengers and independent travellers.

Mr David Cretney MLC, who has responsibility for Tourism and Motorsport, commented:

‘This course is perfect for those looking to gain the knowledge required to act as a guide and be the front face of tourism for the Island’s visitors. A knowledgeable and engaging guide enhances the visitor experience and makes a trip to the Isle of Man more memorable.

‘In particular, we would like to encourage applicants with foreign language skills, as we currently attract a number of cruise visitors from Germany, Norway and France and the ability to guide in these languages would be a fantastic asset for the Isle of Man.‘

The course starts on Thursday 8th October with sessions held in the evening from 6pm. It will be taught in 24 two-hour sessions and will cover the archaeology, history and culture of the Isle of Man.

There will also be six 2-hour Saturday field-trips to archaeological sites around the island, including the Manx Museum and the Legislative Buildings.

An induction session will take place on Tuesday 6th October at The Nunnery Campus.

Full details, including costs and module information, can be found at: www.iomcollege.ac.im/course-finder/higher-education/introduction-to-the-isle-of-man

Information about the second tour-guiding part of the training and how the whole course fits together can be found on the Facebook page of the Guild of Manx Registered Tour Guides at https://www.facebook.com/IsleofManTourGuides  . For an introduction to what the guides do please visit http://www.isleofmantourguides.org  

- Ends -