Tourism Research, Innovation And Next-Generation Learning Experience (TRIANGLE) Knowledge Alliance

The TRIANGLE programme is a response to the multiple challenges of sustainable development in a global economy. The TRIANGLE Alliance will promote innovation for sustainable tourism development to counter negative trends and work more effectively in priority tourism regions in Europe, ie in the protected area natura 2000 network. The Sustainable Development Goals 2030 set a global agenda for European stakeholders, who through the renewed SCP dialoge (G 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) encourages all stakeholders to work towards environmentally friendly, socially responsible,and economically viable goods and services through their consumption as well as production activities. Certification enables consumers and producers to interact transparently and fairly in global market conditions, and enables European destinations and SMEs to do better business in a green economy, knowledge-based economy The TRIANGLE Project will deliver: by 2019 At the heart of the Alliance will be a collaboratively-managed ICT Portal containing online training tools for b2b or b2c use, including: - A knowledge alliance of universities wishing to manage their sustainable tourism offers in a collaborative framework. - A collectively-managed tourism knowledge base configured as an applications database engine, supporting: - A Competence in Sustainable & Responsible Tourism Certification online course (graduate level with ECTS credits) - A Sustainable Tourism Development Handbook and Online course - A Travel Green Europe Mapping App for certified tourism businesses to reach out to responsible consumers - A Certification Quickfinder to help businesses choose the most suitable certification process - A Tourism Sustainability Best Practice Browser for evidenced-based decision taking - A Europe-wide student intern placement system offering in-situ and online certification & auditor skills training. Target groups in the TRIANGLE programme are broken down into the multi-stakeholder categories devised in the knowledge base system. HEIs, tourism SMEs owners and employees and destination managers will be targeted to join the knowledge alliance as it develops at the European level on a country by country basis. Students and travellers are also targeted as users of the learning experiences. TRIANGLE project will demonstrate the following benefits to each target group: 1. The research and higher education institutes will benefit from sharing of the European-wide collaborative knowledge base that informs and improves their existing courses whist developing a common European quality level using the European credit system for sustainable tourism development training and education. They will be able to use the apps and the training tools to support their business constituencies and deliver a high standard of training to students. 2. Businesses in protected areas will benefit from working through an innovation stimulation process driven by application of sustainability certification systems and their marketing potential. They will be able to use the knowledge base and Apps to improve staff training, obtain strategic market information and gain better market access. 3. Destinations in protected areas will benefit from working through a wider innovation stimulation process that will involve their administrators and SMEs in a common local sustainability awareness process, again driven by application of sustainability certification systems and their marketing potential. The will be able to use the learning systems and apps to improve training and market access. 4. Students will be able to move from the academic world to the workforce with more relevant management skills and engage in the global tourism economy as business or destination auditors and sustainability planners. The learning delivery system will give them state of the art online learning experiences, and they will be able to enjoy both web based training and in situ placements to gain work experience. 5. Travellers will benefit from greater transparency of the sustainability of products and services being delivered in protected areas. The Apps will provide access to green tourism products and services, including verified responsible holiday destinations in protected areas and better understanding of the wide variety of certificates available to consumers. The Alliance will partner with Higher Education Institutes, destinations and business who wish to build jobs and growth in their regions through innovation in tourism development, following sustainable and responsible tourism principles that are embedded in training, education and re-skilling processes based on EU wide collaborative action. : We are looking for higher education institutes wishing to deliver high quality market-relevant sustainable tourism development courses and willing to join our European-wide Knowledge Alliance to both contribute and benefit from the networking process. Access to specific responsible tourism management professional work tools: o Certification quick finder o Best practice browser o Travel Green Europe Mapping App - Access to specifically designed courses and contents: o Sustainable Tourism Development online course and handbook (with potential of awarding ECTS credits) o Online course in Competence in Sustainable Responsible Travel and Tourism Certification - Access to a European internship database for students in the field of sustainable tourism; - Privileged contributor access to an international sustainable tourism knowledge open access database (visibility opportunities). Students can access blended learning experiences that involve both online learning environments and in-situ internship opportunities. Furthermore, these courses provide students with market-relevant skills, hence increasing employment opportunities after graduation. If you do think of applying to join the TRIANGLE KA you will need to ensure you can: - Appoint a referent person for your institute to deal with the Alliance; - Follow an induction course on online portal content and structure; - Be responsible for one or more knowledge base topic (according to specialism) for updating the work-flow; - Become licensed to run the online courses (fee-based system) for students and professionals in the field; - Provide ECTS credits to successful participants for both face-to-face and online courses; - Take part in the Europe-wide internship programme