Coastal Guiding, (6N20280 – QQI Level 6 Special Purpose Award), is aimed at people who are passionate about their environment and exploring its coastal landscape, heritage, culture and ecology with an enthusiasm for getting outdoors and sharing this with others. This course will provide you with the relevant knowledge, skills and competencies to provide a variety of guiding experiences to others in a safe and professional manner in accordance with relevant statutory guidelines.
This Course meets the criteria to be included in the Fáilte Ireland Industry Qualified Tour Guide Directory and the Regional Tour Guide Badge (yellow) is issued to you on successful completion of the course.
Achill VTOS is located in An Corrán, Achill, in the heart of the Gaeltacht, along the Wild Atlantic Way and beside the Great Western Greenway. Achill is an ideal location for this course, it offers an unrivalled diversity of ecosystems, habitats and cultures to explore and learn about. It has a rich maritime culture and heritage, spectacular mountains, beaches, blue ways with regular sightings of cetaceans, basking sharks, seals. Achill has a well-established tourism industry, with a particular focus on ecotourism, flora, fauna and the outdoors.
As part of the course, we also travel to other areas of County Mayo and beyond for field trips, training and guiding opportunities. For example, this year we visited heritage, cultural, ecological and archeological sites, throughout Mayo as well as in Kilmovee, Tulsk, Conemara, Derry, the Antrim Coast and the Giant’s Causeway, Derry as well as visiting Clare Island, Inisturk, Inis Gés and Rathlin Island.
Participants can also apply to the Erasmus Programme to travel abroad: accommodation, travel and living expenses covered.
A work placement in a related field will be an integral part of the programme.
Module 6N20229 – Irish Tour Guiding
6N20257 Coastal and Maritime Ecosystems and Culture
For further information on this award go to:
http://www.qqi.ie//sites/docs/AwardsLibraryPdf/6S20280_AwardSpecifications_English.pdf
In addition to qualifying as a Coastal Guide, you will also be given the opportunity to gain additional accreditation and skills in other related areas. These include:
This course will include classroom-based learning, online learning, as well as regular field trips, site visits, guest speakers and workshops from regulatory bodies, local Agencies/Service providers, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Wild Nephin National Park as well as relevant tour operators and industry experts. It will also include a work placement in a related field.
This course is particularly suited to people in the Outdoor Sector, Ecotourism and Guiding Sector who want to upskill and gain additional qualifications and competencies during their off-peak season. On its completion you will be ideally placed to source employment or self-employment in a number of outdoor education, guiding and tourism related sectors.