PSB Academy incorporates Abacus basic course in its Diploma in Business Administration (Travel & Tourism)

Starting January 2004, students enrolling in the PSB Diploma in Business Administration (Travel & Tourism) conducted by PSB Academy will be able to take the Abacus Basic Course as part of their course curriculum at no extra cost. The Diploma curriculum has been tailored to meet industry's needs and equip students with relevant and practical knowledge.

The Abacus Basic Course is already a training course that is provided to all travel agents. The course helps them to attain a level of proficiency in basic functionalities of the Abacus system.

As an ongoing effort by Abacus to help train budding travel professionals in Asia, Abacus will conduct the three-day workshop for PSB Academy's students enrolling in the PSB Diploma in Business Administration (Travel and Tourism) programme.

Following the workshop, students will gain practical industry knowledge on the fundamentals of computer reservations and back-end travel agency procedures. Upon the successful completion, students will also be awarded a Certificate of Achievement by Abacus.

"We believe it is important to infuse fresh talent into the travel and tourism industry and have been training students since 1991. To date, we have conducted training for a number of institutions including the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS), the Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre (SHATEC), the Temasek, Ngee Ann and Singapore Polytechnics and private institutions such as Louis Preston, AIT Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Centre and Trusthouse," said Mr Andrew Yip, General Manager, Abacus Travel Systems.

Modules to be included in the course include an introduction and overview of Abacus, Flight Availability & Schedule Display, and Passenger Name Record (PNR) Mandatory fields, PNR Optional Fields, PNR Modification, Itinerary Print and Queue System.

"PSB Academy conducts programmes that are in line with industry needs and ensures that our graduates are well-prepared to meet real world challenges. By collaborating with relevant industry partners such as Abacus, we are able to give students a peek into the world of a real travel agent as well as provide them with skills which will prove useful when they graduate," said Mr. Tan Jek Min, Vice President, PSB Corporation.