The Duty Free World Council (DFWC) Academy has announced its 2023 responsible training courses across key duty free categories were delivered to, and completed by, over 3,000 people in the travel retail industry.

Partnering with Generation Research and parent company Contineo Labs, as well as Swiss consumer insights expert, m1nd-set to work to develop the course content, The DFWC Academy was originally formed in 2019 and launched at the TFWA Asia Pacific Conference and Exhibition in Singapore the same year.

Its stated mission is to raise industry standards through the provision of responsible retail online training courses designed to equip participants with core selling skills and information.

There are several courses, ranging from a comprehensive scholarship course to certified courses in key categories; delivery is through a partnership with ACI World Training’s Online Learning Centre.

Avolta(formerly Dufry), 3Sixty Duty Free, Dubai Duty Free, and Harding+ are just some of the leading retailers confirmed to have all sent members of their various teams to participate in these courses.

3Sixty Duty Free specifically focused on enrolling employees in the Certificate in Duty Free and Travel Retail and the Responsible Retailing courses.

A select group of 3Sixty’s key employees, including general managers, assistant managers, and head office staff in functions like marketing, also undertook the Certificate in Duty Free and Travel Retail.

The programme is aimed to provide participants with in-depth industry knowledge, enabling them to excel in their respective careers and further contribute to the improvement of the travel retail industry.

Sarah Branquinho, President of DFWC said: “I am delighted with the progress that the Academy has made in the last year and the course registration numbers for 2024 thus far are looking good. It is encouraging to see that retailers, brands and agencies alike are putting some traction behind training their teams in an industry leading way.”

Since the creation of the Academy in 2019 over 6,000 students have completed the courses, including some key industry figures from the Academy’s advisory board, who provide constant feedback on course content by completing the courses themselves.

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