King Island tour guide completes his training via Fee-Free TAFE

King Island tour guide Ian Allan recently completed his Certificate III in Guiding at TasTAFE, studying remotely via Fee-Free TAFE.

Ian moved to King Island as a young school teacher – and ended up teaching the local kids for 38 years. After he retired, he started looking for other ways to keep himself busy.

“Retirement wasn’t really for me, you know – sitting at home or playing golf every day. It wasn't quite my style. So I set up a little business running guided walking tours on the island,” Ian said.

Working alongside his business partner Adam Hely, Ian soon had King Island Walks up and running – but accessing accredited tour-guide training proved to be a challenge.

“I'd taught first aid and outdoor education, so I had a little bit of the skill set. And I went through an accreditation process with the Australian Tourism Industry Council to get a sustainable tourism accreditation – but it became pretty obvious that I needed a further qualification to do what I wanted to do,” Ian said.

After some investigation, Ian decided to enrol in TasTAFE’s Certificate III in Guiding course – but travelling from King Island to access the training proved to be financially prohibitive.

“The return airfare to Launceston was over $700,” Ian recalled “– and that starts to bite, especially when you’ve just set up a business and you're making absolutely no money.”

After a constructive conversation with TasTAFE Tourism and Hospitality teacher Paul Cooper, Ian was able to commence the course studying remotely and tuition-free – the course was available via Fee-Free TAFE at the time.

“Paul presented some of the course information using PowerPoint over Zoom, which probably worked better for me than being in the classroom,” Ian reflected. “When it’s 1-on-1 like that, you don’t hesitate to ask questions midstream.”

Paul was also able to tailor the course content to the King Island context and the tours that Ian was already running – including guidance on safety and risk management, customer service and working with visitors from overseas.

“Customer service is the bit that you want to get right from the start. So that was fantastic – as well as understanding some of the nuances to consider when you’re guiding people from overseas. Things like cultural differences and mannerisms. That's not stuff that I would have naturally gone and investigated myself – and a lot of it I could put into action immediately,” Ian said.

As part of the assessment process, Paul visited King Island to assess Ian’s guiding capabilities first-hand.

“That was a real bonus,” Ian said, “– having someone of Paul’s expertise looking over your shoulder in the field, picking-up on little things to improve and giving advice.”

For Ian, the flexibility to fit his TasTAFE learning around his business commitments was another plus – especially over the busy summer period.

“I realised at one point that I hadn't had a day off in 6 weeks. I was working longer hours than when I was teaching full-time! But I was able to put the course on the backburner, then pick it back up again in winter when everything grinds to a halt on the island,” Ian said.

As a career educator, Ian is well placed to recognise excellence in teaching.

“I can confidently say that the TasTAFE approach demonstrated all the hallmarks of best practice,” he said. “The online Canvas interface (TasTAFE’s Learner Management System) worked really well, with regular Zoom hookups. It was terrific – I really enjoyed it.”

TasTAFE’s Head of the School for the Visitor Economy, Lauren Sheppard, said:

“Ian’s experience highlights how we tailor training to meet learners where they are – whether that’s through customised programs or using technology to reach regional and rural communities. It’s all about making vocational education accessible to every Tasmanian.

“At TasTAFE, we’re focused on delivering training that makes a real difference – not just for our learners, but for the communities and industries they’re part of.

“Ian’s journey is a great example of how we’re putting learners at the centre of everything we do.

“We wish Ian all the best in building his business and boosting King Island’s visitor economy.”

Ian Allan leads a King Island Walks tour group along the coastline.