Professional Skills
Introduction to travel planning
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This course is designed to familiarise newly appointed travel plan coordinators – and those affected by travel plans – with crucial aspects of workplace and school travel planning, and to broaden the knowledge of existing coordinators. It will also appeal to others in appropriate professional contexts, such as Local Authority Travel Co-ordinators or transport consultants.
The course provides an overview of the rationale for Travel Planning and the processes involved, and enables you to focus on either workplace or school Travel Planning. It will also help you identify further training needs.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | GT013 |
| Credit points | This is a non-credit bearing course. |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
What you will study
The first part of the course is The Case for Mobility Management. Travel plans are a package of measures to manage travel behaviour to and from a particular site. It is important for travel planners to understand the basis of their role and work. Therefore the course starts by addressing the strategic question of why travel needs to be managed in such a way and why roads cannot simply be widened and more car parks built. This includes examining the environmental, social, health and economic impacts of transport. We then look at how these issues can be addressed by implementing technical measures (such as cleaner transport fuels) and schemes to change the transport users’ behaviour – of which travel plans are one.
The second part of the course, Mobility Management and Travel Planning, concentrates upon the role of institutions, such as employers, schools, service and leisure providers, in mobility management. This takes us directly into the concept, use and impacts of travel planning.
The process of designing, developing and supporting travel plans is then explored in detail, and the example of hospitals is considered as an in-depth case study. Hospitals illustrate a range of travel plan issues and possible measures. Following the exploration of travel plans for hospitals, you will be able to choose to concentrate upon either workplace or school travel plans. If your responsibilities cover both, you can draw upon both study streams. In either case, you will be directed to read a set of relevant case studies and answer some questions. You will then tackle the spreadsheet exercises in which you will develop a package of measures for either a school site or a workplace travel plan.
The course assignment will ask you to relate what you have learned in studying the pack to your own work situation. It would be worthwhile discussing this activity with your line manager or others with whom you share travel planning responsibilities.
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- explain the environmental, social and economic impacts of transport, and the resulting need for mobility management
- understand the relative roles of (a) technical measures to reduce negative transport impacts and (b) mobility management approaches
- be aware of the role of relevant transport policy, legislation and targets
- understand what constitutes a travel plan – in particular that a travel plan is a process rather than a product
- appreciate the range of measures that can be used as part of a travel plan in workplaces and/or schools
- identify the benefits of travel plans for individuals and organisations
- understand how to match an individual package of measures to the requirements of a particular site/organisation
- specify an effective travel plan for your situation
- understand the fundamental issues relating to the management of the travel plan process
- understand the factors that influence organisational change and how change can be managed effectively to the benefit of the organisation as a whole
- identify key success factors in travel planning – including good partnerships, clear objectives, client/organisational motivation, senior management involvement, budget issues, continuity and monitoring.
The strong link between course learning and your work practice creates relevant, enduring and transferable outcomes. It requires no more than 30 hours of your time in total, over whatever period suits you. But the learning is far richer than more expensive one- to three-day workshops. Register online today and start tomorrow – no need to wait!
The course features the distinctive strengths of The Open University from its years of expertise in work-based learning:
- The convenience of accessing its clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever suits you and wherever you have access to the dedicated website – if you prefer, you can print key materials to work on them offline.
- The support of an expert learning adviser who can clarify study materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs.
- A work-based activity helping you to connect the course to your individual and organisational context and needs. At the end of the course you send this to the learning adviser, who provides personal feedback.
- Certification of completion from the OU for those who complete the course. You can use this to demonstrate your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity to your employer and/or professional body. (N.B. The course does not carry academic credit points.)
Entry
Although there are no formal academic requirements to study any of our CPD courses, you are expected to have some experience in the field and the course assumes a familiarity with the subject.
For each course you can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your work-based activity at any date before the final submission date for the course. Information about the final submission date is available when you register for the course.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The study materials are delivered online. Learners who use screen readers or who cannot use a mouse will not be able to access some materials or some activities without assistance. Written transcripts of the audio interviews are available on the website. If you are a new learner with the OU, make sure that you have our publication Meeting Your Needs.
Study materials
What's included
All learning materials, exercises, study support and work-based activity are delivered entirely online.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Learner support
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you direct within 24 hours. Other support is available via the GT013 forum, library, StudentHome website and computing helpdesk.
Work-based activity
The work-based activity for this course has been designed as an integrated ongoing activity that you submit at the end of your study. It will allow you to reflect on your learning and how to use it in your professional work.
Professional recognition
Successful completion of the course enables us to recognise your achievement of the course learning by issuing an OU certificate that you can use to document your commitment to continuing professional development in your personal portfolio, or to provide evidence to employers or professional body.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | GT013 |
| Credit points | This is a non-credit bearing course. |
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