Hospitality & Tourism Schools in Canada

As the hotel industry continues to recover from the affects of the economic downturn and baby boomers exit from the workforce, managers and operators will be again discussing labour shortages. Fortunately, there are a number of Canadian educational institutes that focus on producing job-ready talent every semester. Our industry requires hospitality professionals to be knowledgeable problem solvers with intuitive and adaptable capabilities. Some of these characteristics are engrained in human personalities, while others can be ascertained through post secondary education. As economics and demographics continue to cause labour shortages, hospitality and tourism owners and operators can look to some of these schools to address these challenges.

There are a number of institutes that are emerging as leaders in developing talent for the Hospitality and Tourism industry within Canada. Hospitality, tourism and hotel undergraduate program degrees can be gained through transfer programs or traditional four year programs. Some of the schools also offer graduate programs in different areas of hospitality and tourism. Graduates of the Ryerson University and Guelph University hospitality programs are recognized industry leaders throughout Canada and globally. Royal Roads University, The University of Victoria, George Brown College, Georgian College, Okanagan College, University of New Brunswick and Capilano University all have bachelor degree or three year diploma programs that provide a foundation for hospitality and tourism professionals to build meaningful careers and excel the level of professionalism in the industry. Two schools, the University of Calgary, and the Quebec Tourism and Hotel Institute (ITHQ) have operating hotels on campus. While ITHQ currently operates as a training hotel for students the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary is working towards including a co-op program in the curriculum between the on Campus Alma Hotel and students in their Bachelor of Hotel & Resort Management program. The majority of these programs also include a mandatory work experience requirement as part of the program. From hotel managers, to asset managers, to entrepreneurs these programs continue to adapt to the to the labour requirements of the industry. Some programs are being standardized to allow for student transfers between local and international institutions, making for a more dynamic learning experience. Furthermore, technology is opening doors to online distance education degree granting programs, which now provide the flexibility to allow for students to study via a virtual classroom.

Industry veteran and PKF Consulting Director, David Larone believes "A Business Degree specialized and focussed on the Hospitality industry is vital and has never been needed more than today. The schools cannot graduate enough Business Majors focussed on the Industry (hotels in particular) to satisfy the need. The industry needs all the graduates schools can provide, but it needs to be a true "business school" equivalent to any well respected Undergraduate Business program. Graduates need to be well grounded in Accounting (Financial and Mgt) Finance, Marketing, HR, etc." Most of these schools get this, by offering core business foundation courses and then allowing students in later years to specialize, thereby producing job-ready professionals. Specialized courses can range from Sustainable Tourism Development, Casino Operations to Wine & Oenology.

A recent publication by the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) reminded the industry that the Canadian Tourism Sector generates approximately $70 billion of economic activity annually and generates 1.6 million full time jobs. The CTHRC is projecting a return to labour shortages in 2012 with almost 9,500 full year tourism jobs unfilled with this number growing to 219,000 by 2025 if nothing is corrected. In recent years, many operators turned to temporary foreign worker programs to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers. In this respect, the economic downturn brought a temporary reprieve to many of these operators who were able to operate with less staff or had a healthy supply of job applicants. Hospitality programs should be sourced to fill labour shortages as graduates from these programs have completed work experience / education requirements, and are often anxiously looking to pay down student debt. Employees who have graduated from hospitality programs are well aware of what job demands and responsibilities exist in their field and naturally are better candidates for long term employment.

As our industry adjusts to the ever-changing economic environment and hospitality and tourism organizations continue to face challenges, moving forward the demand to produce and retain top talent will be required even more. Graduates of hospitality and tourism programs throughout Canada provide a specialized skill set that ensures that globally and at home Canadians are recognized as industry leaders.