As of 2019, the Canadian tourism sector generated more than 100 billion dollars in economic activity and employed more than 2 million people, representing 1 in 10 working Canadians. The industry was statistically one of the hardest hit sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is fighting to rebuild and needs the collaborative support of higher education institutions across this country, with work-integrated learning (WIL) playing a critical role in building the tourism workforce of the future.
WIL has always been a big part of the tourism sector in Canada, and the industry has always relied on the post-secondary sector to prepare leaders of the future. But now it must consider the gradual decline in domestic enrolment within tourism and hospitality programs across Canada, the sharp increase of international enrolment, and the precarious nature of the industry as it struggles to rebuild post pandemic.
Next month’s Co-operative and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will see a panel discussion explore these topics and more. Moderated by Tourism HR Canada Board Member Joe Baker, the panel features Philip Mondor, Tourism HR Canada President and CEO; Darlene Grant Fiander, President, Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Tourism Human Resource Council, and Tourism HR Canada Board of Directors Chairperson; Keith Brown, Managing Director, World Tourism Institute at Cape Breton University; and Natalie Wood, Director of Talent & Culture, Cabot Cape Breton.
The session will be both informative and a call to action to build collaborative relationships, programs, and partnerships that bridge the gap between the higher education system and the tourism industry through WIL, with student success at the centre of it all. Tourism HR Canada’s Propel Student Work Placement Program will feature heavily, as the only dedicated WIL program for tourism employers.
Tourism HR Canada is a proud sponsor of this year’s CEWIL Conference, which has sold out this year. For highlights, be sure to subscribe to Tourism HR Insider.