By Joe Baker, Tourism HR Canada Board of Directors
Opening: A Sector Caught in the Crossfire
In recent months, federal policy changes have reshaped the landscape for international students in Canada. New caps on study permits and restricted eligibility for post-graduation work permits have struck hardest where our sector lives and breathes — in the classrooms, kitchens, and communities of colleges and universities that deliver tourism, hospitality, and culinary programs.
For many institutions, these programs are not just credentials — they are pipelines of possibility for students who dream of careers built on human connection and experience. And yet, these are the very programs most disrupted by new rules that make it harder for students to study, work, and stay in Canada. The result? A tighter labour supply, fewer young people discovering the sector, and an even wider gap between tourism’s potential and its people.
A Sector That Never Stopped Believing
Even before these policy shocks, tourism was already fighting through recurring labour shortages — from hotel front desks to guided tour operators, from local wineries to national parks. Behind every unfilled role lies an experience not delivered, a guest not welcomed, a community not fully realized.
But if tourism has proven anything, it’s our resilience. Our strength has never come from ease — it’s come from resolve. From a belief that people are at the heart of every great journey, every shared table, every story worth telling.
Budget 2025: A Signal of Hope and Confidence
Amid the challenges, Budget 2025 delivers a powerful message: Canada still believes in its students — and in the industries that give them purpose.
The federal government’s three-year renewal of the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) — a $635.2 million investment supporting roughly 55,000 work-integrated learning (WIL) placements — is a defining commitment to the next generation of talent. It tells educators, employers, and students that learning by doing is not a luxury; it’s a national priority. While final details on the continuation of specific delivery partners like Propel have not yet been concretized, this is a promising and welcome announcement.
Propel: Proof That Partnership Works
Tourism HR Canada’s Propel Student Work Placement Program stands as living proof of what happens when this commitment meets collaboration.
Since launching in 2021, Propel has invested over $5 million to support over 1,000 paid student placements across the country — from major hotels in Vancouver to adventure operators in Newfoundland. Every one of those experiences represents a moment when a student saw their classroom learning come alive, and an employer saw what the future of tourism could look like.
Propel hasn’t just filled jobs — it has ignited careers, transformed perceptions, and reminded Canadians that tourism is an education in humanity.
A Competitive Advantage Hidden in Plain Sight
Engaging with the Propel program means the next data analyst, graphic designer, finance major, or sustainability student could be working in tourism — applying their skills to digital marketing campaigns, event budgeting, or environmental certification programs. The next generation of tech innovators, storytellers, and strategists already exists in our classrooms. Tourism is simply waiting to show them what their talent can do.
Where Tourism Leads — Others Learn
No other sector can match the immersive learning environment that tourism offers. In every guest interaction, every service recovery, every operational challenge lies a masterclass in leadership, empathy, and innovation.
When students step into a tourism experience, they don’t just learn about business — they learn about people. And that’s the kind of education that builds not only strong workers, but strong citizens.
A Call to the Sector: Show, Don’t Tell
If we want government to remember how vital Canada’s experience economy truly is, we must show them.
By using these SWPP subsidies, recruiting students into Propel placements, and creating life-changing WIL opportunities across Canada, we can turn policy renewal into workforce renewal.
Every funded placement is more than a job — it’s a statement.
A statement that tourism matters.
That the experience economy is Canada’s competitive edge.
And that investing in students is the surest way to invest in our shared future.
Closing: The Power to Propel
For five years, Propel has been doing more than connecting employers and students. It’s been building bridges — between education and industry, between potential and purpose, between the Canada we have and the one we imagine.
With each funding renewal, the bridge gets stronger.
Let’s cross it — together.
— Joe
About
Joe Baker is a multi-passionate leader within Canada’s tourism, hospitality, and education sectors and a vocal advocate for a resilient, inclusive, future-forward industry.
In early 2024, he was appointed Dean of Okanagan College’s School of Business based in Kelowna, BC with leadership oversight of the College’s tourism-based programs and planning for the emerging Centre for Food, Wine + Tourism — expected to open in the fall of 2027.
Joe was previously Dean at Centennial College’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts in Toronto where he led the most significant transformation in the school’s over 50-year history.
He has held senior management roles at George Brown College’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Toronto and before joining higher education, Joe worked in hotels and managed restaurants.
He has a Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership, a Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality and Tourism Management and extensive executive education and certification.
Joe currently serves on the board of directors at Tourism HR Canada and Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia.