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Tourism and Hospitality

A Range of Opportunities

If you’re looking for a career in one of Canada’s fast-growing industries, look at NIC’s Tourism and Hospitality programs. Tourism employs over 200,000 people in British Columbia in a wide range of industries. From culinary arts to resort managers, from wilderness guides to tour operators, NIC can help you advance into exciting positions around the world.

Tourism & Hospitality faculty work with industry partners in the key sectors of accommodation, food and beverage, and adventure tourism services to offer programs that meet the high demand for skilled graduates. At NIC, you’ll learn essential leadership, teamwork, and decision-making skills while gaining hands-on experience. You’ll complete your programs with great credentials and valuable industry contacts, as well as the insight and education you’ll need for a rewarding life-long career.

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There is a desperate need for chefs and I’m not finding any skilled people to hire. I like the NIC program. I helped develop it and I look forward to seeing its apprentices earn decent wages.
Jonathon Frazier, Executive Chef, Atlas Café, Courtenay

Exchange Opportunities

Starting in 2009, Tourism and Hospitality Management students can participate in an international exchange opportunity called Developing Environmentally Sensitive Hospitality Managers, or DESHM. By visiting locations in the US, Canada and Mexico, participants enhance their understanding of sustainability while increasing cultural awareness. Visit Study Abroad for more details.

Co-operative Education

Put your skills to work with Co-operative Education, paid work terms that give you professional experience and great employer connections. Placements are available around the world, from resorts and restaurants on Vancouver Island to Disneyworld in Florida. Visit Co-operative Education for more details.

Student-Driven Events

Every year, the Tourism and Hospitality students host great public events, like the International Reel Paddling Film Festival or the Annual Wine Fest, where they can hone their skills, interact with the community, and fundraise for future projects.

Entry-Level Hospitality Training

Some Tourism & Hospitality programs require that students complete entry-level training, such as Professional Bar Service or Food Safe, before they are eligible to graduate from their program. Check with a Student Advisor to make sure you have the necessary credentials.

Cooking for a Great Cause

For the St. Joseph Hospital Charity Fundraiser, held on June 16, 2009 at Crown Isle in Courtenay, the NIC Culinary Arts Program instructors and students offered a fantastic prize: the winner would recieve a professionally prepared dinner for 6 to 8 people, served in their home. Grant and Tracy Skelly were the successful bidders for this item and so, on December 4, 2009, Chef Instructor Chris Hansen, along with Culinary students Kathryn Guenette, Aril Favron, Sharann Foote and Tristen Katcher, prepared an in-house gourmet six course dinner for the Skelly family and friends. Quality Foods generously donated the food, and Beaufort Winery generously donated their excellent Black Deja Vu dessert wine for the occasion. This event provided an excellent opportunity for Culinary students to experience the planning and execution of in-house catering, while supporting a very worthy cause at the same time.

The Third Course Bistro

The Third Course Bistro allows guests to experience quality service in a unique atmosphere, created by both the Tourism and Culinary students. Students in the Tourism & Hospitality Management Program are responsible for operating and serving in the bistro, and the incredible menu selection is created by the culinary students. For more information, visit Third Course Bistro.

Seasons of the Grizzly
in Knight Inlet

Robert Scriba, an NIC Coastal Adventure Tourism graduate, recently published Seasons of the Grizzly in Knight Inlet. Packed with breath-taking images of majestic grizzlies and their habitat, Scriba’s book describes the grizzly's world and their vital dependence on salmon, drawing on his experiences as a wildlife interpreter and his passion for photography. Seasons of the Grizzly in Knight Inlet provides a fascinating peek into two of earth's most threatened and magnificent species.