News Archives: Hospitality and Tourism Management Diploma will launch in September at GPRC
Tuesday, March 28th, 2006
The approval to offer a new hospitality and tourism program at Grande Prairie Regional College is welcome news for this rapidly growing industry in the Grande Prairie region. Approval for the program was received last week from Alberta Advanced Education. “Grande Prairie Regional College has long done a great job of providing much-needed educational programs in a wide range of areas. Our government is pleased to support its vision for the future by funding this new Hospitality and Tourism program,” said Advanced Education Minister Dave Hancock. “This program will position the college as a leading provider of education and training for the tourism and hospitality sectors in the years ahead.” The new diploma program at GPRC will train management personnel for the broad range of businesses related to the industry. Courses in tourism operations management, food and beverages management, and accommodations management will be complemented by opportunities for students to immerse themselves in a hospitality environment. A feasibility study was completed during the summer of 2004 with 100% of respondents supporting the development of this program, and many offering to support the program by providing practicum placements, guest speakers, resources, and funding for scholarships. As vice-president of the Pomeroy Group of hotels in Grande Prairie, Ryan Pomeroy is among those who welcome the new program to the community. “The career opportunities in our industry continue to grow,” Pomeroy says. “Local businesses will benefit greatly from the workforce generated by this program.” The alumnus of GPRC and Wolves volleyball is also a member of the advisory committee which has worked with the College to help develop the Hospitality and Tourism diploma program. “We are confident that this diploma program will meet a defined need in our region,” says Dr. Rick Erlendson, Dean of the GPRC School of Business. “Response from industry sector representatives has been overwhelmingly affirmative. Based upon our research and preparation over the past two years, we expect this program to be very successful. We will be accepting the first students into this program in September 2006, and are welcoming applications now.” Tourism has been identified as the fourth largest industry sector in Alberta, employing some 100,000 Albertans. In Grande Prairie alone, the hospitality and tourism industries have more than doubled within the past ten years, and construction and growth continue. “One of the great things about our College system is that we are able to be responsive to the changing needs of the workplace in our region,” says President Jim Henderson. “The cooperative relationship with our industry partners has been an important part of the process to establish this new diploma. We are very proud to be able to work with our community to meet the educational goals of our region.”
