Did you know that last year 19.6-million people took overnight trips to Canada? Almost four-million of those people visited Toronto. Needless to say, the field of hospitality is a booming business. From accommodation, food and beverage, and transportation to travel services, and recreation and entertainment, professional are needed in all five sectors to ensure that the Canadian tourism industry thrives. You can study any of these areas at Centennial College’s School of Hospitality.
The skills attained at Centennial College, are transferable anywhere in Canada, which means that you may work in Nunavut if you choose or in the downtown Toronto core. No matter which program you choose within the School of Hospitality, courses cover marketing, human resources, finance and industry operations — as applied to the entire hospitality and tourism field. In addition, many programs offer an industry internship that is designed to provide a practical foundation for students’ careers. During these placements, students apply what they have learned on-campus as well as acquiring new knowledge from their employers. Many students who participate in an internship continue as full-time employees after graduation.
Let’s take a look at some of tools that can be found on Centennial College’s campus to ensure that students are getting the most out of their School of Hospitality experience. Students in many programs develop their skills (whether planning, catering, etc.) at the
Centennial Conference Centre. Comprised of eight meeting rooms (including two large ballrooms and a variety of meeting rooms), it provides ample opportunity for students to have real life encounters. Uniformed in traditional black attire, students take pride in their work, paying attention to the smallest details and ensuring that every event is truly flawless.
In addition to the conference centre, there is also the on-campus eatery, Horizon Restaurant, which is a living lab that presents the culinary and service skills of the students from the School of Hospitality. The restaurant’s menu is freshly prepared to order and menus vary each week. Horizons is open for lunch service 12:00-1:30pm Monday to Friday and Sundays, during the Winter semester. To ensure table availability, reservations are recommended. From the freshly made food, to the schedule and the reservation recommendation, these features are designed to teach students all aspects of the restaurant business.
Let’s take a look at the offerings from the School of Hospitality. Full-time programs are offered in Event Management (Festival and Conference); Food & Beverage Management (Food and Beverage Management, Kitchen Management, Baking – Commercial Bakeries); Hotel and Resort Management (Hospitality Foundations, Hospitality Services, Hotel and Resort Management, and Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Management); and Tourism & Travel Operations (Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Tourism Management – Cultural and Heritage Tourism, Culture and Heritage Site Management, and Tourism & Travel).
All of these programs vary in prerequisites so it is recommended that you check Centennial College’s website for more information about the program that is of interest to you.