Careers in Leisure and Recreation Management Employment Prerequisites

Recreation and leisure professionals are responsible for planning, organizing and implementing leisure activities and special programs for individuals and groups, in order to improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. They may work in rural, suburban or urban settings with people of varied backgrounds and ages. Major career areas include therapeutic recreation, commercial recreation, community recreation, youth services, and travel and tourism with long-term care settings, rehabilitation centres, hospitals, youth-focused organizations, school-aged childcare centres, parks and recreation centres and corporate sector.

Recreation management is an upcoming field. Thus, the employment prospects are bright. Moreover, the industry is evolving continuously, contributing to the significant growth in career opportunities. Therefore, this is an exciting time to build careers in this field.

Employment Prerequisites

One of the basic employment prerequisite is the ability to work well with people of different ages and motivate them. Good health, physical stamina, excellent interpersonal skills, thorough understanding of human anatomy, emotional stability and a flexible attitude are other important requirements. This is because the leisure and recreation professionals need to deal with the people constantly, boost their morale, motivate them to achieve their health goals and maintain therapeutic relationships with clients.

Apart from this, the professionals are expected to undergo a formal education program in recreation and leisure management before getting into the industry. In fact, this is a mandatory requirement to seek employment in this field. Recreation management courses prepare students for diverse roles, including leaders, teachers, advocates, group facilitators, counsellors, referral workers, coaches or outreach workers, providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to build careers in this field.

Studying Recreation Management in Toronto

Although a number of colleges in Toronto offer post-secondary recreation management programs but not all programs meet your specific career goals. Moreover, they may not incorporate industry field placement, which is necessary for development of critical skills.

Centennial College's two-year post-secondary program in recreation and leisure services is an intensive program that provides students with all the above mentioned skills as well as practical hands-on experience to complement their classroom learning.

The program prepares students to work as front-line practitioners, with an ability to establish programs, prepare budgets, recruit, and train and manage team of volunteers, and prepare budgets and market activities, programs and events.

Program Content

The recreation management and leisure services program runs for two years and covers a wide range of subjects. During the first year, the focus is on developing a strong understanding in gerontology and wellness, child and youth development, therapeutic recreation, interpersonal skill development, recreation programming and communication. It also incorporates an industry field placement and hands-on training on advanced computer applications.

In the second year, students study about healthy lifestyle management, festivals and event management, community development, recreation management and marketing, cultural awakening, the business of recreation and report writing.

The program graduates can choose to either pursue their careers or apply their academic rewards towards further study to obtain a recreation management degree.

Enrolment Guide

Interested students can send their applications to the college along with a copy of secondary school diploma certificate and scores in English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent.