Why Should You Study Event Management?

Event management is a discipline which is concerned with the planning, budgeting, organizing and execution of cultural, business or social events, including festivals, ceremonies, parties, concerts, conferences, product launches, press conferences and seminars. And the event manager is responsible for planning and managing all creative, technical and logistical elements of events that may include budgeting, client service, audio-visual presentation, event design and marketing strategy.

Events are an integral part of the business world as well as our personal life. We organize events, take part in their execution or are invited to them. We are involved in cultural, social or business events either directly or indirectly. Event management is a multifaceted discipline that includes creativity, planning, advertising and relationship management. Every event needs to be carefully choreographed, in order to roll it out seamlessly and make it successful.

Career in Event Management

Event management is a rapidly growing sector. And today, most business and social events are outsourced. This means, event managers and their teams play a major role in planning and executing them within the clients’ budgets.

Event managers are needed everywhere in almost all kinds of businesses, including entertainment, retail, fashion, training and development, sports and culture and heritage. The jobs are plenty in this sector. The employment prospects are expected to increase further in the years to come. Current is the right time to build careers in this hospitality sector.

Although the employment prospects are extremely good in this field but the job market is more competitive than ever. Professionals with specialized education and training stand better chances of getting decent jobs than those with general education. Study in event management college can lead you to the right career path.

Getting into Event Management Industry

You must possess certain skills and traits, in order to seek an entry to this industry. Essential skills like team building, networking, industry relations, budgeting, creativity and innovation, media planning, communication, marketing, leadership, and relationship management along with specialized education would help you go long way.

Centennial College’s postgraduate certification program in event management – festival and conference prepares you for careers in this exciting and rapidly growing industry. You learn to develop and implement financial initiatives based on event objectives, apply marketing principles to festivals, events and conferences, and plan, design and coordinate effective site and facility operations and apply accounting, financial knowledge and skills and business administration skills to the operations to events.

This one-year course is accredited by UNWTO TedQual and prepares you for employment in hotels, convention centres, tourism and non-profit organizations, corporations, arts and cultural organizations, and event marketing management companies, sports and entertainment agencies and convention centres.

The program covers a wide selection of subjects, including event marketing – festival and conference, team coordination, sponsorship development, event budgeting, networking and industry relations, risk and security management, site logistics and operations management, greening festivals, events and conferences and communication and media planning.

The event management program is open for college or university graduates with diploma or degree in hospitality, tourism or related discipline. Your applications are also considered if you have a diploma or degree in an unrelated discipline. But for this, you must possess related work experience. In addition to this, you will also need to submit a resume detailing related work experience.

Prepare for Managerial and Leadership Roles in Hotel Industry

A postgraduate certification program in hotel, resort and restaurant management helps you upgrade your existing hospitality knowledge and skills, preparing you for leadership roles. This is a one-year program that covers management and leadership areas, including finance, human resources, oenology, labour relations, international operations, entrepreneurship, leadership, security and risk management, marketing and revenue management and service quality.

This is an intensive program, which is designed to provide strong practical foundation and is more hands-on. It incorporates classroom learning, individual and team projects, presentations, guest lectures, simulations, lab sessions, conferences and an industry field placement. 

Who Is This Program For? 

This program is for you, if you:

• Are already working with a hotel, resort or restaurant and wish to upgrade your hospitality and management knowledge and skills
• Want to avail more advanced career opportunities in the field of hotel or restaurant management
• Want to prepare for leadership and managerial roles in this industry
• Build strong fundamentals in hospitality marketing
• Upgrade your understanding in hospitality safety, security and crises management

Know If You’re Eligible to Apply for This Program 

You’re eligible to apply for this program, if you:

• Have obtained a college diploma or university degree in hospitality, tourism or related discipline
• Have a diploma or degree in an unrelated discipline but have related work experience
• Have completed partial post-secondary education but have relevant work experience of minimum two years in hospitality

Choosing the Right College 

Your career after a postgraduate hotel management course depends upon the skills you develop and industry exposure you get during the program tenure. This is why it is of utmost importance to carefully choose your program and college. The college reputation, standard of certification earned and hands-on experience play a decisive role in your career.

There are available numerous hotel management programs in Toronto. However, a program is worth considered if it:

• Is delivered by experienced faculty who have strong academic and industry backgrounds
• Covers all important aspects of a hotel business, including customer services, operations management, human resources management, marketing and sales and so on
• Prepares you for managerial and leadership roles in hospitality industry
• Helps you gain valuable industry experience through an individualized industry placement
• Gives you skills that are transferable across sectors within the hospitality industry
• Offers you hands-on training through a full-service student operated restaurant
• Provides you with computer skills that are required in day-to-day operations

Centennial College’s program in hotel, resort and restaurant management fulfills all the above criteria and thus, may be the right choice for you. It is delivered by industry experienced faculty, and incorporates a two-days-per-week industry placement for 15 weeks in second semester.

The best thing about this program is that it offers you the knowledge, skills and attitude to assume leadership and managerial roles in hotel industry in just one year. The program is short yet intensive and comprehensive and prepares you to work in the areas of housekeeping management, human resources management, hotel and restaurant general management, sales and marketing management, and hotel revenue and financial management.

Fast-Track Travel and Tourism Programs in Toronto

Travel and tourism is one of the industries that offer maximum career opportunities at all levels of management and operations. And the best part is that you don’t need to undergo specialized education for years to seek an entry to the world of work. A one-year course in tourism and travel also offers you the knowledge and skills required to work in this sector.

In fact, Centennial College offers a two-year diploma in tourism and travel in just one year. Although there are a number of colleges in Toronto that offer short tourism and travel courses but Centennial’s is an intensive and comprehensive program that offers you the proficiency that both Canadian and global employers are seeking currently.

The program runs through three semesters, providing you with in-depth knowledge in world geography, hospitality accounting, wholesale tour operations, ground transportation, accommodation, airline automation, travel agency operations, customer service, and domestic and international tariff and ticketing. 

How Is Centennial’s Tourism and Travel Program Different from Others?

• Centennial’s is a fast-track program, offering essential industry insight, industry certifications and qualifications, and a placement at an established company to help you gain real-world experience.
  
• It also offers extensive world destination knowledge, including culture and heritage, passport and visa requirements, customer sales and security, travel security, and training.
  
• Not all travel and tourism programs in Toronto that are available with other colleges in Toronto are recognized. However, Centennial’s is accredited by UNTWO TedQual. Moreover, it’s endorsed by the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (CITC). This ensures that the program meets required standards when it comes to curriculum, hands-on learning and experience of faculty members delivering this program.
  
• The best part is that you also receive Apollo and Sabre computerized airline reservation system training, which prepares you for employment even before you’re a graduate.
  
• The program also includes a two-and-a-half-day cruise line training conducted by CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) trainers.
  
• An industry field placement in last semester allows you to put your learning into practice, gain hands-on experience and earn relevant industry contacts for future references.

Eligibility Criteria 

In order to apply to this program, you will need:

• Secondary school diploma certificate or equivalent
• English Grade 12 C or University, or equivalent

However, meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee you an admission in this program. Admission offer is made only after a thorough analysis of your application. 

Options upon Graduation 

Upon graduation, you may choose to pursue your career and work with retail travel agencies, wholesale tour operators, internet booking offices, cruise lines, airlines or tourist offices. This program prepares you only for entry-level jobs. If you wish to avail more advanced career opportunities, you will need to enrol in a travel and tourism degree program. You can opt for further studies right after graduating from this one-year program or after obtaining substantial work experience, depending upon your requirements.

What It Takes to Become a Child and Youth Worker?

Child and youth workers help children and adolescents with a whole range of issues from emotional disabilities to new experiences, behavioural difficulties and teenage pregnancy. Traditionally, these practitioners have been playing a standalone role in the society. However, nowadays they play a dominant role in a breadth of jobs and sectors, facilitating personal, social and educational growth of children and youth.

The child and youth work is aimed towards:

• Developing supportive relationships with young people
• Helping them understand new experiences in their lives
• Fostering confidence in them
• Promoting self awareness among youngsters
• Establishing friendly communication with children and youth
• Enhancing the growth and development of children and youth within a range of therapeutic contexts

Responsibilities of Youth and Child Workers

The role of youth and child workers varies greatly, depending upon their employment and experience. However, there are a few work activities that every practitioner is expected to do, regardless of their job profile. These include:

• Developing and maintaining therapeutic relationships with children and youth
• Fostering and utilizing therapeutic environments, promoting their overall well-being and facilitating positive change for them
• Developing and implementing strategies to enhance psycho-social development in children and youth
• Understanding their special needs and developing intervention strategies to meets their goals
• Regularly monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of child and youth-care programs
• Mentoring and coaching individuals to facilitate physical and emotional fitness

Requirements for Becoming a Child and youth worker in Toronto

In order to seek employment in this field, you will need to have undergone a post-secondary program in child and youth work at least. You will need to learn the principles, philosophies and characteristics of relational child and youth work practice, such as co-creating relationships, working developmentally and understanding professional boundaries.

In addition, the in-depth understanding of developmental issues in childhood and adolescence, principles of psychology, child and adolescence mental health, group dynamics, multimodal therapies in child and youth work, advocacy and law in children’s mental health, working with traumatized children and youth, child abuse and crisis theory and interventions is also required.

Apart from this, employers are keen on hiring child and youth work graduates with excellent communication, interpersonal, counselling, coaching and professional writing skills, in addition to the required knowledge.

Becoming a Child and Youth Worker

Centennial College’s two-year child and youth work program prepares you to work with traumatized, abused and troubled children and youth and their families. It equips you with a diverse skill set that permits movement across multiple roles and various contexts in this field. You will be prepared to work in community based programs and shelters, crisis centres, young offender programs, residential and day treatment programs and hospitals.

You will also be trained in understanding and managing aggressive behaviour (UMAB) during the program tenure. Additionally, an industry field placement allows you to apply your learning into practice and gain relevant industry contacts.

Child and youth workers are high in demand in Canada because of their contribution in the lives of Canadian youngsters. This may be the right career choice for those who want to help troubled youth and lead them to the right path.

Community Development Work Involves Global Citizenship Work

When entering fields within community and health studies, it is essential to show employers that you care about your role as a local, national and international citizen. At Centennial College, certain programs offer students the opportunity to complete a Global Citizenship and Equity Portfolio through its Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity. Because Centennial College is a recognized leader in global citizenship, social justice, and equity education, it places a strong emphasis on ensuring its relevance in these areas and, in 2009, established the Institute for Global Citizenship & Equity as an avenue for ensuring that it continues to achieve this goal. The portfolio students complete documents their engagement with the College’s signature global citizenship and equity competencies.

Students of the community develop program (known as Community Development Work) partake in this initiative during their two years of studies, which focus on the interdisciplinary field that incorporates politics, economics, research and an understanding of cultural diversity. Community development is a form of social planning that aims to boost the social and economic well being of people living in various communities. As such, students are prepared for careers in public, private and non-profit sector careers in a wide array of positions geared at building community capacity, promoting sustainable community and managing/directing community economic development initiatives.

Included in the curriculum are topics such as sustainable community development, communication fundamentals, community engagement and participation; community development in action, community development policy, business essentials, and more.

Aside from on-campus experiences, students also partake in two separate field placements. These are opportunities to work in communities to advocate for change strategies that promote social and economic justice and challenge patterns of oppression and discrimination. At the same time, students get to network and build their system of professionals. While the first placement (during the third semester) takes place locally, the final semester placement may be completed internationally. Both placements involve:

• Applying principles that lie within the scope of practice guidelines for a community development worker;
• Applying principles of community development practice through the planning, implementing and evaluating of community development related activities and programs;
• Establishing and maintaining professional, ethical working relationships that address conflict of interests;
• Executing roles and responsibilities required of a community development practitioner within a specific community agency based on research related to the theory and practice of the community development field;
• Performing self- evaluations and self- appraisals related to the execution of community development roles and responsibilities;
• Preparing a professional career portfolio that incorporates ways to market oneself and seek employment in the community setting

As one of the respected community development program in Ontario, this offering has admission requirements that students must meet in order to apply. Aside from having an interest in the field, applicants are required to have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older) as well as English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission.