Changing Occupations in the Tourism Sector The Case of Canada Marion Joppe School of Hospitality and Tourism Management International Workshop 29-30 April 2004

Current employment (2003) Food & Beverage Service 766,100 Recreation & Entertainment 379,400 Transportation 272,300 Accommodation 206,900 Travel Services 41,200 Total 1,665,900 10.7% of total employment in Canada

Industry Growth in Canada Growth anticipated at 8-10% -- next 2 years Dropping to 1-2% -- next decade Growth above average over past 20 years Employment growth at 2-2.5% -- next 2 years Dropping to about 1% -- next decade Olympic Games and attendant projects will put significant pressure on employment growth during 2008-2010.

Projected Skill Shortages 3 Occupational categories: Managers in Food Service and Accommodation: severe but only for medium- term Chefs and Cooks: medium but long-term Occupations in Food and Beverage Services: medium but long-term

Causes of Skill Shortage Aging of the population Retention – heavy reliance on youth Recruitment – salary and wage disparity Internal skill gaps

Aging of the population

Dual Concern Much lower percentage of 45+ than other industries: 22% compared to 40% in goods-producing sectors 35% in services-producing sectors Huge competition for youth segment 15-24 years old 46% compared to 13% in goods-producing sectors 19% in services-producing sectors

Retention Heavy reliance on youth Substantial number of part-time, temporary and casual workers Business cycle and seasonality Academic school year Working conditions Employment practices

Recruitment Image of the industry Salaries and wages significantly below other professions Skills easily transferable and much prized by other industries Only 50% of tourism graduates in the labour market are working in tourism industry (B.C.)

Internal skill gap IT skills Literacy and numeracy Communication/presentation skills Customer handling/service Problem solving and critical analysis Leadership skills Financial management and cost control Project management

Weak internal market Few professions require certification of any kind Pay and promotion have tenuous link with credentials Few occupations with set educational requirements for employment Many graduates from non-tourism programs hired into tourism occupations

Alternate sources of workers Immigration Aboriginals Disabled Older workers – early retirees Social Assistance recipients

Fragmentation of HR policy Split in functions with some overlap between federal and provincial/territorial governments Human Resource Development Canada Sector Councils Education controlled provincially Often separate responsibilities for Secondary schools Colleges and universities Industry training, apprenticeship

Formal education Apprenticeships – limited to chefs and cooks Certification – limited to travel agents, health related occupations, e.g. massage therapist Colleges – 2, 3 and 4 yr applied degrees Universities – 4 yr degrees and graduate programs Only B.C. has seemless transition

Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) – sector council national non-profit organization promotes and enhances professionalism network of partners tourism businesses, labour unions, Provincial Tourism Education Councils (TECs), provincial, territorial and national associations, education/training providers, government

Lead tourism human resource development in Canada Sets a national vision and direction Co-ordinates and facilitates establishment and maintenance of National Occupational Standards, training resources and Professional Certification Promotes a training culture.

Acts as advocate nationally and internationally on tourism human resource issues. Supports and encourage efforts to attract people to establish careers in tourism. Acts as a clearinghouse and forum for information sharing and research

National Occupational Standards Documents describing skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for competent performance in specific tourism occupation Job profile contains criteria-based performance statements, knowledge requirements of the job, contextual information Benchmarks for assessments

Establishment of standards Subject matter experts from across Canada: complete range of the occupation Formal job analysis process Additional data through observation, interviews, literature reviews, and surveys Formal validation by the industry measurable, competency-based standards designed by industry

Standardized tourism occupations Some 50+ national occupational standards developed to date From Door Staff to Golf Club General Manager Many more at provincial level Address portable skills: basic workplace specific Many lead to formal certification

Example: Front Desk Agent Covers the following topics: Interpersonal Skills Guest Services Reservations and Sales Arrivals and Departures Departmental Operations Safety and Security Legislation

Professional Certification Industry-recognized credential upon successful monstration of competence Formal process of assessment Candidates must meet minimum requirements or pre-requisites Successfully pass examination Meet specified experience requirements

HTNCareerNet.com Job website that builds on the skills and qualifications identified through standards Over 1000 pages of job specific profiles Probably most comprehensive job matching service in the world today

Research in British Columbia Long history of focusing on professionalism in tourism Key sector of the economy Aggressive growth targets Most advanced integrated education system providing seamless transition Most committed to occupational standards and certification

Source of Training Survey of 1319 employees hired in 16 NOCs: 23% came from tourism related programs Exceptions are chefs – 69%, cooks – 52% and outdoor recreation guides – 47% Key tourism occupations show workforce with significantly lower educational attainment than general population

Educational level Significantly higher than (all occupations): University (17%) Conference and event planners 27% Tour and travel guides 19% Some post-secondary (45%) Travel counsellors 67% Tour and travel guides 60% Chefs 59% Conference and event planners 58% Ticket and cargo agents (not airline) 57% Program leaders/instructors in recreation/sport 57% Hotel front desk clerks 55% Food service supervisors 50%

Training gaps Skills across occupations, considered essential: Communication: reading + writing + oral Customer service Numeracy Problem solving Decision-making Risk management Finding information Job task planning and organizing Working with others Computer use Practicing sustainability Language proficiency

Training gaps Profession specific Adventure tourism/outfitting related Ecotourism related Health and wellness related Casino management Entrepreneurship