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November 29, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
George Brown College and Niagara College have been
given approval to grant a Bachelor
of Applied Business degree in Hospitality Operations Management
by Ontario's Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities,
Dianne Cunningham. These leaders in Ontario tourism and hospitality
training are combining their experience to deliver this joint four-year
program that will begin in September 2003.
With its focus on equipping students with management, supervisory
and administrative skills, the program fills a gap in the range
of business and hospitality education offered in Ontario, and complements
both university commerce degrees with hospitality specializations,
and college diploma programs in hospitality and tourism.
“This degree leverages the strengths of two leaders in the
hospitality field to respond to the industry's growing need
for qualified managers to help it compete in the international marketplace,”
said Dave Taylor, Director, Hospitality and Tourism division, Niagara
College. “It enhances our roles in supporting the growth and
success of Ontario's hospitality industry, complements our
existing programs in the field,
and will help attract new people into an exciting, dynamic economic
sector.”
“We're building on our history of excellence to provide
a diversified program representing the two leading hospitality regions
in Ontario,” said John Walker, Dean of George Brown College's
Hospitality and Tourism Program.
“This program was developed to better serve an employment
sector that contributes $10 billion to the Ontario economy and is
expected to produce 306,000 new jobs in Toronto and Niagara by 2005.”
Students will enroll at their college of choice, but will have
opportunities to experience shared resources, teaching experts,
study exchanges and work experiences in two of Canada's premier
and distinctly different hospitality regions. The program will enroll
a maximum of 36 students each year in each college.
Graduates from the program will be prepared to pursue careers in
a range of hospitality enterprises, particularly those that combine
elements of hospitality operations such as accommodation, meeting
and convention, sports, entertainment and gaming, culinary, and
specialized and themed attractions within an international context.
Graduates will learn the underpinnings of business practice and
be able to integrate operational processes, financial, human resources,
facilities, and risk management components into a well-functioning
organization.
For Niagara College and George Brown College, the applied degree
program builds upon longstanding program excellence and recent investments
of over $10 million in hospitality educational infrastructure.
Niagara College has approximately 5,400 full-time students in more
than 60 post-secondary and 10 postgraduate programs, employs more
than 900 full and part-time staff and has an estimated $125 million
impact on the regional economy.
Bachelor Degrees at George Brown
College
The joint George Brown College and Niagara College Bachelor of Applied
Business degree in Hospitality Operations Management is the second
applied degree to be awarded to George Brown College. Other applied
degrees at GBC include a Bachelor of Applied Business (Financial
Services) and a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree (Construction
& Environment: Compliance & Regulations).
The primary focus of applied degrees is on career preparation.
An applied degree is awarded upon the completion of a program that
includes a focus on the application of workforce skills and knowledge;
well-defined learning outcomes; meeting provincial program and accreditation
standards; and taught by faculty who are skilled in current technologies,
the work and corporate environment.
George Brown College
As an integral part of downtown Toronto for 35 years, George Brown
College is uniquely positioned to support
and sustain a healthy, innovative Toronto. The College is currently
expanding its role through a $50 million investment in the renewal
of its programs, services and campus facilities, to be completed
by 2003.
For more information on enrolment and programs, please visit Centre
for Tourism and Hospitality.
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