Tap into Tourism 2016

Bringing industry and educators closer together…
 
In collaboration with local school boards, RTO7 hosted two Tap into Tourism events this fall.  The goal of these events is to increase students’ exposure to and awareness of the tourism industry and their potential place in it.
 
In Owen Sound, Grade 11 and 12 students from Grey and Bruce high schools convened October 27th at Georgian College for a keynote speaker, breakout groups and an exhibit hall.  About 120 students learned about the demographics of their generation, customer service excellence, entrepreneurship, further education in tourism, the trades in tourism and non-traditional tourism jobs/careers. 
 
On November 1st, over 100 students from high schools across Simcoe County met at Horseshoe Resort with the goal of introducing students to tourism on a local level.  Through a keynote speaker, a Smartphone Mission and panel speakers, students learned about customer service excellence in the resort industry. The students also met with half a dozen local resorts and employees in various areas of the resort to learn about opportunities, pathways and fun in working at a resort. 
 
The keynote speaker at both events was Max Valiquette, VP of Strategic Planning at Publicis and founder of Youthography, North America’s first youth-market focused research and communications firm.  Max spoke to the students about their demographic, Generation Z, and the importance of customer service to both personal and corporate brands.  Max’s videotaped presentation can be viewed by visiting the RTO7 Stakeholder Site* home page, logging in and clicking on the link on the bottom right.  
 
The November 1st event also featured a breakout session in which teachers and advisors came together with tourism operators to share and brainstorm possible solutions to workforce challenges.  This was a great opportunity to make connections and consider opportunities for local school boards and industry to collaborate more in future.
 
Both events were well received by students, many of whom felt the day opened their eyes to the opportunities available in tourism, as well as to the importance of excellent customer service. 
 
*Tourism operators and organizations within RTO7 are invited to register for the site if you have not already done so (to access reports, images, etc.).  Or, if you have registered and forgotten your password you can click on the password reminder link on the Log In page.
 

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