News
October 28, 2004VCC OFFICIALLY OPENS B.C. HOSPITALITY CENTRE; $1.1-MILLION FACILITY LAUNCHED AS TRAINING FOCAL POINT
Oct. 28, 2004
VCC officially opens B.C. hospitality centre; $1.1-million facility launched as training focal point
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Vancouver Community College, B.C.'s No. 1 college, today opened the B.C. Centre for Leadership and Innovation in Hospitality, launching a new $1.1-million facility as a major focal point for hospitality education, innovation and training - locally, regionally and provincially.
"This is a significant step forward for VCC in the province's hospitality sector," says college president Dale Dorn, who was joined by hospitality industry VIPs, students, graduates, faculty and local MLAs for the grand opening.
"We have a long track record as the leader in hospitality training in Western Canada," he says. "This new facility puts VCC solidly at the forefront of addressing the skills shortage in the province's hospitality sector leading up to the Olympics in 2010 and beyond."
Thursday's opening marks the culmination of five months of renovations to the fourth floor of the college's Dunsmuir Street building, which features a simulated hotel lobby, new classrooms and a lecture theatre with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment.
It is home to VCC's diploma and degree programs in hospitality management as well as several other training initiatives developed in cooperation with Vancouver-area hoteliers.
It is home to VCC's diploma and degree programs in hospitality management as well as several other training initiatives developed in cooperation with Vancouver-area hoteliers.
VCC's new centre and its expanded hospitality management training initiatives - including new classes in its diploma program to help meet increasing industry demand and a newly announced bachelor's degree in the field - come not a moment too soon for the hospitality industry, which is facing a shortage of skilled staff over the next decade.
Attracting well-trained people is critical to the industry's growth, says Rick Lemon, vice-president of tourism operations for Tourism B.C., which, as the marketer of B.C.'s $9.3-billion tourism industry, recognizes the need to develop qualified personnel.
"B.C. will require an additional 48,000 supervisors and managers in the accommodation and food and beverage sectors alone by 2015," says Lemon. "This centre goes a long way in assisting the industry to increase the number of skilled managers and staff, who in turn deliver a consistent, quality product for visitors."
Second-year hospitality management student Tyla Sprague sees the new centre as adding considerable value to her VCC credential.
"I'm so excited that there is an opportunity for people who are passionate about the hospitality industry to nurture and better their skills," says Sprague, one of the students who will benefit from the projected growth in the sector. "With this new centre and the new degree program, our chances for success are endless.
"This entire centre will only make our industry here in Vancouver stronger - and I have to say I'm so proud to be part of it," she says.
Media can contact:
Dave Donaldson
Dean, School of Hospitality and Business
Tel: 604.443.8396
Stephen Barrington
Communications Director
Tel: 604.871.7063