Any student who has the opportunity to experience the field for which he or she is studying prior to graduation from his or her program will tell you how beneficial such an aspect is. Firstly, it allows students to network with professionals whom may not only be their peers after graduation but may be able to either hire them or introduce them to a potential employer. Secondly, students have an opportunity to apply what they have learned during the course of their studies to real world settings that allow them to get an idea of what they can expect in the field. Lastly, a field placement enhances a students’ resume by giving him or her advantage over someone who may have not had a similar opportunity.

One Centennial College offering that includes a field placement is also one of the most respected Tourism management programs in Ontario. The Tourism Management  Cultural and Heritage Tourism offering takes two years to complete and sees students head out into the workforce to complete a field placement during the final semester. Students spend the entire semester in the field and have the opportunity to process and analyze the practical experiences gained on their field placement in a forum safe for the sharing of these experiences with their classmates in the Field Placement Review course.

Discussions and interactions allow students insight into different sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry, different companies within these sectors, and the make up and operations of these companies.

Meanwhile, the on-campus studies focus on teaching students everything they need to know about the field as well as the challenges facing culture and heritage sector managers. This convergent methodology mirrors the junction of culture, heritage and tourism. Specific topics include: Ontario culture and heritage tourism production, dimensions of tourism, hospitality accounting, cultural and heritage tourism principles and practices, hospitality and tourism marketing, managing cultural and heritage facilities, festival management, customer relationship management and more.

Once they complete all of their Tourism Management Courses, students have the knowledge to:

  • Guarantee customer satisfaction while promoting tourism products, services and experiences;

  • Use a marketing plan to sell tourism products, services and experiences;

  • By employing knowledge of an array of tourism industries and their interactions, promote sustainable tourism;

  • Contribute to the effective daily operations of a tourism organization through individual and team efforts;

  • Seek through research, document and appropriately distribute accurately detailed product knowledge and destination information;

  • Create strategies to establish working relationships with clients and suppliers in order to maintain and strengthen their loyalty to the organization;

  • Apply accounting and financial knowledge and skills, including cost control techniques, to the operation of a tourism organization;

  • Address the cultural and heritage sector’s role in the Canadian tourism industry and the impact of factors such as economic variables, government policies and social dynamics on the cultural and heritage infrastructure