Tourism Thunder Bay Encouraging Careers in Tourism

For the first time, Tourism Thunder Bay has a presence at the 2009 Regional Career Fair being held at the Confederation College Aviation Center of Excellence. The Fair runs May 21 and 22nd.

Opportunities for summer employment, careers and entrepreneurship exist in the tourism industry and its important to reach youth in the community and encourage them to consider the opportunities that the industry can provide. There are dozens, if not hundreds of careers within the broader tourism industry, ranging from culinary and hotel management to web development, marketing, human resources, parks, guiding, and aircraft maintenance and flying. These opportunities span the private, public and not for profit sectors. Students don't often think about tourism or the employment future that can exist in the region and with downturns in the traditional economic sectors, a pending wave of retirements across the public service and product gaps requiring skillful entrepreneurs, there is a future for youth in tourism.

We're also utilizing this as a platform to promote tourism programs at Lakehead University and Confederation College as well as some of Northern Development and Mines NOHFC Co-op and Intern, Youth Entrepreneurship and new entrepreneur programs. In discussions with event organizers, we see the potential to grow the tourism industry presence at future career fairs to involve more of our private and public sector tourism partners to showcase the exciting diversity of careers within an industry that will need youth the grow and diversify. My hat goes off to event organizer Pat Forrest of Forrest Marketing and Communications for her leadership role and enthusiasm in organizing this great event.

An added side benefit of a tourism presence at the event has been educating young people about all Thunder Bay has to offer. With thousands of students from Grade 8 and up coming through the doors, our 2009 Visitor Experience magazines have been a popular item, with many students commenting that they never realized how much there is to do in Thunder Bay. As our community's teenagers reach the age where they are forming opinions about the city and whether they want to remain here after school, building community pride and awareness of all the city has is an important step in helping stem out migration.

After a successful first day today, we'll be at the fair again on Friday May 22nd from 9 am to 2:30 pm in booth 24. Feel free to stop in and say hello. For more information, visit http://www.nstb.on.ca/careerfair/index.htm