A Venture to Ireland
By Alison Langford
In order to address the growing hospitality labour shortages, in particular for seasonal positions, the BC Hotel Association (BCHA) hired a consulting firm to develop a pilot program to bring in international students to fill those needs.
As a first step, a survey of all members of BCHA was conducted to understand the depth of the problem and the types of positions that employers are finding most challenging to recruit for. The second phase was to review which countries would be the best choice to recruit from and if their colleges delivered tourism, hospitality and culinary curriculum that is comparable to Canada.
As a result of the research, the BCHA asked representatives from Chemistry Consulting Group, Alison Langford and Christine Willow, to travel to Ireland in February of 2018 for the purpose of establishing a connection with the colleges and meeting interested students that have a work placement component as part of their educational program requirements.
In preparation for the trip to Ireland, the member hotels of the BCHA were able to confirm fifty job orders for various positions across the province that students could apply for.
Appointments were set up with four colleges in Ireland, each with applicable 4 year tourism and hospitality programs. They are as follows:
- Athlone Institute of Technology: Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Studies
- Tallaght Institute of Technology: Culinary Arts, International Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Dublin Institute of Technology: Culinary Arts and Food Technology; Hospitality Management & Tourism
- Cork Institute of Technology: Tourism and Hospitality
These institutions had some excellent training facilities and faculty instructors who were very receptive to the idea of promoting Canada as an employment opportunity for their students. Christine and Alison were able to present to classes of students and answer specific questions related to working in Canada.
During these presentations, the focus was two-fold:
- To encourage Irish students to come to BC for a work placement. Six month work placements are required as part of school program requirements and can be done anywhere in the world.
- To connect with graduating students who were looking to travel and work internationally once they finished their degree.
Alison, as a certified Immigration Consultant, was prepared to assist any student wishing to apply for a work permit through the International Experience Class (IEC); and all that was left was to promote British Columbia as a fabulous place to live and work! And that really isn’t hard!
It is anticipated that up to 50 students from Ireland will come to BC this summer. They will work in urban or remote communities, gain valuable work experience and experience Canada in all its glory.
For more information on this pilot project, please contact Christine Willow, c.willow@chemistryconsulting.ca.