As part of its ongoing Labour Market Development efforts, TIA Yukon is strengthening partnerships with post-secondary institutions across Canada and promoting tourism career opportunities in the Yukon, particularly among students and graduates with relevant academic backgrounds and skills in tourism and hospitality.
While career awareness and engagement among local youth are essential to developing a sustainable tourism workforce in the Yukon, maintaining connections with talent from outside the territory remains equally important to attracting individuals with specialized skills and diverse experiences.
As part of these efforts, TIA Yukon recently visited Capilano University and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to engage with students, promote tourism careers, and strengthen relationships with educational institutions and tourism employers.
Capilano University – Tourism Career Session and Faculty Engagement
At Capilano University, TIA Yukon delivered a Tourism Career Session to approximately 20 students enrolled in TOUR 111 – Tourism & Hospitality: A Global Network.
The session introduced students to the Yukon, its tourism industry, and the range of tourism career opportunities available in the territory. It also sparked engaging discussions with students and faculty about the challenges facing the Yukon’s tourism industry and potential career pathways.
The session provided students with an opportunity to consider the Yukon as a potential career destination, while also allowing TIA Yukon to share insights into the industry’s current conditions and workforce needs with faculty members.
Following the session, TIA Yukon met with faculty members over lunch for constructive discussions about future student engagement opportunities and potential education–industry collaboration.
SAIT – Hospitality Industry Recruiting Event (HIRE)
In Calgary, TIA Yukon participated in SAIT’s HIRE: Hospitality Industry Recruiting Event, promoting the Yukon’s tourism industry and employment opportunities to students studying Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts.
TIA Yukon also welcomed Denise McHale from Wild Adventure Yukon to share its booth, providing an opportunity for students to connect directly with a Yukon tourism employer.
Approximately 30 students visited the booth throughout the event to learn about employment opportunities and tourism careers in the Yukon. Having a Yukon tourism employer participate directly also gave students the opportunity to hear firsthand about potential jobs and career paths in the industry.
Strengthening Education–Industry Connections
These visits provided opportunities not only to increase career awareness and promote recruitment but also to strengthen connections between educational institutions and the Yukon’s tourism industry.
TIA Yukon views these partnerships as an important component of long-term workforce development, extending beyond immediate recruitment activities to better connect career education with industry needs.
For the tourism industry, attracting workers is only one part of the equation. Strengthening the knowledge, skills, and professional capabilities that contribute to service quality, establishing clear career pathways, and improving long-term retention are equally important.
Through ongoing communication and collaboration with educational institutions, TIA Yukon aims to help students better understand industry realities and career opportunities while building stronger connections between education and employers’ workforce needs.
TIA Yukon will continue advancing both local youth engagement and partnerships with post-secondary institutions across Canada, contributing to the development of a sustainable, skilled tourism workforce and improved workforce quality in the Yukon.
