Blog

Some reports are saying that there will be an increased demand for workers in the tourism industry by 2020 due to industry growth and “retiring baby boomers, according to a new Tourism Labour Market Strategy produced by tourism resource organization go2” [Source]. This will cause a surge in the need for more trained workers and hiring across the tourism industry.

There are many different areas in tourism, but some are expected to grow at a faster pace than others. The majority of growth in tourism will be new jobs in “food and beverage (43,410), recreation and entertainment (20,530), and hotels or other accommodations (18,920)” [Source].
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Employers ask the majority of the questions during an interview; although you should always ask questions at the end of an interview even if you asked questions throughout. Everyone is different and will have some questions that are specific to their situation, such as vacation time and day care.

However, there are some very important questions you should ask a potential employer before accepting a job. Check out the following list of questions and ask them if you want to be fully informed before making your decision to work for a new employer.

1. Why did the previous employee leave this position?

They may give you a short answer, but it can be revealing on what kind of situation you may be getting yourself into. If a person was promoted or left for a better position, then it might be a great learning environment and way to further your career. If the response seems a bit odd or cold, then the last candidate probably left on bad terms.
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Searching the internet and networking can be time consuming, but necessary in order to find a job. What if you had a team of professionals helping you find job openings that you are qualified for and located in your area? This additional job search assistance is available to all Sprott-Shaw grads. We would like to make it easier for our grads to transition quickly into their chosen career.

We are proud that Sprott-Shaw is the BC leader in job placement assistance! This in part happened because of the creation of the Global Career Centre, also known as the GCC, in October 2010. The GCC is a group of human resources professionals that are dedicated to assisting Sprott-Shaw graduates find job leads and assist them in the application process. The GCC is a call centre so you don’t even have to leave your house in order to access their help and their long list of employer contacts. Sprott-Shaw students that have utilized our free GCC services are quickly finding work after graduation.
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There have been predictions for years that our government will have to deal with a larger population of seniors than we can afford, but as life expectancy increases these predictions are slowly becoming a reality. Currently British Columbia’s population is nearly 32% children aged 0 to14 and seniors aged 65 or older. That means that almost one third of BC’s population are not of working age. There are some major economic issues that may occur as a result of our aging population including an increase in: health care expenditures, pension expenditures, taxes to cover social programs, and the age to collect Old Age Security.

Some of the major reasons this imbalance is occurring has been “Canada’s low fertility rates”. Since most people are concerned with their career and education they are putting off starting families until later in life. Also, it seems that “Canadians are simply not having enough babies – nor bringing in enough immigrants – to replace all the current taxpayers who will be retiring in the coming years”.
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There is so much advice to think about regarding your career and obtaining your goals. These are some things that people tend to forget about when looking for a job or wanting to advance in their career. Consider trying some of these methods for getting your foot in the door.

1) Apply for a job that interest you even if you don’t think you are completely qualified, such as they ask for three years of experience and you have two. Let the hiring manager decide what criteria are essential and you may end up being one of the better candidates.
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Sprott-Shaw Community College will be attending the the Hyack International Parade in New Westminster! This will be our first year entering this community event and we can’t be more excited. It will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 26 and will start at 11:00 am.

We are happy to be entering our Sprott-Shaw car in the parade and showcasing our amazing staff. We will be blasting our music and interacting with the community. Our staff and current New Westminster students will be handing out packages, balloons, and other cool things.
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Everyone has a large list of things to get done during the week, which is causing stress in our lives. If you feel like you are juggling all of your responsibilities you need to find healthy ways to release this stress; this will help you focus on the task at hand and see the bigger picture rather than an ever increasing to do list. Some people don’t even notice that they are stressed and use avoidance techniques to deal.

You can use various methods to help you release the stress you feel in a healthy way. Consider the following methods for stress management:

1. Take a break from whatever is stressing you out and focus on or do something else for half an hour. Do not switch to something that will completely derail you from the task at hand.
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Most people are nervous or uneasy before and during an interview. One way to ensure you do well is to prepare and rehearse your answers ahead of time. Interviewers will ask you some knowledge based questions related to your industry to verify that you are qualified for the position and that you have demonstrated certain skills. Some of these questions will most likely be centered on the job posting listed skills and qualifications.

Then there are the standard questions that you can expect to be asked and you can prepare answers for ahead of time. Here is a list of typical questions interviewers ask:
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Are you thinking about getting your business degree, but not sure where to go? A Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) degree can be useful in almost any industry and it can be applied to many different careers. A business degree is seen as more broad in scope and you can be reassured knowing that you have more flexibility in your future. Many employers expect employees to have a diploma or degree to be hired. This could be your opportunity to gain the education and skills needed to make yourself more employable.

Sprott-Shaw Degree College has both the BBA Diploma and Degree programs, which are designed to meet each student’s individual needs and career aspirations. The College offers smaller class sizes, individual attention to students, and a practical orientation which enables graduates to become immediately effective in the workplace and the global labour market.
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Sunday, May 6th was the beginning of National Nursing Week! It is meant to “emphasize the profession’s accomplishments as a discipline”. Sprott-Shaw would like to extend our gratitude to all the BC Nurses for their hard work within our communities!

Nurses recognition started off in “1971, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) designated May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, International Nurses Day.” Then it turned into a celebratory week in “1985 to highlight nurses’ contributions to the well-being of the Canadian public.”
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