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Our Tourism Management programs include mandatory four-month work experience. Students build connections between classroom theory and workplace reality while gaining on-the-job experience, making industry contacts and clarifying career goals.

Tourism Management Co-op Work Term 
Area focus: Any tourism sector
Co-op length: 4 months (500 paid work hours)
Co-op timeframe: May-August
Job postings: Received spring of each year
Employer requirements:

Provide job posting, interview and hire the student, complete student-employer work term contract, support student learning objectives, engage in faculty site visit mid work term, complete student evaluation at end of the work term.

The Tourism Co-op (short for co-operative education) is a supervised, paid work experience which is regulated and accredited by provincial and national boards. Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Tourism Management Degree and Tourism Management Co-operative Education Diploma programs complete a preparatory course and meet a number of requirements before engaging in a co-op placement.

Ryan, Irvin, Tessa, Jennifer, Savannah and Kevin Pearce, Co-Owner and CapU Tourism alumni of Landsea ToursCo-op students help employers like you meet short-term needs for summer employment. Students can undertake special projects, provide relief for permanent staff and bring new ideas to your workplace. Employers have a cost-effective means for evaluating potential future employees and mentoring our new professionals.  

As a co-op employer, you become a co-educator for the duration of the student work experience. Student performance in the workplace is supervised and evaluated by the employer. A co-op practitioner monitors the student’s work term and meets with both the student and employer at least once during the work term.

Employers must provide a safe workplace for the students, and ensure that students are engaged in meaningful and productive paid work. A co-op program begins and ends on an academic term. This means that the student returns to campus to complete courses after their time in the workplace.

Co-op students are available for full-time employment from May 1 to early September and must complete 500 paid work hours to receive credit. In January, CapU begins receiving job postings and actively promoting our current group of qualified co-op students. We welcome entry to mid-level positions from all sectors of tourism. See below for details on how to hire a co-op student.

Hire a student

  1. Upload a job posting. Between January and April each year, upload your summer job posting(s) to our Tourism Co-op/Practicum portal: https://experience.capilanou.ca
    • We no longer use the posting template. Please download detailed instructions on how to post a job (pdf). 
  2. Review applicant information and conduct interviews. Applications can be managed through the Tourism Co-op/Practicum portal. Contact students you wish to interview in person, or via phone/Skype.
  3. Hire a student. Co-op students become a regular seasonal employee as recognized under the Employment Standards Act. A short co-op contract confirms our partnership.
  4. During the work term. Your co-op practitioner will arrange a site visit to discuss student performance and review work term objectives. Support is on-going.
  5. After the work term. You are asked to complete a student evaluation and confirm student work hours.

Note: Students in other program areas seek practicum (paid/unpaid) opportunities which vary in length and season. 

CapU co-op employer testimonial

“At the end of the day, I often find that students put in more effort than general hires; they see this opportunity as a stepping stone. Our goal is to have students walk away and say ‘this is the kind of business I want to work for.'"

Kevin Pearce
President and Owner, Landsea Tours & Adventures

More information for employers

The Capilano University Tourism Co-op is accredited by the provincial Association for Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning (ACE-WIL) and CEWIL Canada. 

 CapU is accredited by the Association for Cooperative Education and Work Integrated Learning (ACE-WIL) and is a member of CEWIL Canada

 

Contact

Have questions?

Tourism Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Team



tourismwil@capilanou.ca