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full-time employment. The work term is a co-operative
education endeavour that involves both employer and
college supervision of the students’ work experience.
Students choose their work placement and negotiate
with employers to determine possibilities for job
rotation and other learning opportunities. Students
receive one on-site visit from an instructor during the
work semester and must complete a major written
report and verbal presentation to receive credit for
this work term.

GET PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

— Tourism Marketing, Customer Service
and Human Resources

— Ski Area Construction, Risk Prevention
and Management

— Resort Communications and Organizational
Leadership

— Computers, Data Base Management and
Web Design

— Accounting, Budgeting and Business Management

— Lift, Grooming and Snowmaking Functions,
Maintenance and Regulations

Admission Requirements

ACADEMIC

— Completion of BC grade 12 or equivalent (e.g.:
G.E.D., A.B.E. Provincial)

— English Studies 12 with a grade of “C” or higher

— International students with an [ELTS score of
6.0 or better or a TOEFL score of 79-80 internet
based or 213 computer based or better, are
eligible to enroll in the Ski Resort Operations and
Management program.

Once the above admission requirements have been
met and the student has been accepted to the
program a student must:

— Complete the College Readiness Tool (CRT)

— Submit a completed Application Questionnaire to
the coordinator

— Submit a standard resume. On the resume, part-
time or full-time ski and related tourism industry
experience is to be included

Once the above have been completed the student
will work with the program coordinator to schedule
an interview. Where circumstances make a personal
interview impractical, a telephone interview will be
conducted. During the interview, the students will be
given advice on how to best succeed in the program.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

— This is a popular program; candidates are strongly
advised to apply early.

selkirk.ca/programs

SKI RESORT OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

— Itis strongly recommended that students
have keyboarding skills and an understanding
of Microsoft Windows prior to program
commencement.

— Students currently in the process of meeting
academic entrance requirements are encouraged
to apply as early as February for the current
year’s intake.

— Acurrent high school student must include a
letter from their principal or counsellor outlining
the student’s present standing in prerequisite
requirements and a statement about the
applicant’s ability to successfully complete the
training.

— This program has an enrolment objective of 30
students per year. Students are accepted on a first
come, first served basis subject to meeting all
program registration requirements.

— Field trips are a requirement of the program.
Transportation and travel expenses are an extra
expense to be paid by the student.

PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT

Selkirk College recognizes experience and expertise
gained by students prior to entry into College
programs. Through a prior learning assessment
(PLA) process, a student may receive course credits
for knowledge and experience acquired in the
workplace. Through an interview and documentation
process including the student, a PLA advisor, and the
instructor, the student’s experience is evaluated in
relation to the course requirements. A student may
receive credit for a maximum of 75% of program
requirements.

Careers

The ski industry in western Canada is well positioned
to meet an increasing world-wide demand for high
quality winter and summer mountain recreational
facilities and Selkirk College graduates are in demand
as the industry grows. Economic and demographic
forecasts indicate a quickly tightening labour market
in the tourism industry. This will mean increasing
opportunities for graduates to step into professional
positions of responsibility very quickly. Graduates of
the Ski Resort Operations and Management program
may follow a variety of ski resort career paths. The
list below indicates just some of the departmental
options available for our graduates.

TECHNICAL

— Lift operations

— Lift and snow cat maintenance
— Grooming operations

— Snowmaking operations

selkirk.ca/ski

— Ski patrol and avalanche control
— Building maintenance
— Terrain park operations

SERVICE

— Ski and snowboard school

— Rental shop operations

— Retail shop operations

— Food and beverage operations

ADMINISTRATIVE

— Guest services and ticket office sales
— Human resources management

— Financial management

— Reservations / accommodations

— Marketing and promotions

— Special event management

— Risk management

— General management

The seasonality of ski resort jobs results in somewhat
higher rates of employee turnover than in non-
seasonal businesses, and this creates opportunities
for graduates to advance into supervisory and middle
management positions. In fact, many students are
able to secure supervisory positions for their work
terms or shortly after graduation.

Graduates often need to find suitable summer
employment that meshes with the ski season prior to
becoming year round full time employees. Because
our program provides “transferable skills” to our
students, off season employment options in the
summer tourism industry are readily available. Four
season resorts also provide the opportunity for year
around employment for graduates from this program.

Other Ski Industry employment options:

Cat skiing operations and heliskiing operations

Lift construction companies

— Ski and snowboard equipment manufacturers
— Retail wholesale agencies

Sporting goods retail operations

TRANSFERRING TO UNIVERSITY

Through curriculum articulation agreements, Ski
Resort and Operations Management (SROAM)
graduates from Selkirk College may receive up to two
year’s credit towards four-year bachelor’s degrees
from several institutions. Selkirk College has formal
agreements with University of Lethbridge, Thompson
Rivers University, Vancouver Island University, Royal
Roads University and Capilano University. Other
universitys may also accept transfer credit from the
SROAM program.

Selkirk College Academic Calendar 2019-20 213