In the face of wildfires during the summer and flooding in the winter impacting the region, not to mention the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel, tourism and insurance sectors in B.C. have taken a massive hit.
The Marketing Management (Tourism Marketing and Sales Option) and General Insurance and Risk Management (GI&RM) programs offered at BCIT School of Business + Media provide the knowledge and skill set necessary for students to not only play a direct role in the restructuring of the industry but also pursue careers that are virtually recession proof, where hundreds of thousands of career paths exist in Canada alone.
And all it takes is two years to set yourself up for a lifetime.
Enter the Marketing Management (Tourism Marketing and Sales Option) and General Insurance and Risk Management (GI&RM) programs offered at BCIT School of Business + Media.
These two diploma programs are distinct fields that intersect in the context of these natural disasters, with the tourism option of the marketing diploma equipping students with the understanding and skills required to excel in the dynamic tourism industry. Alternatively, the GI&RM program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of insurance and risk management, setting them up for lucrative careers in this essential industry.
Acquiring applicable skills
“Through case studies, field trips, and in discussion with industry leaders, our students build an understanding that these weather events have immediate and longer-term impacts on our industry and work towards helping to ensure visitor safety, business viability, and fostering B.C.’s reputation as a safe, welcoming destination,” explains Morgan Westcott, associate dean for the Marketing Management (Tourism Marketing and Sales Option) program.
Westcott’s graduates land jobs in a diverse collection of fields, including occupying roles as event managers, hotel sales coordinators, conference managers, marketing team leads, and PR coordinators for businesses and destinations.
This curriculum concentrates on marketing skills and business development, focusing on big-picture, industry-driven topics, such as regenerative and sustainable tourism and community tourism development.
“We have grads working in top sales and marketing roles locally and internationally at properties from the Beverly Hills Hotel to the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam in destinations around the world,” Westcott says.
Meanwhile, graduates of the GI&RM program can find careers in virtually any industry, given that insurance needs touch every conceivable corner of commerce.
The program is unique to Canada, if not North America because it combines insurance and risk management elements. Graduates leave BCIT with a two-year diploma, their Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation, eight of 10 Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) courses and a field placement to experience real-world work scenarios.
Graduates typically go on to work in three main fields – underwriting, loss adjusting or as agents and brokers – but can pivot across numerous job types.
“The insurance business is essentially recession-proof because you can move into any area. You can spend five years in loss adjusting and take that experience with you if you move into becoming a broker or an underwriter,” explains Shaun Sinclair, program head of the General Insurance and Risk Management program. “If you want to work, you can work.”
Harnessing the power of people
Perhaps the single greatest unifier between the two programs is the people. Students receive access to instructors who work in industry and keep them abreast of real-time changes so that their education reflects what the job actually entails.
“We keep up to date with everything that’s going on in the world as much as we possibly can,” Sinclair explains. “Beyond that, we have so many alumni out there that they will often drop us notes about what is happening in the industry.”
This constant updating impacts the curriculums in real time, making the material more relevant, engaging, and applicable while utilizing a comprehensive network to ensure that students are positioned for long-term success.
To learn more about how these programs can open you up to a literal world of possibilities, visit bcit.ca.
