Beginning in the fall semester Vancouver Island University (VIU) will be introducing a new, one-year certificate program in adventure tourism and recreation. The curriculum is split with half of the course spent on in-class studies and the other half outside doing field skills.
“There are a number of industry-related or skills-related certified courses in the program,” said VIU Powell River campus administrator Greg Cran.
Those certifications include paddling, radio operation, first aid and field leadership. The general studies program offers a foundational overview of eco-adventure tourism, with courses focusing on the industry’s relationship with natural resources and the environment, coastal and cultural interpretation and sustainable tourism.
The program is intended to prepare students for assistant level guiding. The fall and spring semester concludes with an internship.
“There are a few of these programs in the province, but this one would be a coastal experience, rather than a mountaineering experience,” said Cran.
The program serves educational needs and a growing demand from within the local outdoor tourism sector for a qualified labour pool.
The industry has shown keen interest in expanding eco-tourism and adventure related experiences, according to Cran.
“This is an opportunity for individuals to work within the local industry,” he said.
The outdoor component will be delivered through Terracentric Coastal Adventures in Lund and utilize the facilities at School District 47’s Outdoor Learning Centre at Haywire Bay.
Educators and industry stakeholders have recognized the need to develop local learning programs in adventure tourism for 15 years, according to Outdoor Learning Centre director and Terracentric co-owner Hugh Prichard. School District 47 has been progressive in offering introductory courses in outdoor experiential learning through Brooks Secondary School, beginning with the Brooks Outdoor Adventure Travel and Tourism Program that focused on outdoor education and included first nations studies, team building and leadership.
“Kindergarten to grade seven have mandatory educational experiences through the centre," said Prichard. "At grade seven, every kid gets a multi-day experience and then at grade or 11 or 12 they can be part of the program, and now there's a next step in that."
Cran said that some of the courses being taught in the new program will be dual credit with School District 47.
“School district students are able to take VIU-related courses for credit, which means that they would have credit both within VIU and their K-to-12 graduation,” he said.
Instilling the benefits of an outdoor learning experience at the elementary and high school levels lays the groundwork for the new VIU course and a demand by the local industry to increase its capacity to serve a growing demand for what the Powell River region offers in adventure and recreation tourism, according to Prichard
“We're not having to bring qualified staff from elsewhere," said Prichard, "to be able to run our programs and our industry."
