Comox teacher honoured for tourism course Jeff Bell, Victoria Times Colonist Published: Sunday, March 02, 2008
At a time when a labour shortage is a concern in the tourism industry across Canada, teaching young people about the skills needed in the field has never been so important. Bob Thompson of Highland Secondary School in Comox is a pioneer in tourism-related training in B.C. schools, and has recently been named 2007 teacher of the year by the Canadian Tourism Commission.
The national honour comes 28 years after he helped get high-school tourism classes off the ground in the province by starting a course in Comox.
"I was the initial pilot instructor," Thompson said, as he oversaw a group of his Grade 12 students get started on a new "dual-credit" program that introduces them to college courses. "I was hired out of industry to pilot the original course." Thompson, who managed a small family resort before changing careers, said being singled out for a national teaching award caught him off guard. "It was a surprise, and it's a tremendous honour. It's nice to accept the award not just on your own behalf, but on behalf of the team that built the curriculum and on behalf of employers who have worked so hard to make these programs as good as they are." Tourism courses are well-established in a number of Victoria-area high schools and around the province, as well. Thompson said the number of schools involved peaked at about 60 in the late '90s before funding changed, but a resurgence is underway as government and other partners have acknowledged the need in B.C. The provincial program was redesigned two years ago, he said. "Every program now has to have a local-industry advisory group consisting of employers from the tourism sector who have input into what is offered and also offer work-experience placements. Under the new curriculum, in order to complete a full tourism program in B.C. you have to do a minimum of 120 hours of work experience." Students who take a full program have ready access to college programs, he said, and the students in the dual-credit offering are getting a head start by taking such North Island College units as front-office management and financial accounting while still attending high school. The esteem Thompson has earned was clear in the words of a student quoted during the award presentation. "His purpose of recruiting future leaders and industry workers is beyond successful," the student said. "We follow his path. What a great role model."