Niagara College to offer bachelor degrees in hospitality, photonics

April 15, 2003 - Niagara College has been given approval by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to deliver two bachelor degree programs in hospitality and technology.

Starting in September 2003, the bachelor of applied business degree in hospitality operations management will be offered jointly by Niagara College and George Brown College. The bachelor of applied technology degree in photonics will be introduced in September 2004 in partnership with Algonquin College and with the support of Photonics Research Ontario.

“The addition of these advanced programs will further strengthen our areas of specialization in hospitality and technology,” said Dan Patterson, President, Niagara College. “They will complement our existing programs and enhance our ability to deliver to industry the highly skilled workers it needs to compete on a global scale.”

With its focus on preparing students for management, supervisory and administrative careers, the Hospitality Operations Management degree fills a gap in the range of business and hospitality education offered in Ontario. It complements both university commerce degrees with hospitality specializations and college diploma programs in hospitality and tourism. Students will enrol at either Niagara or George Brown, but will have opportunities to experience shared resources, teaching experts, study exchanges, and work experiences in two of Canada’s premier and distinctly different hospitality regions. The program will enrol a maximum of 36 students in each year at the college.

“This degree leverages the strengths of two leaders in the field to respond to the industry’s growing need for qualified managers to help it compete in the international marketplace,” said Dave Taylor, director of the college’s Hospitality and Tourism division. “It enhances our roles in supporting the growth and success of Ontario’s hospitality industry, complements our existing programs in the field and will help attract new people into an exciting, dynamic economic sector.”

The Photonics degree is one of the only bachelor’s-level photonics programs in North America and will address an urgent need in the industry for highly skilled photonics employees in a wide variety of industry. Photonics – the generation and transmission of light – is an enabling technology used in a vast array of industries and applications.

“Both Niagara and Algonquin have played a leading role in photonics education in Ontario, and this degree, with its combined focus on theory and hands-on training, will further support the needs of an industry that is vital to the economic development of the Niagara and Ottawa regions, and the province of Ontario,” said Leo Tiberi, director of the college’s Communications and Information Technology division.

Niagara College and Algonquin College have worked closely with Photonics Research Ontario since 1999 with the common goal of advancing photonics technology in Ontario. In 2001, the partners launched the Photonics Education and Training project, which included the creation of diploma programs at Niagara College at the technologist and technician levels. The applied degree will complement these programs, and will take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities, including optics, fibre-optics and laser laboratories that are already in place at both Niagara and Algonquin.

Niagara College is well positioned to foster the continued growth of Niagara’s thriving tourism sector. It is expanding its leadership role in hospitality and tourism training through an $8.5 million investment in its School of Hospitality and Tourism and the Niagara Culinary Institute. It also recently opened Canada’s first teaching winery. Niagara College has approximately 5,400 full-time students in more than 60 post-secondary and 10 post-graduate programs, employs more than 900 full- and part-time staff and has an estimated $125 million impact on the regional economy.