Year 2
2-Year Diploma at Tenth Street, Nelson.
Year 2
Course of Studies
Semester 3
| Course | Name | Credit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SROM 254 | Ski Area Cafeteria Operations | 3 | |
| SROM 256 | Ski Area Budgeting and Business Management | 3 | |
| SROM 257 | Ski Retail/Rental Shop Management | 3 | |
| SROM 258 | Human Resource Management | 3 | |
| SROM 272 | Supervisory Ski Lift Operations | 3 | |
| SROM 280 | Ski Area Construction and Project Management | 2 | |
| SROM 290 | Field Study | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | ||
Semester 4
| Course | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| SROM 288 | Ski Resort Winter Work Term |
Course Descriptions
In this course students will study and practice the fundamental skills necessary to function competently in a kitchen. Via practical hands on experience this course will provide students with a glimpse of the day in the life of a chef and the culinary world. Professionalism, teamwork, proper safety and sanitation procedures are all a part of any well run kitchen and will be emphasized in this course. This hands-on course covers aspects of food preparation and safety considerations. During the course the students prepare lunch in the college cafeteria, learn how to create "eye appeal" in food preparation and prepare food for an event.
The material covered in Ski Area Budgeting and Business Management will introduce students to the analysis of financial data for a standard Income Statement and Balance Sheet. Financial ratios that are normally used to predict the business health of a ski resort will be covered. Using CVP numerical analysis, students will learn the impact of future proposed financial changes on the fiscal health of a ski resort’s finances. Problem solving will help students to understand these financial concepts. Creation of budget templates on EXCEL spreadsheets for “wages and salaries”, and “departmental contribution margin” will round out the course content.
Part I: SROM 157 Ski Resort Rental Operations: Students will be introduced to the practical aspects of ski and snowboard rental shop operations. The layout and design of rental shops now must accommodate a wide range of rental equipment including: shaped skis, snowboarding equipment, demos, and other sliding devices such as snow-bikes. Equipment purchase, rotation and disposal of aging rental equipment, and inventory control will be studied. Rental agreements, the CWSAA rental waiver, and liability issues will be discussed. The maintenance of rental equipment and the importance of good record keeping will be emphasized. Finally, repair shop operations as a satellite operation of the rental shop will round out the topics of discussion. Students will complete a Rental Shop Design project to enhance their knowledge of effective rental shop layout, flow, and balance.
Part II: SROM 157 Ski Resort Retail Shops: For the second half of this course, students will be given an overview of retailing and how ski resort retail shops have become an integral revenue centre in today's ski resort operations. The following retail topics will be discussed including: buying cycle, customer service and selling, shop layout, and product merchandising. Pricing, the basis for mark-up, and discounting as related to retail shop financial performance will be studied. Guest speakers from local ski or snowboard retail operations will present content on current industry trends and successful retail strategies. Students will carry out a critical analysis of a local sports retail shop to enhance their knowledge of store layout, merchandising, and in-store security.
As labour markets tighten around the globe, good human resources management is essential to attracting and retaining effective staff. This is particularly true in seasonal resorts and ski areas where the link between staff and the guest is so critical. Innovative approaches to human resources management are necessary to recruit and retain the right people in the industry. In this course you will focus on the critical issues that concern managers in the tourism industry: human resource planning, recruitment and selection, orientation, training and development, performance management and progressive discipline, challenges and trends, employment standards and labour relations.
SROM 272 is a continuation of SROM 172. Ski lift operational considerations are the primary focus of this course. You will learn about lift capacity, standard and emergency operating procedures, lift operations supervision, lift operator training, lift operations budgeting, and lift operations human resources management issues. You will also examine the broad range of passenger ropeways available for use in the ski industry, from simple rope tows to technologically advanced multiple haul rope systems. SROM 272 incorporates elements of LIFT 150 - Ski Lift Operations Train-the-Trainer, a course created by Selkirk College for lift operations personnel. Through the LIFT 150 portion of the course you will have the opportunity to earn the LIFT 150 certificate, a credential required by the BC Safety Authority to train lift operators in British Columbia.
S280, Ski Area Construction and Project Management builds on topics previously introduced in three related courses: S171 Ski Area Planning, S172 Lift Functions, Maintenance and Regulations, and S166 Ski Resort Facilities Maintenance. S 280 focuses on ski area construction projects with trail construction and lift installation receiving the most emphasis. As a part of examining construction techniques and best practices, students will study environmental impact mitigation practices, including measures to reduce impact on natural water courses. Students will review government acts and regulations that affect construction decisions around water courses. S280 also reviews project planning techniques and tools including Gantt Charts and PERT/CPM.
This course consist of a five day credit bearing field trip to visit ski areas. Although venues change from year to year, this field trip normally includes a visit to Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Resort. The purpose of these visits is to talk with ski area managers and supervisors, on location, about their operations and to inspect those operations. These trips provide an excellent opportunity for candid conversations with ski industry personnel from general managers to line staff, as well as an excellent opportunity to examine facilities and equipment. Students have the opportunity to engage in screening interviews with resorts visited on this final major field trip.
Each student arranges work as a paid, full-time employee at a ski resort. For certain students, the employment may be at a cat-skiing operation, heli-skiing operation or industry product and service supplier. With assistance from ski program instructors, a suitable work opportunity is arranged commensurate with the experience and work term goals of each student. Some resort operators recruit Year II students directly at Selkirk College. Some resort operators organize a job rotation plan that provides for a wide range of ski industry work experience. A ski-program instructor visits the each student in January or early February to assess performance in conjunction with the student?s direct supervisor. Each student returns to Selkirk College in late April to do an oral presentation and complete a written project on their work term experience.