Memberships

Skills and labour challenges are among the most pressing issues faced by the tourism and hospitality industry. To address this issue, OTEC directs tourism and hospitality workforce development efforts across the province. Tourism SkillsNet Ontario leverages provincial collaboration and investment to tackle skills, labour and strategic challenges at the local level, offering customized solutions to address these challenges and to build an empowered, resilient and thriving industry.

The TSNO alliance was formed in late 2018 in response to an increasingly chronic shortage of workers in tourism and hospitality. Business owners and employers in the tourism, hospitality and food service sectors cite labour and skills shortage as a critical inhibitor of growth. For example, a 2015 study revealed that there is a growing shortage of qualified front-line, mid- level and management workers, leaving tourism-based organizations at a disadvantage.

Collectively, stakeholders recognized the need for innovative strategies to respond to the lack of skilled workers and the importance of recruiting, training, upskilling, reskilling and retention. TSNO enables its members to develop collaborative strategies at the local/destination level, aligning recruitment and training with the sector-specific skills businesses need most.

TSNO has four strategic priorities:

1) Foster a shared vision - an environment of focused collaboration and coordination

2) Develop a skilled, nimble and reliable talent pipeline for employers

3) Secure opportunities for jobseekers aiming to build transferrable skills and experience

4) Increase job seeker’s interest in tourism roles by enhancing the sector’s image and illustrating the range of career options