Mindie Kitkowski, Training Coordinator

Right Fit

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I never knew I'd be doing what I'd be doing. I always pictured being a flight attendant and travelling. That's what everyone identifies the tourism industry as.

"But I think it was always a goal for me to work in the tourism industry. It just fit my whole timeline."

Images from my workplace

Where I Work

The Manitoba Tourism Education Council's (MTEC) mandate is to build the quality of performance of Manitoba's tourism and hospitality industry in the areas of excellence in training education and recognition. There are approximately ten staff members with MTEC.

MTEC works with unemployed individuals who do not have the finances to pay to go to school and are looking for an entry-level job. These individuals are funded to attend our program at no cost.

In the seven weeks of our training program they receive instruction in the basic skills required for a position. College programs like Red River go into more depth than we do but they're also two years long and they cost more.

Setting up a program

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"Our programs begin with a proposal and a meeting with industry representatives to establish their needs. We develop a training program designed to meet their staffing requirements.

"For example, there's a big demand for cooks in the industry right now. So what we've done is we have planned a seven week training program using all of MTEC's resources to teach job seekers the skills required for an entry-level cook.

"So we're meeting the industry's needs as well as the participants."

Finding participants

We place ads in the paper and interested individuals call. They fill out an application form and I review them to make sure all the qualifications are there for the funding. We bring them in for an interview to ensure that the program and the course is a good match for them and is something that they’re truly looking for.

From there on we go through the list and accept or decline or refer the individuals and then the program usually begins about one to two weeks after the interview process. We send them a formal letter, congratulating them for being accepted and the program begins shortly after.

Former MTEC client

The Manitoba Tourism Education Council is very near and dear to my heart because I began my career in the tourism industry through MTEC professional courses.

In 1998, I was a participant in one of MTEC's training programs and that's where my career started.

Now I'm an employee.

Tourism myths

There are a few myths and misconceptions about the tourism industry. For example, a lot of people see it as just a part-time job. But there is definitely the opportunity to make a career in this industry.

There's the misconception that when you work in tourism, you're going to travel every day. This is the case with some positions, but not every job.

The tourism industry is a huge industry and one of the world's fastest growing sectors, so there's a lot of variety.

A great childhood

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I had a great childhood. I come from a family of four, so there's myself and an older brother and then my parents. My parents are still married after thirty two years.

"I had a cat and a dog growing up and we had actually lived just outside the city. We had two acres of land so it was great because we could build forts or go snowmobiling right from our garage. It was it was great.

"We have our regular traditions where Christmas Eve, everyone's coming to our house or my Mom's house now for a good Ukrainian Christmas."

My parents

My father works for Manitoba Public Insurance as a driver examiner and my mother is a legal secretary. They've been in their jobs for over 30 years.

I don't think they really faced any real barriers in their careers. And back then, you didn't need a university degree. You graduated high school and went right into the job.

My own family

I'm not married but I am living with my boyfriend of two years. He has three wonderful daughters that we have every second weekend who come and stay with us.

We just purchased our own house together in October.

Time off

In my time off, I enjoy a lot of things like taking my dogs out to the dog park, shopping and playing baseball.

I reward myself with clothes. Shopping is a big deal.

In the summer, we do a lot of camping and go to baseball. We go whenever there's a slow-pitch game. Last year we went to Minnesota for a ball tournament.

Manitoba roots

There are a lot of things I enjoy about living in Manitoba. I love the seasons. I don't think Christmas would be Christmas without the snow.

I also really enjoy the people. Manitoba has some of the friendliest people, and more I travel, the more I realize that. This is why I am planning on staying here.

It's my home. It's where my family and my roots are. The thought never crossed my mind to ever leave the province.

Flexible schedule

(TEXT FROM SOUNDBITE)

"My schedule is fairly flexible around my training programs and our office needs. We just let other staff know when we're going to be in and out of meetings.

"As long as everyone is aware of that and the office is covered, then it's very flexible."

A fast pace

The pace, pressure and stress level of my day is really time-sensitive.

It all depends on the time of year and what's happening in the industry. January, February and March are very stressful and very high-paced, whereas the summer months usually slow down because that's what's happening in the industry.

But there's always planning, there's always something on my plate because we're always preparing for the busy times.

Pre-employment recruiting

I place ads in the paper and interested individuals call. They're asked to fill out an application.

Once they have completed and returned their applications, I review them and make sure all the qualifications are there for the funding. I interview and screen individuals to make sure our program and training is a good match with their background and interests.

If they're selected, we have shift work throughout the training with a lot of hands-on and classroom facilitation. I book hotel space for the classroom training and the candidate receives instruction from one of our facilitators.

Staying organized

During our busier times I feel stress with my job. A lot of it is just how am I going to get it all done and how can I be in ten places at once.

I cope with this through organization. I use a colour-coded calendar to organize what's running and when it's running. Then I look back at my plan and see where I have to be and when.

A lot of it is just the organization of time and good time management that makes it all work. Feeling organized helps me deal with stress.

Building careers

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I am very interested in my job and I enjoy my job because I get the opportunity to move in and out of the office training programs, to observe what individuals and participants are learning and sampling what our entry-level cooks are cooking in the kitchen.

"I get to spend an afternoon with them. Although I'm there for work, I'm observing. But I still get to participate and there's a relationship that's built with our participants, which is great when helping them with their job search."

Important skills

Communication Skills

- Oral and written communication
- Listening skills
- Writing proposals and documentation

Applied Skills

- Analytical skills
- Math and numbers
- Word processing and data entry
- Scheduling

People Skills

- Working with the public
- Sensitivity and cultural diversity awareness
- Motivation and leadership
- Understanding and working with different personality types

A people person

The fact that I am a very outgoing people-person has really helped me in this job. I'm also very organized and skilled at time management.

The best personality type suited for my occupation would be detail-oriented as well as outgoing and social. You're always dealing with people, but there are a lot of details on your plate.

These things are important because you never know what your day-to-day tasks will be and what might hit you out of left field.

Striking a balance

I balance my home life and my work life quite well; one thing I've always said is that my work stays at work.

My time and my home life are so important. You spend more time with your co-workers that you do with your family because you're at work for so many hours a day, so I leave work at work.

Home is my time for myself and my family.

Challenge and success

We definitely face challenges for our participants throughout the training program because just like us, everyone has their own personal issues that they're dealing with.

We never know if they feel they can succeed. Sometimes they don't think they can make it and that's a barrier in itself.But it's amazing to talk to these people one-on-one. I tell them to call me and we'll talk about any challenge, even after they're employed.

We will still remain in contact with them up to a year, just to help with the transition period -from the classroom training, to on-the-job. If they meet new challenges, they can call me and we can talk.

Youngest trainee

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I chose this line of work right out of high school. I graduated in 1998 and saw an ad in the paper for a free training program to become a sales agent. Lo and behold, it was the Manitoba Tourism and Education Council who had that ad.

"I had applied and I was actually too young for the program. I was only 16 or 17 and you had to be 18 to 24 to qualify, so our executive director thought she'd interview me and see if I was at the level to fit in with the 18 year-olds.

"Luckily I was. So I went through the six week training program."

Making choices

Before I graduated, I did consider college for hospitality and tourism programs. I always had that in mind.

Then my uncle suggested that I just start applying for jobs and see if I had the skills the industry was looking for before I spent the money on college or university. T

hanks to him, I went that route and found the MTEC course. It was a free program that led to a job.

Getting started

I started working at MacDonald's when I was 14. I stayed there for three years and worked my way up to Crew Chief. That was only a few years ago.

The next job I had was the Radisson Suite Hotel at the Winnipeg Airport. I began there as a front desk agent thanks to the program I took at MTEC. I worked my way up to the catering office and stayed there for a few years.

After that, I did event planning and this experience eventually led to my current position with MTEC.

Professional training

Since high school I've taken various training programs with MTEC, The Manitoba Best Service Excellence Program, the Manitoba Best Managing Service Excellence and related courses.

The great thing about working with MTEC is that I have the opportunity to take as many training programs as I want. Thanks to all these courses, I'm a Certified Front Desk Agent and I'm on my way to becoming a Certified Special Event Coordinator as well.

These certifications are recognized across Canada.

My advice

Based on my own experience, my advice to anyone interested in my job is to apply for an entry-level position. Just apply and see what happens. It might be good to just work part-time for a little bit, because there is a lot of room to advance. The industry is so huge now that you never know where you'll be five years down the road.

As for your high school courses, math is very important for the budgeting and numbers and English for grammar and writing skills.

In the meantime, research the industry and do some volunteering. All of these things will give you an advantage.

Thriving industry

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"My thought about our industry sector IS that we will thrive in the future in Manitoba. It's our province's largest growing industry.

"People are always coming to Manitoba and are always going on trips from Manitoba. Tourism's going be around forever."

Goals

What I want most in life is just to be happy. It's simple: happy and successful.

My goals for my career are to be the best I can be. If I feel that I have given my all to my career then I'm not going to have any regrets.

Tourism outlook

The future outlook for my occupation looks great.

I know we'll be focusing more on immigration and dealing with immigrants because that's a huge job market for the province and the country.

I don't know how that will change things because everything is still at the research stages, but there will be a lot of challenges and opportunities in our industry.

Five year plan

In five years I know I'll still be in Manitoba. Personally I hope to have land outside of Winnipeg and build our own home.

I still see myself with MTEC. It's just such a great fit for me, I get to do the planning side of things that I love, with the quick success stories at the end. That's something I thrive on.

If I couldn't do this work any more I would definitely go back to being an event planner. It was something I loved and it had all the same outcomes as my current position.

Further learning

I don't have a plan to go back to school full-time. I'll always be taking courses as long as I'm with MTEC. They support professional development.

I don't know at this point exactly what course would interest me but I always will have that opportunity if I need it.

Job market info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official title for Mindie's occupation is Training Officer, Supervisor and its NOC* code is 1121.

Manitoba Job Futures

Who Hires - Manitoba Labour Market Information

Hospitality Careers online - Canada

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the ‘National Occupational Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

Useful high school subjects

- English (Communication)
- Business
- Computer-related courses

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to 4 free courses.

After high school

Below are links to various programs and courses that will you on the path to a career as a Training Officer, Supervisor (1121)

Manitoba Tourism Education Council (MTEC)

Ready to Work Program
A national program that provides classroom and on-the-job training for entry-level careers in tourism
Is Tourism For You?
MTEC Careers Page

Red River College

Hospitality and Tourism Management Program
Tourism Management

Assiniboine Community College - Brandon

Hospitality Administration Program

Essential Skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Training Officer and other (related) occupations are:

- Reading Text
- Writing
- Oral Communication
- Problem Solving
- Continuous Learning

*Essential Skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change. For more detail about for this occupation, go to: Essential Skills (1121)

Professional resources

Manitoba Tourism Education Counsel (MTEC)
MTEC provides resources and training for Manitoba tourism professionals.

Manitoba Hotel Association
The MHA is a professional organization that promotes the hospitality sector in Manitoba.

Tourism Industry Association of Canada
TIA is a national organization that promotes the interests of the Canadian tourism sector

Related careers

Tourism Trainer (NOC 4131) 

Tourism Development Officer  (NOC 4163)

Tourism Information Officer (NOC 5124) 

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