Plenty of Job Prospects for Malaspina Graduates
Graduates from Vancouver Island University’s Business and Management programs are in demand.
“Our students are extremely employable,” said John Plantinga, Chair of Malapsina’s Recreation and Tourism Management.
“We have graduates working all over the world for cruise ships, major hotels and resorts, tourism and marketing information centres, and small businesses.”
Plantinga said 25 VIU Students recently participated in a Tourism industry conference in Penticton, and more than half were sponsored by industry people. “That gives you an idea of how much the industry values VIU Students,” he said.
Tracy Gillis, an Advisor to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration program (BBA), said Malaspina business students are also finding jobs.
“The majority of our graduates in the Accounting concentration of the BBA are employed the field of their choice,” said Gillis. “They’ve found jobs locally, provincially and nationally. For example, Church Pickard, a Nanaimo based Chartered Accountant firm, has hired at least six of our graduates.”
Gillis said Coastal Community Credit Union and local investments firms also employ several Malaspina graduates who specialized in the Accounting stream.
Faculty of Management Dean Mike Mann said employment opportunities for VIU Students will increase even more in the coming year as exciting changes are implemented in the new Faculty.
“This is an exciting year as we revise and create programs, move into our new School of Management Centre, form stronger links with other faculties, especially International Education and Adult and Continuing Studies,” Mann added. “We’ll also focus on faculty development and manage strong program growth.”
New programs under development include a Certificate in Event Management, and an on-line diploma program in Human Resource Management. New concentrations are being considered for the post-degree program in Business Studies in accounting, management and leadership, human resources management, financial management, marketing, international business.
The Faculty is also exploring new degree programs, including a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Economics and a Bachelor of Tourism Management, Major in Hospitality Management.
In terms of graduate programs, Malaspina currently offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire in London, England. That franchise agreement expires soon but Mann said plans are underway for Malaspina to offer its own MBA program by September 2007.
“If our plans receive final approval, it will be a dual degree program,” he said. “Students could earn an MBA from Malaspina, as well as a Master of Science in International Business from the University of Hertfordshire. It would be Malaspina’s first graduate degree program with hopefully more to come.”
Current graduates of the MBA program speak highly about the training and education they receive at Malaspina.
Single mom Dalia Gonzalez, 29, graduated last December from the International Masters in Business Administration (IMBA) program. Before she graduated, Gonzalez was hired by Malaspina’s International Education department to market Vancouver Island University in Mexico for three months last fall.
“My role was to support the internationalization process of the institution, increasing awareness and understanding of Malaspina’s programs in Mexico,” she said. Gonzalez began working full-time for Malaspina’s Director of Business Operations in January.
Does she recommend Malaspina? “Definitely,” said Gonzalez. “The IMBA program was one of the most difficult challenges of my life, but it’s an excellent program. Students need to remember that all your hard work is worth it.”
Dalia Gonzalez and her two-year-old daughter Erandi Gonzalez.
Story and photo by Marilyn Assaf