Last week go2, a non-profit tourism human resources agency, held a Board of Directors meeting in Prince Rupert.
It was a great opportunity for local tourism stakeholders to learn more about the services offered by go2, and also for the influential tourism industry people from the Board and staff of go2 to learn more about Prince Rupert.
To put it as simply as possible, go2 represents everything to do with employment and the tourism industry in British Columbia. Their online Job Board keeps the tourism industry moving – helping businesses find workers right for them, and helping staff find the right employment opportunities. But go2’s role extends far beyond that.
The various training and support services offered by go2 can help businesses with every stage of their human resources. That might start with recruiting and retaining employees, but it also can help with such diverse needs as identifying fair salary levels based on industry standards, or even navigating the foreign worker programs. They offer Occupational Health & Safety resources for employers, and a Certificate of Recognition Program to receive a rebate on WorkSafeBC premiums.
On the career side, go2 can help people explore career options, training and education, and find funding opportunities such as scholarships and bursaries. They’ve also partnered on apprenticeship programs for trades certification in Professional Cook, Baker or Meatcutter. One of their recent programs was to work with the Sport Fishing Institute of BC to create the Certified Tidal Angling Guide program.
“The success of our industry relies on skilled, committed staff to deliver exceptional guest experiences,” says Arlene Keis, CEO of go2. “Over the past years, we have been working with operators in the Prince Rupert and Northern BC region to help ensure they have the labour resources they need to meet their business objectives.”
Though they might not be the most visible organization in the news, go2 is very active in the day-to-day operations of the tourism industry throughout the province - including Prince Rupert. And lest one think that all of their programs and services are enough, go2 is always ready to help whenever an issue concerning human resources in tourism arises. Over the years Tourism Prince Rupert has turned to them with a variety of unusual requests.
For example, a couple of years ago TPR worked with Northwest Community College to explore the viability of creating certificate and diploma programs in tourism. These were projected to be very much industry-driven, with a high level of practicum hours. Such a program would have not only been very effective training, but would also have provided a continuous flow of trained summer workers. We approached go2 with the idea. The idea lay outside their day-to-day work, but they quickly led us to a variety of resources and industry contacts that gave us our starting point. Although the idea didn’t fly at the time, we haven’t given up on it – and neither has go2.
Through their Job Board and training programs, go2 is an important part of our industry every day. It was a real pleasure to host the entire team in Prince
Rupert.
“Our Board and staff were very impressed with the scenery and amenities of Prince Rupert,” Arlene told me, “and the hospitality we received was exceptional. Many of our team had never been there before and are looking forward to coming back to visit again soon.”