Members of Prince Edward Island’s tourism industry say Ottawa’s decision to cap international student permits will lead to labour shortages in the sector.
Holland College announced last week that due to the cap – and the drop in enrolment – it would end eight programs including three that train students in the hospitality sector.
Corryn Clemence, the CEO of the Tourism Association of PEI, said operators of hotels, restaurants and festivals have relied on the programs as a pipeline of employees.
The programs being phased out include marketing and advertising management; tourism, travel and event management; and hotel and restaurant operations management.
Susan Freeman, director of Meet PEI, said her group’s partners across the Island rely on the programs to hire students to run their accommodations and to plan events – and the industry appreciated having a trained workforce.
Sandy MacDonald, the president of Holland College, says Ottawa’s caps have led to an 83 per cent loss of the school’s international student body, and a $7-million drop in revenue.
Tourism draws close to 1.7 million visitors a year to the Island and generated about $88-million in provincial tax revenues last year.