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Education Opportunities
Find training and education options in BC across Indigenous tourism’s major sectors.
Building a career in Indigenous tourism can start in many different ways.
Some people come through formal education in tourism, hospitality, business, or trades. Others develop their skills through community-based learning, cultural mentorship, or hands-on experience. Neither path is more valid than the other, and many people combine them. What matters is finding the route that works for you.
Formal education can help you build practical skills, develop industry knowledge, and prepare for specific roles within the sector. Combined with community knowledge and cultural guidance, it’s one of several pathways into Indigenous tourism.
Talk to People in the Industry
Before committing to a path, connect with your Nation’s education coordinator or someone already working in tourism. A real conversation can give you a clearer picture of day-to-day realities, different roles, and what employers actually look for — more than any brochure or website will.
When you’re thinking about your options, ask yourself:
- What skills do I want to build, and what am I already good at?
- Do I learn better in a classroom or by doing?
- How long am I willing or able to be in school?
- What kind of work do I want to be doing day-to-day?
- Are there passions or values that should shape the direction I take?
- Is there someone working in tourism I could reach out to?
Skill Certificates
Skill certificates demonstrate your commitment to employers and are often required for entry-level tourism roles. Many are low-cost, quick to complete, and immediately transferable across the industry.
Common certificates to consider include:
- SuperHost: Foundations of Service Quality — a BC standard for customer-facing positions
- FoodSafe Level 1 — required for any role involving food handling
- Serving It Right — mandatory for roles where alcohol is served
- Basic First Aid — essential for any guiding, outdoor, or land-based role
To decide which certificates make sense for you, think about the sector you’re interested in and look at what local employers are actually asking for in job postings. Customer service training and time management courses can also strengthen an application, especially for a first role.
Post-Secondary Programs
In BC, many colleges, universities, and training organizations offer programs in tourism, hospitality, business, and Indigenous cultural interpretation. Search all post-secondary programs in BC with EducationPlannerBC. Below is a summary of major tourism sectors and the educational pathways that could support your career in each.
Need funding for your post-secondary studies? Visit WorkBC to find employment services, funding opportunities and career exploration tools.
Educational Opportunities for Tourism
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Indigenous-owned or operated accommodations across BC span an extraordinary range of options. There are hotels and motels, oceanfront lodges, wilderness resorts accessible only by boat or floatplane, lakeside cabins, glamping sites, and cultural retreats rooted in the cultures of the First Nations on whose lands they operate. What makes these spaces special isn’t just the setting, it’s the people who run them.
Many careers within the accommodations field don’t require post-secondary training. There are entry points at every level, from guest services and housekeeping to operations, events, and management. And if you want to move more quickly through those levels, training programs can build skills that travel with you anywhere in the world.
Educational Pathways
Marketing Management (Tourism Marketing and Sales Option), Diploma, Full-time – BCITSchool of Tourism Management – Capilano University
Tourism and Destination Management | Selkirk College
Tourism and Hospitality, Associate Certificate, Part-time – BCIT
School of Tourism & Hospitality Management | Royal Roads University
Bachelor of Tourism Management: Programs: Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning
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For First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, connection to the land has always been about more than recreation. It’s where stories live, food and medicine are gathered, and knowledge is shared. Careers in guiding and stewardship are one way that the relationship continues, on their own terms.
Roles here are varied: guiding visitors, operating attractions, giving cultural presentations, and managing the business side of tourism operations. If the finance and administration side interests you, there’s a place for you, too.
Programs
Introduction to Tourism and Cultural Tourism in BC Micro-credential – Virtual Delivery | UNBC
Hospitality Management | Douglas College
Tourism and Hospitality Department | Okanagan College
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There are 204 First Nations, more than 30 distinct languages, and unique artistic traditions and ways of knowing within BC. A career in cultural and heritage tourism means being part of how that living knowledge is shared, practised, and protected.
Careers here range from leading land-based tours and coordinating performances to working in museums, cultural centres, language revitalization programs, and other settings. Many roles don’t require formal credentials. If you want to move into curation, cultural programming, or leadership in government or not-for-profit organizations, post-secondary programs in Indigenous studies, arts administration, or education can help.
Programs
Museum Studies Courses and Program | Continuing Studies at UVic
Indigenous Language & Literacy Education – Language & Literacy Education
First Nations and Endangered Languages
Indigenous Language Revitalization – Admissions – UVic
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For First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, food carries cultural knowledge. Harvesting, preparing, and sharing it has always been how relationships to land, seasons, and community are maintained. Careers in traditional food and beverage are an extension of that living tradition, and represent one of the most dynamic areas to work in today.
Careers here range from chefs, caterers, and food truck operators to restaurant staff, winery workers, and small business owners. Many people get into the work without formal training.
Programs
Food, Wine and Tourism | Okanagan College
Food Preparation and Mobile Kitchen Training
Study culinary business | Culinary Business Operations Certificate | North Island College
Begin your cooking career | Professional Cook 1 (Institutional Entry) | North Island College
Build your cooking skills | Professional Cook 2 (Institutional Entry) | North Island College
Complete your cooking training | Professional Cook 3 | North Island College
Culinary Arts | Vancouver Island University | Canada
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Indigenous-led guiding and outdoor experiences offer something visitors can’t find anywhere else: knowledge of your homelands rooted in a living relationship to them, from plant medicines and wildlife to seasonal rhythms and oral histories. This area creates a path toward building and sharing that knowledge, whether you’re just beginning to explore your own cultural connections or have been learning from Elders and Knowledge Keepers your whole life. Roles exist within parks and recreation, alongside existing tourism operators, and increasingly within First Nations developing their own programs.
Programs
Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality Management | Vancouver Island University | Canada
Certificate in Adventure Tourism and Recreation | Vancouver Island University | Canada
Adventure Tourism Business Operations – College of the Rockies
Mountain Adventure Skills Training – College of the Rockies
School of Outdoor Recreation Management – Capilano University
ATVBC Safety Program – Quad Riders ATV Association of British Columbia
Snowmobile & Off-Road Vehicle Safety Training | British Columbia Courses
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From fashion and jewellery to carvings, home goods, textiles, and artwork on clothing, Indigenous-made goods are sought after by locals and visitors from across Canada and around the world.
Working in retail, whether in a gallery, gift shop, cultural centre, or market stall, is an accessible entry point into the industry. Most positions don’t require formal credentials, and the work connects you directly with people actively seeking meaningful, Indigenous-made pieces.
If you’re interested in making the goods yourself, the resources under Arts, Culture & Creative Vendors may be a better starting point.
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Transportation roles in Indigenous tourism are as varied as the terrain, spanning passenger vans, marine vessels, floatplanes, and everything in between. What they share is a high standard of responsibility: you’re accountable for the safety of your passengers, which means certification and licensing are required before you get behind the wheel, into the cockpit, or onto the water.
It’s worth taking time to research which mode of transportation interests you most before choosing a program. The credentials you earn are transferable well beyond Indigenous tourism, opening doors across the wider transportation and travel industry.
Programs
Boating
Get Certified | Boating BC Association
Find education resources for recreational boaters
Begin a career in the marine industry | Marine Essentials Plus: Enhanced | NIC
About Our Courses – Marine Training British Columbia
Boat License Canada | BoatingLicense.ca
Driving
Passenger Transportation Vehicle & Licence Types – Province of British Columbia
Floatplanes
BC Floatplane Association – Training
Seaplane Training | Canadian Aviation College | Vancouver
Island Coastal Aviation Flight Training – Island Coastal Aviation Flight Training