CORPORATE MEMBER spotlight

Asia Pacific Education Group (APEDU) is an education industry investment company operating in Vancouver, Canada and Auckland, New Zealand. It’s Founder and CEO, Feroz Ali, has long been a champion of private post-secondary education and works with his Group to acquire niche education industry investments. APEDU School in New Zealand include NZ Fashion Tech, an award-winning fashion and garment Technology College. And although Ali has only lived in Canada for 20 months, the former New Zealand resident already owns two private post-secondary schools in Canada, including Canadian Tourism College and Sterling College.

Recently, Canadian Tourism College and Sterling College made the move to a new 11,500-square-foot campus, which is nearly three times as large as the previous campus. The move to an expanded campus is truly a testament to increasing worldwide demand for well-trained individuals in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. According to the Canada’s tourism website go2HR, British Columbia’s tourism industry is projected to create 101,000 new job openings by 2020. As Tourism instructor Lori Albina puts it, “Tourism gives people great opportunities around the world, and it’s a great business to be in”. As the longest-running tourism college in Vancouver, Canadian Tourism College has had a significant role in producing top-notch graduates who are ready to successfully enter the industry.

This reflects Ali’s view that students become job-ready when they are able to simulate the work environment. “We don’t just want to teach people out of theory books and textbooks,” Ali said. “We want them to practice real life skills.” At the new campus, tourism students will learn how to work as a barista, deal with guests at a hotel front desk, and master the intricacies of housekeeping, table-setting, and fine dining. “The flight-attendant students will be able to practice using two different types of aircraft doors for exits and emergencies” Ali said. “They’ll also have a full galley so they can learn how to prepare food.”

Canadian Tourism College and Sterling College are set to hold their official grand opening event at the brand-new campus on Melville Street in Vancouver on Thursday, March 1, 2018. This will be an opportunity for industry professionals, faculty and staff to network within the community.

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