SWIFT CURRENT, SK: Great Plains College is pleased to facilitate a partnership between Living Sky Casino and First Nations University to help meet an educational need in the Swift Current community.
The Certificate in Hospitality, Tourism and Gaming Entertainment Management offered by First Nations University will provide Living Sky Casino employees with training to help meet the growing needs for qualified managers and leaders in the industry.
“The college strives to be an educational resource for the community, so whenever we can help connect employers and students with opportunities to meet their educational needs, we are happy to help facilitate those connections,” said Brian Gobbett, Vice-President Academic at Great Plains College. “It’s been a pleasure to work with both First Nations University and Living Sky Casino and we look forward to hearing about the success of this new partnership.”
Both organizations along with students of the certificate program gathered at Great Plains College in September for a formal meeting to introduce the program and to begin the first online class in a face-to-face environment, allowing students to meet their instructors and classmates, and feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar post-secondary environment.
"One of Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA)’s cornerstones for sustaining a strong organization is investing in our employees. We build our success by developing future leaders, identifying staff needs through our employee development process, and investing in education and training to build their capacities in the hospitality, tourism, and gaming industry,” said Trevor Marion, General Manager at Living Sky Casino. “Through educational partnerships such as this, we are generating a talented workforce, one that will ensure continued success for SIGA and the Living Sky Casino, now and into the future."
While the majority of the Certificate in Hospitality, Tourism and Gaming Entertainment Management certificate is completed online, Great Plains College will act as an educational resource as needed in support of students enrolled in the program.
“This partnership demonstrates the power of educational organizations working together to meet the learning and employment needs of First Nations communities,” according to Dr. Lynn Wells, Vice-President Academic at First Nations University of Canada. “By offering the Certificate in Hospitality, Tourism and Gaming Entertainment Management, accredited through the University of Regina, in collaboration with Great Plains College, First Nations University is taking a career-oriented program directly into the community, where it will have the greatest positive impact.”
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For more information:
Amy Sletten – Great Plains College
(306) 737-6107 | amys@greatplainscollege.ca
Lindsay Gerbrandt – Living Sky Casino
(306) 778-5747 | lindsay.gerbrandt@siga.sk.ca
Joanne Goodpipe – First Nations University
(306)790-5999 ext. 3356 | jgoodpipe@firstnationsuniversity.ca
Natalie Tomczak – University of Regina
(306) 337-2452 | Natalie.Tomczak@uregina.ca