Internships

Getting a good job when you graduate from college depends not only on developing skills in the classroom, but on getting real-world experience in your field. At Champlain College we take that very seriously. Our 97% job placement rate of graduates attests to it. Besides the hands-on experiences that are built into the core courses, our Hospitality Industry Management programs include two levels of internship experiences. After completing their first year of study, HRM and TEM students complete a paid internship at a hotel, restaurant, tourism or special event operation that is designed to strengthen their on-the-job industry experience. Then, during the final semester of their bachelor's degree program, students select a Resort/Tourism/Event Management Apprenticeship with one of our partner properties, where they gain a personal experience of the day-to-day challenges they will encounter as a supervisor, manager or planner.

The Senior Internship:
Resort/Tourism/Event Management Apprenticeship

The Management Apprenticeship experience includes an on-site internship with a full-service resort property, tourism operation or special event planner, working closely with an individual manager/mentor at least 2 full days each week. Students select a specific area of management that they are interested in pursuing and are paired with an appropriate supervisor to observe and participate in his or her daily duties and challenges. The experience also includes a weekly online group discussion forum, where students at the various locations have an opportunity to compare their experiences and relate them to the ideas they have been exploring in their other classes. Students participate in a placement interview to determine the best fit for their personal goals and abilities.

We are constantly developing new partners to increase the number of choices available to each student. Our current partner properties include:

Bolton Valley Resort Bolton, Vermont

Orlando, Florida

The 2nd-YEAR FIELD EXPERIENCE
As a complement to the academic coursework in the first two years of study, this initial internship provides a paid, supervised work experience in the fields of lodging, foodservice or tourism & event management. Students gain practical skills in a business environment and begin to view the workplace from a management perspective. During the course of the work experience, students keep a personal journal of critical incidents and compile a profile of the management systems and policies at their workplace. Afterwards, students participate in a discussion group to evaluate and compare their experiences.

	Heather Clark chose a field experience as Assistant Innkeeper at the elegant Willard Street Inn, just one block from the heart of the Champlain College campus.

Students can select a hotel, restaurant, tourism operation or special event of their choice as the site of their Field Experience, subject to the approval of their faculty advisor (who can also assist with placement options).  Here is a sampling of sites where previous students have worked: