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Be Our Guest Logo

A cooperative education experiential learning program 

for secondary school students outside the classroom

Benefits

BE OUR GUEST was founded in 2017 by a group of innovative hospitality leaders that took the first step to design and launch the experiential student program in Toronto District School Board (TDSB) secondary schools. BE OUR GUEST operates through the collaboration of Ontario school boards, hospitality organizations and OHI – We Are Hospitality. Hundreds of students are graduates of the BE OUR GUEST program and many have become employed in the numerous career opportunities within the hospitality industry and developed transferrable skills to take them into varied occupations.

For Teachers: 

  • Be involved in providing students with life-changing, hands-on work experiences 

  • Prepare students for a transition to the workplace

  • Increase student soft skills development that leads to confidence and problem-solving

  • Provide the opportunity for students to observe the hard skills of a trained professional 

  • Assist students in meeting potential employers 

  • Enhance acceptance of students' options into post-secondary and training programs

  • Learn more about teacher and school responsibilities here

For Students: 

  • Explore career choices in hospitality through real-world work experience in varied hotel or food service departments (front desk, back of house, kitchen, finance, executive management, etc.) 

  • Increase awareness of workplace demands and needs 

  • Develop transferable employment skills 

  • Apply classroom learning to workplace experiences 

  • Earn credits for secondary school diploma 

  • Build a network for future employment  

  • Provide a smoother school-to-work transition 

  • Enhance acceptance possibilities to post-secondary or training programs

For Hospitality Placement Supervisors: 

  • Provide students with rich, relevant experiences

  • Develop supervisory skills through personal leadership growth 

  • Share expertise, knowledge and skills 

  • Promote awareness of job opportunities in the hospitality industry

  • Mentor and inspire students as they develop career/life goals 

  • Contribute to students’ education and Ontario’s future workforce needs

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