CULINARY & HOTEL RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Wyoming's second-largest industry, the tourism sector, contributed over $4 billion in direct spending in 2021 and remains the largest employment sector, spanning over 30,000 employees. With a strategic focus on expanding degree offerings, certificate programs, and just-in-time credentials, Wyoming is enhancing its workforce recruitment and retention capabilities.

Efforts include the expansion of short-term certificates and credentialing to ensure that the industry has access to a diverse range of tourism enterprises. The initiative also aims to improve the coordination of tourism and hospitality training, expertise, and information across the state, especially in areas with robust tourism sectors and corridors facing limited workforce availability.

Central Wyoming College: Mobile Teaching and Catering Kitchen

Central Wyoming College’s (CWC) culinary students, program director, and chef instructors/mentors collaborated to turn a 32ft trailer into a state-of-the-art mobile teaching and catering kitchen called Cooking With Community. This mobile unit allows students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life work scenarios, as well as fuels innovation and creative endeavors.

Cooking With Community is committed to mentoring future students to expand our reach and impact. Many graduates working successfully in the culinary and hospitality world have been inspired by taking additional steps as entrepreneurs. Current adjunct faculty are also inspired by this project and are encouraged to share their passion and love for their industry by integrating curriculum with educational internships and practicums to meet the needs of the whole community.

Learn More about Central Wyoming College’s culinary programs at: https://www.cwc.edu/culinary/

Sheridan College: Culinary Arts and Hospitality

Sheridan College is making significant modifications to their existing culinary arts and hospitality programs. The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Foundations Certificate Program, designed to prepare students for immediate entry-level job placement, reflects real-world techniques and ideas. This program seamlessly transitions into the Hospitality and Tourism Management Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program, preparing students for leadership positions within the hospitality and tourism industry.

Sheridan College also expanded its hospitality offerings through the newly developed Agritourism and Event Planning Certificate. This certificate equips graduates with the training they need for careers as agritourism enterprise managers or non-formal educators, as well as training individuals in planning and implementing various occasions, from conferences to special events.

Learn more about the Event Planning Program: Event Planning – NWCCD (sheridan.edu)

Learn more about Agritourism at: Program: Agritourism Certificate - Northern Wyoming Community College District - Acalog ACMS™ (sheridan.edu)

Learn More about Culinary Arts & Hospitality: Culinary Arts & Hospitality Foundations - Sheridan College

Casper College: Graphic Design and Marketing Integration

Casper College is contributing to the workforce development landscape with its Graphic Design and Marketing Integration project. This initiative merges marketing principles with tangible skills in digital graphic design, providing students with the knowledge and creativity to create their own materials for marketing purposes. The integration of these two fields will provide students the opportunity to not only learn the principles of marketing, but also provide the knowledge, creativity, skills, and abilities to create their own digital graphic design for images, social media, fliers, etc. The integrated program is set to launch in Fall 2024.

Learn more at: Graphic Design – Casper College and https://www.caspercollege.edu/program/marketing/

Casper College: Disney Institute Hospitality and Customer Service Training

In Spring 2023, Casper College provided a Disney Institute training for over 400 Casper College students and community members. This training offered participants a hands-on learning experience in the field of hospitality and customer service and insight from a company renowned for their contributions to this industry on a large scale.

Learn more about Casper College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management at: https://www.caspercollege.edu/program/hospitality-tourism/ 

Laramie County Community College: Craft Brewing

LCCC expanded the regional and national marketing of its craft brewing program, aiming to increase student enrollment. Covering all aspects of the brewing process, the program prepared students for careers in the craft brewing industry.

Learn more at: Program: Craft Brewing, CD - Laramie County Community College - Acalog ACMS™ (wy.edu)

In collaboration with the Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP), these initiatives and programs contribute to the state's tourism and hospitality sectors' sustainable growth.