Professional Associations
The following list reflects some of the professional associations that a student may want to consult for career advice, work search assistance and labour market information. There might also be volunteer and/or conference opportunities, either locally or distance, available for students.
Directories are databases or collections of links to companies and professional organizations that operate in a specific industry or sector. Directories can help you identify organizations that operate in your area of study and directories may be found on professional association pages that include member companies or sponsors.
- Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association
- Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association
- Alberta Recreation and Parks Association
- Alberta Sport
- Alberta Sport Leadership Association
- Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (US)
- Canadian Parks and Recreation Association
- Indigenous Tourism Alberta
- Jet Programme: Sport Exchange Advisor
- North American Society for Sport Management
- Sport for Life
- Tourism Industry Association of Canada
Depending on the time and effort that the professional association has put into developing its career information, an association’s website can include the following information::
- How to join the professional association, especially as a student member
- Information about certification and licensing
- Access to professional events
- Contact information to find a mentor, or a graduate advisor, or to set up an information interview
- Niche job boards that are relevant to the profession - job boards that are password protected cannot be scraped by Indeed or LinkedIn.