UC Irvine Extension Offers Spa And Hospitality Management Internship Course

UC Irvine Extension

Course Provides Practical, On-the-Job Experience in Today's Booming Spa Industry

UC Irvine Extension presents "Internship in Spa and Hospitality Management" course. The course provides practical, on-the-job experience and behind-the-scenes looks at the exploding spa industry. The internship course is a valuable element to the "Spa and Hospitality Management" certificate program and a key component in fast-tracking one's career in the marketplace.

Students are placed with a spa or resort facility and have the opportunity to participate and learn directly from such job functions as marketing, client communications, customer service, finance and the overall process of providing spa and hospitality services to clients.

"The internship gives students an inside look at the spa business and the ability to learn what aspects fit their own talents," says Angela Cortright, owner of Spa Gregorie's in Newport Beach, creator of Spa Directors Roundtable of Orange County, and an advisory committee member and instructor for the internship course. "The program also nurtures the unique talents of the next wave of spa managers in this ever-evolving industry."

The Spa and Hospitality Management Program attracts people from all walks of life, including those already in the spa and hospitality business who want to gain managerial experience, those who find themselves in less than ideally suited professions and those who want to tailor their present talents to a new industry.

According to industry research, spas have become the fourth largest leisure industry in the U.S., with revenues surpassing amusement and theme parks as well as motion picture box offices.

The Internship in Spa and Hospitality Management course is an elective in UC Irvine Extension's innovative Spa and Hospitality Management Program, the first of its kind on the West Coast. The program was designed to meet the growing demand for spa managers, skilled and trained in the business of owning and/or operating a spa.

The unique curriculum is taught by esteemed industry leaders throughout the United States and features 12 courses. Students can attend as many individual courses as they like or five required courses and two electives to receive a professional certificate. The program features in-depth studies covering everything from business planning and processes to opening a spa, managing day-to-day operations and positioning for managed future growth.

"We're seeing an increasing need for spa owners and operators to become educated about the array of business and management issues specifically related to spas," Angela Jeantet, associate director of Business and Management Department at UC Irvine Extension. "Until UC Irvine Extension's program, no formal program existed to educate the growing number of spa professionals on the West Coast, the world's premiere spa destination spot. It is also the only regional spa education program that offers this type of internship opportunity."

Enrollment is offered online at www.extension.uci.edu or by phone at (949) 824-5414.

As the continuing education arm of the prestigious university, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a transforming learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. UC Irvine Extension continues to provide a university-level learning experience to all students. For more information about UC Irvine Extension visit them on the Web at www.extension.uci.edu