With a casino on the way and with other local establishments requesting, Dodge City Community College will add a Hospitality Management program to its list of offerings.

“We’re excited about offering another program,” said Associate Dean of Technical Education Danny Gillum.

Melissa McCoy, Director of Business Technology and Continuing Education, worked to put the program together and she said the program will be a revision to the current Business Management program.

“With the current trends that we see in industry and our community and the surrounding areas we can see the need for such a program.” McCoy said.

Dodge City Community College has established a partnership with the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. McCoy said this gives the college the opportunity to offer 50 years of industry-driven experience to students.

McCoy said DCCC will be able to offer a Hospitality Operations Certificate, a Food and Beverage Management Diploma and a Hospitality Management Diploma. The courses focus on two areas of specialization: Rooms Division Management and Food and Beverage Management. The course can be taken separately as certificates or diplomas or taken with the other required courses to complete an associate’s degree.

“Our hope is students will see the value in completing this with an associate’s degree,” McCoy said. “There are a lot of opportunities here and we think this is going to be a very positive thing for our students and for our community.”

One of the lowest unemployment figures not only in the state of Kansas, but the nation, spell a big plus for the Dodge City and Ford County job markets.

With a rate of 3.9% for the month of May, Ford County still has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state of Kansas. The state rate has risen to 6.9%.

Low unemployment means that many jobs in the area continue to go unfilled. Also, low unemployment usually signals stable, long-term employment with competition for those folks who may be searching for a job. This high employment rate also means stable, significant tax collections for the county and the city, helping to boost quality of life.

Dodge City has had a consistent rate of low unemployment throughout the last few years, including the recent recession, making it a good place to hold a job for the long term.