Career Focus

The right course

K Damodharan writes about the training needs in hotel management institutes.

Hospitality is an art and no amount of theoretical training will do if one forgets this basic tenet. The biggest satisfaction one can hope to get from working in this industry is the satisfied look on the guest's face when the latter leaves the hotel.

In India, hotel management and technology courses offer two streams - Diploma in Hotel Management & Catering Technology, and Bachelor of Hotel Management. Both these courses are three-year programmes. While the diploma courses are recognised by AICTE and approved by the respective state Directorate of Technical Education, the bachelor's degree is offered by the universities as per the norms.

The approach and the syllabus vary between the two programmes - a diploma has higher practical and skill-oriented approach with higher lab hours, etc while the latter will have less of practical orientation. The objective of the curriculum adopted is to provide students with an optimal mix of general education, knowledge of the hotel and catering industry, managerial and business administration inputs, personality development activities and specific skills orientation. The curriculum includes theoretical inputs, practical class, on-the-job training, designed guest contact exposure, workshops, food festivals, personality development, sports and other co-curricular activities.

Institute training

Hotel management institutes must create the following training facilities in their institutes for students:

• Basic training kitchen to impart the art and science of cooking
• Quantity training kitchen that helps train students on mass cooking
• Advance training kitchen where students are exposed to various global cuisines and receive hands-on experience
• Bakery training lab
• Language lab to accurately learn language
• A fully-equipped mock lab should be available for demonstrations and for practical work, in the preparation and service of all kinds of beverages
• Training restaurant for practical training in F&B service skills
• Computer room to help students have hands-on training in computer skills like MS Office and hotel management software
• Housekeeping lab where students are taught how to prepare rooms and other aspects of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene
• Hotel engineering lab helps students understand engineering-related breakdowns like power, water, sanitation, etc.

Industrial training

Additionally, as a programmed activity, each student undergoes summer internship after their first year course completion at various star category hotels. At this point in their career, it helps them experience in a limited way the various aspects of functioning of a hotel and builds a stable foundation.

On completing the second year course, students take not less than 30 weeks on-the-job training in star hotels in various departments. This exposure is generally complete in all respects and gives more scope and understanding to finalise their specialisation at the end of industry training at the same time imparts hands-on experience on functioning and management of the hotel and catering institution, right from front-office to back-office operations like kitchen, HR and finance.

All students are expected to put in an average of eight hours a week for on-job training. Normally, students stretch more hours. Students are attached to different operating departments and work alongside the departmental staff. This offers students an opportunity to hone their operational skills and bridge the gap between theory and practice. This training is over and above the requisite practical and industrial training, which form the normal part of the curriculum.

Training post selection

On the hotel side, fresh recruits are given a full-fledged induction programme, specialised training programmes and on-going on-the-job-training. Most of the leading hotel groups consider HR management, training and development their key strengths. The role of HR is considered as a critical business partner, rather than just a support function. They also offer department-centric training programmes based on individual skills and training needs of each person.

Freshers are usually inducted with a lot of warmth and are introduced to the company's vision and mission, so that they always strive to fulfil the company's goals. After their induction, their respective departments train new employees. In addition to the basic training required in the hospitality industry, the HR department lays great emphasis on various other training programmes like behavioural training, vocational training, training in social etiquette and manners, 'spirit of hospitality' programmes, and specialised training in knowledge and skills.

Usually, for certain functions, it requires a high degree of communication with the guests. Employees are also trained in other areas of the hospitality industry like serving, grooming, taking orders, friendly and polite behaviour, and various other dimensions concerned with the service industry. Additionally, most of the leading group hotels have frequent training and coaching programmes to upgrade employee skills and develop their personality.

(The author is the principal of MGR Catering Institute, Chennai)