Education News

Berggruen brings United Education Institutes to India

EH Staff - Mumbai

New York-based Berggruen Hospitality, a private company founded in June 1984 by Nicolas Berggruen, will launch its new education initiative in India - United Education Institute (UEI) Global. Starting out with hospitality education, UEI-Global will soon introduce industry-relevant programmes in retail management, aviation and travel and tourism. It is also in the process of developing tutorials and programmes for other education sectors.

The first institute will be launched in Rohini, West Delhi, with the first session scheduled to start on July 15, 2007. The second institute will open in Noida, NCR. By September 2007, three more institutes will be launched in Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Pune. By 2009, the group hopes to scale up to 50 institutes across India. Berggruen Hospitality will be backed by an initial investment of US$ 10 million for its hospitality education initiative over three years. More investments will follow as new programmes are developed and launched.

According to Praveen Roy, managing director of UEI-Global, the faculty will consist of hospitality instructors trained by The Hotelschool, The Hague and will be complemented by instructors from a number of adjunct faculties from industry and academia including project planning, finance, marketing and business development. "The institutes' staff will also be able to attend development programmes to ensure that they are up-to-date with the evolving industry trends and impart knowledge on the same to their students," he added.

Ashish Kesharwani, head of hospitality said, "Our link with Keys Hotels is an important association for us in developing a network within the industry to ensure that our students can avail of the best possible opportunities when they graduate. The certificate courses will focus on honing the skills of individuals in interest areas such as Rooms Division, Food Preparation, Bartending, Services Operations and Hospitality Management as a whole."

Commenting on the launch of UEI-Global, Kabir Kewalramani, managing director of B H Advisors said, "Berggruen is investing aggressively in India having already committed substantial funds to real estate projects, budget hotels, car rental and its associated businesses and heavy equipment rental. Education is an important focus area for Berggruen and the group looks forward to significantly increasing its involvement in the education sector."