Career Watch

Hiring hospitality

Various industries have realised the potential of hospitality management and are therefore hiring hospitality professionals. We look at a few of such industries and also track the ones which are likely to follow their league in the near future. By Dinkar Farwaha

Alongside the boom in the tourism and travel industry, the hospitality industry has also grown rapidly in the recent past and continues to do so. The demand for manpower in the hotel sector is therefore on the increase. And with the development of the industry and strong demand for manpower, the quality of education has also improved. Besides the expansion and development of government hospitality colleges (IHMs, etc.) and private ones, even multinational companies have forayed into the hospitality education sector in the country. The point in context is Berggruen hospitality's education initiative, UEI global, which recently launched a course in hospitality management and food preparation, condensed into just one year. It has also launched six and three month certificate courses previously unheard of in services operations, rooms division management and bartending operations. "Short term courses or tailor-made programmes to cater to the needs of the hotels, especially at the entry level also are becoming popular. In fact, many leading hospitality giants are requesting catering colleges to think on those lines so that manpower could be availed of according to their requirements. By taking such kind of initiatives, hospitality institutions are providing a platform to students to enter various spheres," says Prof Sheri Kurian, director (hospitality management programme), Acharya Institute of Management & Sciences, Department of Hotel Management.

The development of the hospitality education sector has helped in the attraction of young talent. Various industries have realised the potential of these professionals and have recognised the fact that hospitality management does have an impact on many business areas. "Today, good hospitality colleges are imparting the right blend of catering knowledge and customer handling skills to students, which is proving useful in all manner of industries," says Kashmira D Umrigar, principal, Rizvi Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology. Gone are the days when hotel management students were restricted to just four key operational areas, namely front office, house keeping, food and beverage and production. Today they have options galore.

Unlimited opportunities

Umrigar sheds light on a few of the industries which have recognised the importance of hospitality management and are therefore hiring a great deal of hospitality students. "Malls are hiring many hospitality students as customer service representatives. Similarly, multinational companies and BPOs are also recruiting them as hospitality liaison officers and customer relation executives, respectively. Even the cinema catering industry is on the look out for hospitality professionals," she says. The emerging pub market is also looking for skilled bartenders, which a lot of hospitality colleges are churning out. As Umrigar puts it, "Cocktail bartending careers and flair bartending skills are in great demand amongst hospitality students, as pubs are now passé for modern day elite and sophisticated customers who find trendy and themed bars and lounges more happening." Other industries like hospitals, event management centres, banks and even defense services also have scope for hospitality professionals. "In most of the service sectors, be it multi national companies, banks, cellular companies, call centers, hospitals, airlines, cruise liners, defense services, malls, etc, hospitality management students are increasingly gaining preference over other students," informs BP Sahni, principal of Anjuman-I-Islam's A K Hafizka College of Hotel and Tourism Management Studies and Research. Apart from this, students are also making their careers in standalone deluxe dining restaurants, some of which are far more exclusive, and trendy as compared to their hotel counterparts. Moreover, the thriving spa industry is also hiring a lot of hospitality professionals.

Reckoning the future

As far as the future is concerned, experts believe that more and more untapped industries will realise the impact of hospitality management and therefore hire hospitality professionals. "Industries like fitness and health, entertainment (casinos, amusement parks, etc.), forest lodges and others are likely to tap the potential of hospitality students in years to come," predicts Sahni.

Owing to the boom in the industry, demand for manpower will keep on rising. "The tourism and hospitality industry are the third largest net earners of foreign exchange in India. They are expected to be number one by the year 2010. The ninth five year plan has spelt out that there is a shortfall of over 30 thousand trained professionals every year. Likewise, according to a report of the planning commission, it has been forecasted that 17 per cent of new jobs will be created in the service sector in the country in the next 10 years," informs Navin Kumar Nanchahal, principal and secretary of IHM, Chandigarh.

As the education sector and the industry develop simultaneously, the opportunities for students will also increase. More and more industries will absorb their manpower requirements by utilising the abilities of hospitality students.