Hospitality sector can make careers

India’s travel and tourism industry continues to boom as the economic slowdown is coming to an end. Ranging from hotels and transportation to recreation and entertainment,tourism careers are diverse and allow the professional to work across the country. Tourism and hospitality employers demand skilled workers.

Hospitality training also looks at international tourism,multicultural awareness,human resources,and facilities management. Areas of employment available to students include adventure and recreation tourism,food and beverage services,accommodations,travel and trade,events and conferences,and transportation.

By pursuing a career in hospitality management,students will learn about housekeeping management and how to properly staff the organisation. Front office management is taught with emphasis on guest services as it is very important for the business. You will also learn to operate computer systems,with a focus on reservation,property management and food and beverage systems.

Hospitality training also enables one to understand the value of effective security and supervision within the establishment. The professional will be able to increase productivity,and control labour costs. The training will also help you to learn efficient management and delivery of food and beverage services based on thorough understanding of the trends in food and lodging services.

Being well-groomed and courteous are the prerequisites to work within the hospitality industry as the staff will be required to deal with guests on a regular basis. Being trustworthy is another important consideration.

According to Hemant Kumar Kochar,Director of Madhuban Academy of Hospitality Administration and Research (MAHAR),a premier hospitality training institute based in Dehradun,the spectrum of hospitality has evolved over the years with the seven sectors,namely hotels,travel,insurance,banking,telecom,retail,healthcare becoming more popular and competitive in customer services and client centric direct interfaces. “Technology has made customer service in these sectors a key to better business activity,resulting in more and more demands of personnel with skills like courtesy,communications and other trade specific skills have grown ten-fold in the last five years in India. This is expected to grow even higher as the competition,both laterally and vertically,is becoming stiffer within the seven sectors. Students who pursue courses in the

hospitality sector have an edge over hotel management students as they get better opportunities,” he says.

The training in hospitality is focussed on certain skills. “It includes training in courtesy,corporate & language communication,personality development,accounting and financial management,front desk and back end operations,IT & Property Management Systems (PMS) which are some of the core areas. After an extensive degree in Hospitality like BA in International Hospitality Administration from MAHAR a student can opt for a wide range of career options from skilled subjects to core management domains,” he adds.

Kochar,a hotelier with over 14 years of experience in this industry says: “A lot of hard work is required to achieve success. The training for a career in hospitality industry makes one utilise their inherent skills to the best of their ability.”

In the 1990s,a career in hospitality management was a big draw among students. As the economic liberalisation process accelerated,students increasingly opted to study in B-schools. Was there a shift in student approach? Kochar is dismissive of this question. “Even at that time,hospitality management has been an uncompromised choice among the right aspirants. The number of students passing out from schools has increased substantially and this has given a lot of choice to the ones who wanted to opt for a course in hospitality management. Now with the further increase in demand,some business schools have recently introduced hotel management in their bachelors’ curriculum. So,neither the interest nor the demand for a career in hospitality management has been affected,” he says.

Campus interviews offer the perfect opportunity for students to get into the industry. Institutes like Madhuban have a good placement record. Probationary jobs within the hospitality industry are the norm. Employers look for people willing to work at nights and weekends. Hospitality jobs cater to a lot of people whether tourists or students who want to make some extra money while studying.

“The Indian economy is developing at a high rate and this trend will continue for many years. It has led to an increase in the number of jobs in this sector every year,says Rohit Bhatia,Chairman & CEO of RIG Institute of Hospitality & Management,Greater Noida.

“Indian hotel management graduates and those with some job experience have a huge demand in foreign countries particularly the Middle East,” Bhatia says.

Training in hospitality and hotel management will open the door for many great opportunities. The extensive curriculum teaches all the important aspects of hospitality,ensuring your success after graduation.