N.S. Bhuie Director of Studies, National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology

GET all the details on what to study and the best hospitality institutes on India and abroad, right here. 

EXPERT SPEAK
  
Today, hospitality education is a coveted career and the National Council receives four times more applications than its fixed intake. India has nearly 150 institutes in the approved category, both in the government and private sector. And there are 25 craft-level institutes, which impart short courses. Hospitality institutes produce 14,000 graduates, of which 4,000 are diploma and certificate holders. So, 18,000 trained professionals are produced every year, 22 percent at the skills level and 78 per cent at graduate level. A survey by the Ministry of Tourism indicates that there is a demand for 2.03 lakh trained hospitality professionals every year of which 66 percent is at skill level, and 34 per cent at managerial level.

The Tourism Ministry has developed a master plan to increase intake in existing institutes. More craft and skill-level programmes have been introduced, while hospitality education has been broadbased to include hospitality vocational courses at ITIs, polytechnics, at 10+2 stage of CBSE and introduction of specific tailor-made skill testing and certification programmes.

Further, the Certified Hospitality Trainer Programme aims to provide employment to meritorious students at IHMs from within its system and honouring them with the best of wages the industry has to offer. By the end of the 11th five-year plan, the target is to have 49 Institutes of Hotel Management and 31 Food Craft Institutes, plus a tourism management centre in the south. But there’s a need to standardise the quality of hospitality education. And, students must be cautious of some of the hospitality institutions in the private sector before seeking admissions in them.

Hospitality education in India

The admission to the programme is done through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Candidates can get admission in 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management, eight State Government Institutes of Hotel Management, 12 Private Institutes of Hotel Management affiliated with the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology and five Food Craft Institutes located in different parts of the country. There are approximately 6,000 seats combined in all these institutes for admission to BSc Hospitality and Hotel Administration programme. In all, there are 41 institutes in the country that are affiliated with the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology.

Eligibility criteria

• Pass in 10+2 or equivalent examination with English as a subject. Those who are appearing for class 12 exams in 2010 can also apply.
• Also a candidate should not be more than 22 years of age (25 years for SC/ST) as on July, 1, 2010.
• Selection for PG programmes is merit based.

Tentative dates

• Date of Entrance Examination: May 2nd week, 2010
• Availability of Application Forms: February 3rd week, 2010
• Last Date for receipt of completed application forms: April 2nd week, 2010
• Declaration of Results: June 1st week, 2010

Please note that the dates are only tentative and are not final.

Exam pattern

The paper will be of 3 hours’ duration consisting of multiple choice questions divided in the following sections:

• Numerical Ability and Scientific Aptitude -30 questions
• Reasoning and Logical Deduction -30 questions
• GK & Current Affairs -30 questions
• English Language - 80 questions
• Aptitude for Service Sector - 30 questions

There will be negative marking up to  marks for all the sections except Aptitude for Service Sector. 

Hospitality education around the world
By Merril Diniz

American chef, the late Julia Child moved to Paris in 1948, a restless homemaker, looking for a purpose in life. On a whim she joined Le Cordon Bleu, a household name in the world of culinary education, and eventually went on to launch a cookery show on TV and pen a book, which made French cooking accessible to the world.

Would Ms Child’s culinary talent have unraveled in any other destination in the world? We will never know.   Choosing a country, which boasts quality hotels, restaurants and spas, will give you an opportunity to intern with the best places. “Singapore is an interesting choice of location, because it is focusing on tourism,” observes Shivani Manchanda, a career counselor for the last 18 years and Director, CareerTrack. For instance, The Tourism Academy @ Sentosa immerses the students in the resort experience through its two-year full-time diploma programme.

Education tradition
Countries like Switzerland are traditionally renowned for their topnotch hospitality programmes. With approximately 5,600 hotels and more than 35 million guests every year, it this has ensured quality schools, here. The Swiss Hotel Schools Association (ASEH), a major body, ensures high standards of professionalism in the hotel schools, Shivani points out.  “The Swiss have a long tradition of innovation and skill-based training and this has resulted in the alumni reaching successful positions internationally,” she adds.

Internship-model schools, is another traditions, which allows a student to work and learn, alongside. For instance, the Cornell University campus houses the The Statler Hotel & JW Willard Mariott Executive Education Center. Hence, it’s like a “laboratory for students on campus which offers state-of-the-art equipment and a real-life hotel to practice their skills,” says Shivani.

Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland also has a very strong internship model.

The cost
On an average, a graduate programme will cost between eight to 15 lakhs per year, including tuition and boarding. Is it worth it? “If you want to make a specialised career of it, it’s worth considering for all the innovative practices and professional competency-based courses,” shares Binita Kohli, owner of Paceweddings.com, Delhi. Kohli,  with a Bachelor’s and Master’s from Switzerland, specialised in wedding planning and event management from an American institute. ”Now, if you need to mortgage your house to afford this amount, it’s a good idea to do an undergraduate programme right here in India, and then work here for some time before you proceed to do a post-graduation abroad,” advises Shavani.

Hospitality specialist
There are several specialization courses to be done as hospitality has diverse function areas. For instance, the School of International Hotel & Tourism Management, Switzerland offers electives such as casino management, bar management and cruise line management. “The Sierra Nevada College, USA, offers a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Ski Business and Resort Management, a very niche area,” says Shivani.

Chefs may aspire to become professional chocolatiers, specialise in a cuisine or master culinary areas such as patisserie. Some institutions that offer such courses include Le Cordon Bleu in France (which has campuses across the globe), Institute of Culinary Education, New York and the Texas Culinary Academy. Specialising will help you elevate your knowledge and skills in your area of interest, to a whole new level of excellence and expertise

Internships, placements, extra perks
When choosing a programme, especially at the graduate level, explore if the institute offers internships. For instance, the Les Roches, International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland requires students to do three internships in the second, fourth and sixth semesters of the eight-semester programme, and students intern with world-class hotels such as the The Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Shangri-La.

Some institutes offer a job-hunting module, which includes résumé writing, interviewing skills and marketing yourself to the industry. For instance, EHL runs an online job platform for alumni with a searchable database of current jobs in the industry, says Shivani.

The IMI University Centre, Switzerland, besides offering an online alumni database and careers fairs, also helps with campus recruitments. Also, check for institutional visits to hotels, resorts  and learning new languages. Sniff out those perks!

A word of caution
“Many hospitality management institutions are managed by private providers and not much benchmarking exists in it yet,” observes Shivani. So, it’s a good idea to check with well-established professionals and alumni, and get their opinion before joining a school.