After finishing high school from Columbia International College in Canada in 2005, Waleed Binbrek headed straight to Neuchâtel in Switzerland to pursue a degree in hospitality studies at the IHTTI School of Hotel Management. Soon after completing the programme, Binbrek was inundated with plum job offers.
“During my stint at IHTTI, apart from acquiring knowledge about how to deal with challenges of the job market, the [programme] provided me with a sense of confidence in my skills. It also allowed me to effectively position myself in the professional world,” says Binbrek, a UAE national, who is currently employed as a senior sales executive with Emirates Airline in Dubai.
Despite stiff competition in the hospitality sector, Binbrek got an internship with the Jumeirah Group in his first year of university and with the Sheraton Hotel in Malaysia during his second year. He was recruited by the Grand Hyatt Dubai while finishing his last year of college in Neuchâtel.
It is the exciting job offers that students almost always get after completing their hospitality courses, that primarily encourage them to travel to Switzerland from the UAE. Students enrol for various programmes starting from diplomas in hospitality studies to postgraduate degrees and PhD programmes. >
For Dubai resident Rajesh Ramakrishnan, Finance Director, Holiday Inn Express Hotels, Switzerland was the natural choice when it came to choosing a hospitality programme for his daughter Riya. “I was aware of the value and reputation of Swiss degrees, as I work in this sector,” he says.
The biggest strength of Switzerland’s hospitality management courses lies in the right balance of theoretical and experiential learning, which gives students an extra edge in the international job market.
“My daughter will have to do five months of internship every year in a selected hotel anywhere in the world. These internships are an invaluable learning experience for students. I am quite positive that once she finishes the course, she will have plenty of placement opportunities for a successful career,” Ramakrishnan adds. Riya joined Swiss Hotel Management School earlier this year.
Niche courses
The interest has now moved away from general hospitality courses to focused industry-specific programmes. With education being seen as an investment, students are increasingly working towards finding a niche in the hospitality sector and investing in courses that help them speed up their career growth.
In January 2013, the Glion Institute of Higher Education launched a hybrid programme — a Master of Science in Hospitality Finance, which involves attending six months of classes at the Glion campus in Switzerland and six months of online classes. This new course is designed to help students develop specific expertise in finance for hospitality organisations.
“Students are trained not only in the complex process of strategic financial decision-making but also in devising innovative solutions for any financial challenges that they might encounter in their career in hotel management,” says Fabienne Rollandin, Director Industry Relations and Market Research, Laureate Hospitality Education, the parent company of Glion Institute of Higher Education. “We developed this programme to address a need from the industry, which is looking for more and more people with strong expertise in finance, and from young adults who are looking for flexibility.” About 11 per cent of its current students are from the Middle East and Africa.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the UAE has recently added the Glion Institute of Higher Education to its global list of recommended higher education institutions. Students accepted into Glion can now apply for UAE scholarships to complete their studies.
The demand for courses that prepare students for careers in the spa and wellness as well as the airlines and event management sectors is also gaining traction.
Dr Fauz Gataby, Regional Manager, Swiss Education Group (SEG), says the surge of the spa industry has created a lot of new jobs in the past few years. Sensing demand for courses focused on the spa industry, the Swiss Hotel Management School has launched a master’s in international business in hotel, resort and spa management. “Specialist modules in resort and spa management provide students with the key industry knowledge. The programme equips students with all the necessary tools they need to successfully foray into a competitive job market,” says Dr Gataby.
Considering the fact that the luxury hospitality industry is growing worldwide, IHTTI has introduced a bachelor’s course in international hospitality and design management. The programme is designed to help students develop knowledge and practical skills of hotel design and luxury retail management, along with expertise in traditional hotel management.
Les Roches International School of Hotel Management recently launched a new Bachelor of Business Administration in Global Hospitality Management, which will commence from January 2014. The programme will offer students an educational experience across three campuses located in Switzerland, China and Spain.
“Today, in order to succeed in this industry, one must depart from the beaten path, think globally and be mobile. The new BBA programme gives students a unique and differentiated exposure to countries where the hospitality sector is in full and rapid expansion, providing them a competitive edge to enter this professional market,” says Sonia Tatar, CEO Worldwide, Les Roches.
Les Roches has also updated a specialisation title — the Hotel Design and Project Management will now be Innovation and Sustainability — to accommodate new developments in the hospitality sector and enable society at large to consume and produce in a sustainable way.
Event management is a fast-developing business area in the hospitality sector and event planners have a lot of growth opportunities. “To tap into these trends, we introduced an event management speciality course as part of our bachelor’s of business administration programme in early 2012,” says Tatar. “The academic content and teaching modules for this concentration were developed in collaboration with professionals in event management, including Simon Graveling, director of the agency that organised the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. More than 30 students are currently enrolled in this course.”
Chocolate hero
The Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, with campuses in Lucerne and Le Bouveret, has introduced a specialised programme in Swiss pastry and chocolate arts. From traditional Swiss pastry to today’s modern recipes and trends, students learn to prepare and present advanced chocolate and confectionery.
“We are constantly adapting our programmes to ensure that students are given the best possible education to prepare them for leading roles in the hospitality industry. The demand for degree programmes in culinary arts is rising, with the campuses fully booked for the next two semesters,” says Dr Gataby.
Along with a number of hospitality management schools, SEG also runs the renowned Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland.
