Page 26 - StudyTravel Magazine December 2016 Issue

vocational

vOcatiOnal FOcuS sWiss HosPitalitY
Hospitality

management in Switzerland

Th e hospitality industry is booming, and Switzerland’s reputation for high-quality training means that its
graduates are highly employable. Jane Vernon Smith looks at some of the latest developments in the sector.

es Roches and Glion are two on meeting the demand for a more global founded on practical experience and includes
hospitality education providers in approach, having launched a new Master’s an internship, which may be of between four
Switzerland that are keen to stress programme in Global Hospitality Business, and 12 months’ duration. “A long course is
l their close ties to the industry – which is taught in Lausanne (Switzerland), not necessary to gain the skills needed to
in the former’s case through its board of Hong Kong and Houston (USA). get started in a restaurant and begin earning
directors as well as through the employer In the future, Les Roches comments money,” he asserts.
representatives who make campus visits each that it will strive to profi t further from Th e hospitality sector is one of the
year to recruit future employees and interns. its “unique network of campuses across most dynamic industries in the world,
As a result, it is quick to respond to changes the globe, off ering students even more according to Joel. Quoting the World Travel
in demand trends. international exposure through transfers and & Tourism Council, he says, “Due to the
Noting the fi nding of a recent study that study abroad options”, which, underlines continuous growth of the labour-intensive
56 per cent of managers in the luxury hotel Joel, “will benefi t their learning experience and productivity-reliant travel & tourism
sector prefer graduates who have trained in and ultimately their employability”. industry, the sector is expected to experience
more than one country, Joel Reeves, Media some diffi culties in providing enough
Relations Spokesperson for Glion Institute “The hospitality sector is qualifi ed talent for the forecasted 80 million
one of the most dynamic
of Higher Education www.glion.edu and new jobs created over the next 10 years.”
Les Roches www.lesroches.edu reports that Th e majority of those completing the
in 2014 Les Roches introduced a BA in industries in the world” short, basic training programme provided by
Global Hospitality Management, in which F&B Training International go on to work
students study at the institution’s campuses Th ese institutions, off ering full for a hotel chain, where they enjoy good
in Switzerland, Spain and China in turn and undergraduate and postgraduate degree promotion prospects, Christian underlines.
develop fi rst-hand knowledge of the service courses are at one end of the spectrum. Among graduates of Glion, says Joel,
culture and business practices of these key At the other is the six-week F&B (food an average of 86 per cent have one or more
tourism markets. Th en, in January 2015, and beverage) programme off ered by F&B job off ers by the time they have completed
it launched a new Master’s programme in Training International http://fbsti.com. Yet their course. Entry-level positions taken up
Hospitality Leadership. Chief Executive Offi cer, Christian Cargouet, by 2016 graduates of Les Roches include:
A further trend it has noted is increased is quick to emphasise that the prospects of Innovation & Quality Management at the
interest among employers outside the these students are ultimately no worse than Soneva Group in Th ailand and Assistant
traditional hotel industry in employing those of students who have completed a Account Manager at Kayak Europe
hospitality-trained graduates. Th is led it degree, since “all have to start at the bottom”. headquarters in Switzerland.
to create a new specialisation, Health & F&B’s programme is an intensive Sherif, meanwhile, recounts that some of
Wellness Management, within its existing one, incorporating eight-to-nine hours of EHL’s graduates join large hospitality groups
BA degree. Th is, says Joel, teaches specifi c classes a day, making a total of 240 hours’ as assistant F&B managers or junior event
knowledge and skills to manage spa and training, which, according to Christian, “is managers, while others go into diff erent
health operations on top of the managerial equivalent to a whole year of study as part of fi elds such as luxury brands, while still others
soft skills and professionalism. a three-year hospitality management course”. “decide to live their entrepreneurial dreams
Glion has also been proactive in response Th e programme, which is delivered around and start up their own companies”.
to this trend, Joel observes, with the the world from a mobile full restaurant, is jvs@studytravel.network
introduction in 2014 of a new specialisation
in Luxury Brand Management within its BA Strong global demand
Hospitality Management programme. Glion thanks to the prestige of Swiss hospitality management schools, they attract an unusually high percentage
has also taken on board the strong need of international students – and perhaps none more so than les roches, where the ratio of 97 per cent
for industry professionals to further their spans 90 countries. the institution has branch campuses including Spain and china in order to meet
industry demand for qualifi ed talent, explains Spokesperson, Joel reeves. at glion institute of Higher
skills in specifi c areas, and this has seen the education, nine out of 10 students are international, of which 60 per cent are european.
PHOtOS: giHe_gliOn caMPuS Lausanne (EHL) www.ehl.edu will also nationalities are represented, with the highest representation coming from France and china, notes Sherif
introduction of its executive certifi cates.
at ecole Hôtelière de lausanne 55 per cent of students come from other countries. in total, 107
From 2017, Ecole Hôtelière de
Mamdouh. the main drivers of demand are the economic prospects of students’ countries and the outlook
of the industry. For these reasons, the school is expecting an increase from asia in the coming year.
off er certifi cates for online courses, as well
the F&b training model is one where training is carried out wherever there is demand. With the high
as a blended MBA, which is studied partly
cost of living in Switzerland, this makes it an attractive option fi nancially, highlights ceO christian cargouet.
greatest demand comes from india and russia, with the uSa also currently showing considerable interest.
online and partly on campus. According to
Sherif Mamdouh, the school is also focusing
deceMber 2016 | Studytravel Magazine | 23