Role of Industrial training in moulding future Hospitality Professionals by Rahul Chowdhury, Assistant Professor In-charge of Food & Beverage dept, Dept of Hospitality, Sister Nivedita University
/
For many, the thought of going out in the field with limited knowledge of how it operates is an unnerving prospect as they may not know what to do or even how to go about the whole process of industrial training (IT). Training is the process of providing guidance and education to increase the skills and capacity of trainees. Industrial training refers to the accretion of practical skills and firsthand knowledge about the industry concerning a profession whilst still acquiring a relevant degree or diploma.
A young trainee’s first industry exposure is likely to be the most prestigious in that persons career. IET/IT is an affair where a student/trainee closely works with other hospitality professionals & follows the instruction to get intuition about the operations. So what’s the target/purpose of an Industrial training for students/trainees?
It is to provide to them the feel of the actual working environment and to procure practical knowledge and skills, which in turn will stimulate, develop and build their confidence. Industrial training is a supreme part of the curriculum, since it conditions students to work with the industry, and get hands on experience in hotels. It acts as an exposure to the industry, wherein students are required to be observant, as well as understand the importance of training, punctuality, rules, regulations, grooming and etiquette.
The practical training provides them with an insight into the industry, which they can tally with their theory lessons. For students/trainees, industrial training is an opportunity for learning and practice skills which are beyond the capacity of the classroom learning Hospitality industry falls under the crown of Tourism industry as well as the service sector. Being part of the service sector its success lies on the providing best services to the guest. Quality manpower is required to understand and work with many intangible and tangible aspects associated with services.
Communication between employees and guests determine the success of any business. So what’s the goal of IET (Industrial exposure training)? -The goal of IET is to unmask the students to the actual working environment and to gain practical knowledge and skills. A positive workplace is one where all the trainees are valued, supported and nurtured irrespective of gender, sexual orientation or colour.
Past research has also pointed out that attrition rate of the hospitality industry are highest than any other industry and the huge number of employees either change the employers after short duration of work or leave the industry. Hotel industry as a whole needs to be extremely conscious & must focus on motivating the students to construct careers with hotel industry.
The effort needed to make the IET more effective and positive is rather small compared to dealing with the overall effects of attrition, as highlighted above. Hence it is advised that the hotel industry takes a much longer term view on the impact of the industrial training(IT), and be prepared to forego some medium-to- short term benefits of IT students like cheap labour, coverage during lean periods etc. It also provides a platform to train and select their budding recruit without actually making any long term commitment.
It is therefore concluded that both the Hospitality institutes/schools as well as the companies, training the future professional must review their roles and the content of the IET and make it a more worthwhile and a positive contributor in retaining the future workforce in the industry. Therefore on that note, this article goes ahead to present the comforts of Industrial training to all parties directly and indirectly involved with the aim of changing the unenthusiastic attitudes of both the students and the business community as well as gaining a better understanding and valuing for it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr Rahul Chowdhury is an alumnus from IHM (NCHMCT) Bhubaneswar with specialization in Food & Beverage Service. He has earned many accolades. He was also the topper of the college & he was conferred the “Best Student of the Academic Year Award” from NCHMCT “Govt. of India” for securing the first position all over India. He holds an MBA degree in “Tourism Management” from a prestigious University & was placed in the 1st Division. His operational experiences range from working with leading hotel chains: The Taj, Fairmont, Park, luxury liners- among others.
Mr. Chowdhury is a dynamic, young, enthusiastic, quality driven professional with over 10 years of demonstrated success with Pre-opening of Hotel management colleges, top notch Luxury Cruise-ships of USA, Europe & Asia also Pre-opening of luxury hotel experience with some leading 5tar deluxe luxury hotels, resorts & palaces of Taj Group, The Park & Fairmont hotels & Resorts in India and abroad in U.A.E (Dubai & Abu Dhabi) in various positions around the world. His academic experiences include working as the HOD- Food and Beverage dept at School of Hospitality and Culinary Art, The Neotia University. Presently, he is heading Food and Beverage department as the HOD at Sister Nivedita University (Techno India Group).
