SPOTLIGHT | Applied learning the way forward for the hospitality education; The Vedatya experience
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by Dr. Anjana Singh & Chef Sanjay Sharma
Survival of the fittest; an evolved phrase from Darwin’s evolutionary theory not only holds to the human race but also seems apt to the changing environment of hospitality education. The role of education is not only to make the student employable but it also aims for holistic development of individuals and to prepare them for bigger challenges in life.
The hospitality industry suffered critically due to the ongoing COVID crisis, which resulted in layoffs and closing down of businesses, people were worried about the future of the hospitality industry, so where the student’s opting for hospitality education, but, all these impacts are temporary and with the reopening of hotels the demand for skilled manpower is deemed to bounce back.
Students who are enrolling for hospitality education, by the time they graduate, the demand will be back at the peak; all the major hotel brands like The Oberoi, Taj Hotels, IHG, Accor, Radisson etc. have already started their regular business with guests’ safety at priority, even the budget hotels and niche brands like Park Plaza, Holiday Inn, Lemon Tree, Rosaque, Cygnett Hotels etc. continue to increase their presence which in effect increases job opportunities.
The future of the education need to evolve with time, in the years to come, adoption of technology is going to be the key differentiator, at an institute level it is important to get proper exposure on various technological platforms which are been used by the hospitality industry; in fact as a futuristic approach, students at Vedatya are exposed to RISTA (F&B POS) where the operational data gets synchronised with ZOHO analytics and it allows students to evaluate operational efficiency and financial performance of food & beverage operations, similarly, students learn OPERA, PMS used by all five star hotels of India and OTA Insight, Revenue Management and pricing decision tool to understand the impact of differential pricing strategies, the latter tool helps in problem solving techniques and macro decision making, likewise, the PHML programme at Vedatya is delivered using a range of appropriate teaching and learning strategies that feature blended learning and face-to-face delivery and will include lectures, practical sessions, seminars, workshops, industry visits and tutorials as appropriate to the knowledge and skills required by a hospitality graduate.
Applied learning needs to be incorporated in teaching methodology more aggressively, especially in hospitality education, at Vedatya student-led food truck on campus, a cafe and cafeteria operations give students enough exposure to actual food & beverage operations, customer service and menu engineering. The programme at Vedatya is designed specifically to develop effective entrepreneurs and innovative managers for the global hospitality industry with leadership potential.
The focus on industry interface has allowed Vedatya to provide students across programmes to find placements, live projects and research assignments through a vast network of industry connections. The industry mentoring programme supports student engagement in this respect. The ongoing visits by industry experts provide students with a clear understanding of the skills and knowledge that are critical for the industry and it helps them prepare accordingly.
The programme curriculum includes forward-looking, contemporary, unique and impactful modules like Gastronomy, Entrepreneurship, Events, and Revenue etc. Here we allow them to explore theoretical knowledge with applied learning like students are involved in winemaking, farm to fork kitchen preparations, simulation programs to understand the impact of their decisions and financials.
Involving students in live projects and making them work with industry partners keep them abreast with industry norms; the students of Vedatya have been involved with Shloka Events (Leaders in Destination Weddings) in hosting various high-end weddings at various locations across the sub-continent namely Kovallam, Delhi, Kolkata, etc. and abroad like Thailand, Bhutan , Dubai etc. The students were exposed to various job roles that are essentially very important aspects of successful event management. The students learned a lot about the operational & management aspects of handling an event along with creating a WOW experience for the guests.
Overall the students get a wonderful exposure to the exciting world of Events Management. Many students draw on our industry network to find an opportunity to work at events at premier hotels, event management companies on an ongoing basis.
Student volunteer teams take lead on all events being hosted at the campus such as the Chaupal, UKIBC meet, Australian Business delegation meets etc. held at Vedatya Campus all such events give them practical experience of planning, executing and evaluating events which should be an integral part of the future hospitality education.
Within the hospitality education sector, the demand for culinary education is on the rise, some of the premier hospitality institutes offer culinary programmes, but, most of the culinary programmes are not at peace with the changing industry trends, the curriculum and teaching methodology is getting obsolete and the existing infrastructure is not been able to cope up with the changing environment, although some of the universities and premier business schools have ventured into culinary education but largely follow the same old pedagogy.
When the demand for culinary is at an all-time high, then the institutes and universities also need to evolve with time. In a dynamic environment, things cannot be perfect but, steps should be taken to come as close to the changing environment as possible.
One of the finest examples of an evolving culinary education is the Programme in International Culinary Arts offered by the School of Culinary Excellence at Vedatya Institute.
It is an excellent blend of practical, theory, contemporary subjects and futuristic modules. While the industry is looking at backward integration, the students at vedatya are completing the learning cycle by getting hands-on experience by implementing the concepts like farm to fork, slow food and sustainable practices. There can be no better example of applied learning for culinary education than Vedatya Institute; having an organic farm, fish pond and a dedicated herb garden is the testimony of learning by doing, the students are practically involved in concepts like farm to fork and the green waste from kitchens is converted into usable compost without the use of any chemicals or machinery. The institute has indeed taken the culinary training beyond the regular classrooms, the students are sensitised on the issues like composting, carbon footprints, water footprints and other sustainable practices, while most of the other institutes are limiting their culinary inputs to reciprocating recipes, the students at Vedatya are investigating the factors that influence the construction of taste; they are looking at the influence of media, fashion, tradition, culture, society etc. on food.
The farming initiative at vedatya has helped students understand the importance of soil and its impact on the dishes been created in kitchens, all such components are extremely essential for future chefs, therefore, it should be an integral component of culinary education.
Traditionally, culinary graduates were primarily employed in a five-star hotel, luxury cruise, airline catering and speciality restaurants, but, the demand and opportunities for skilled people have increased manifold, chefs are increasingly been hired by the food research and development division of FMCG companies, food magazines, food photographers, TV shows, content writer, food connoisseur etc. chefs with entrepreneurial skills can venture into starting food businesses, skilled professionals with good writing and presentation skills can start their blog, vlog, a website or even youtube channel. The introduction of futuristic modules like food photography, food blogging, future of chefs, future of food, gastronomy etc. at Vedatya has broadened the job opportunities of the culinary graduates. In essence, the demand for food has increased so has the opportunities; therefore, culinary institutes need to build modules covering all these aspects.
Technology is transforming culinary education; going forward, most of the aspects of the food and beverage business are going to be cloud-based, from purchasing of raw materials to promoting the cooked products, all of it will be done online, business-like Hyper pure, Jio Mart, Big Basket etc will play a major role in purchasing and companies like swiggy, zomato, dunzo will continue to increase their business presence, therefore modules like F&B management must cover these components and try to match the theoretical models with the changing norms. The future chefs should not only be replicating the traditional food knowledge but also be innovators and creators; therefore, developing modules around culinary research and development would be the key.
Although the changing education policy looks progressive we need to understand that every individual is unique and cannot have the same career path, therefore institutes/universities need to build holistic modules that touch upon various aspects of life in line with the current and future industry demands, this will not only make them employable but will make them ready to take bigger challenges in life.
to know more please visit https://www.vedatya.ac.in/
