Exclusive Interview | Siddhartha Banerjee, Softskills Trainer, CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY

Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

Sidd – My journey as a trainer started almost a decade ago around 2010 when I was into operations and someone came to me with the idea to conduct training session for a few days. I took it up as to see how it would feel to train. I enjoyed that one stint so much that I decided to pursue training as my profession and since then I never looked back. I am a hotelier who fell in love with training.

Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

Sidd - This is a multi-pronged answer. It is not one thing that makes you successful in life but a collection of different qualities and skills. Knowledge, Hunger to learn or know more, Dedication, Discipline, Hard work, and the grit of not giving up when you fail is the key to success in the industry.

Editor: What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?

Sidd – Training is the first opportunity to get that first ‘BIG BREAK’ of your life. We all agree that there will be hardships and pain. You are facing the big world for the first time alone. As a trainee, you need to be curious, proactive, always ready to assume new responsibilities when it comes your way. The wish to learn something new every day should be your fuel to excel during this training. Remember this time frame of 22 weeks or so will not come back in your life and your learning from training will be your base for your entire life.

Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

Sidd : The emergence of covid made the hospitality establishments think out of the box which started the trend of delivering F&B at home. That was the need of the hour for the sustainability of the industry.

Increased use of technology is a trend. It makes the work quicker, easier and flawless but at the same time the human touch is missing.

Hotels are finding themselves more into the digital marketing space. They are featured more on Facebook and Instagram or Twitter which is giving them more reach.

Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.

Sidd: In the past few months there has been a change in the mindset of prospective students. IHM and other institutions going empty and the 2 main reasons for such drastic response is hidden in the industry.

1. Low package in respect to other industries. As freshers, if someone can’t survive, they will not look to continue in the industry.

2. Long hours of work generally takes a toll on everyone. 13 to 14 hours of work everyday causes burnout very easily, minus the family, social or personal life. I think it is the responsibility of every single player of the industry to go back to their drawing boards and work on these two pressing issues.

Editor: What do you expect the industry to do to support academics?

Sidd – The support of the industry is vital for the academics to flourish, which the industry is providing. If the question is of improvement of the quality of collaboration I think the frequency of such collaboration must improve in terms of seminars where academicians can participate, network, learn from the industry perspective on a common platform so that required improvisations can be made on the academic front. Along with this collaborations in the print media can also be tried bringing both the communities together.