Problems and prospects of training bachelors and masters in the field of «Hospitality» from the hotel industry side

Abstract

Modern conditions, associated with COVID-19 and the restrictions on the high school activity, and first of all on the operation of hotels, caused a deep crisis for them and discovered not only the problems but also prospects of training bachelors and masters in hotel business. This article is focused on the features of training in a hotel, its elements and sequence of steps for employees, as well as the similarities and differences in training that a student receives at a university and a learner has in a hotel. The pandemic will offer new opportunities to bring together the hotel business and universities interests. Despite the existing crisis in the hotel industry, which will undoubtedly cause a decrease in the number of applicants wishing to enter university in the field of preparation «Hospitality», the consequences of the pandemic will have a positive effect, allowing universities and hotels to cooperate more closely. This cooperation will start with having part of classes with students in the hotels, the occupancy in which does not allow them to use their full potential, and finishing with the developing distribution system for graduates after the end of the pandemic and the recovery of the hotel industry. Mainly, the achievement of this goal can already be facilitated by adopting the experience of hospitality management schools in Switzerland, offering students more practice-oriented training. They also have increased the period of internship during training to a full semester, and introduced mandatory language tests IELTS and TOEFL with confirmation of a certain level of knowledge, and also contributed to the increase in the prestige of working in a hotel industry and training in the field of preparation «Hospitality». Also it should be noted that the author of the article used his experience not only as an associate professor, head of the department and head of the educational program «Hospitality», but also as a director of training for a national hotel chain consisting of six hotels with more than 4,500 rooms in total and more than 4,000 employees.