BSc in Hospitality

Goa-based hospitality institute collaborates with Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) to offer its new course. Prachi Rege tracks the course which promises job-ready candidates for the industry.

The World Travel and Tourism Council has calculated that tourism has generated Rs 6.4 trillion or 6.6 per cent of India's GDP in 2012 and supported 39.5 million jobs. Moreover, this sector is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9 per cent from 2013 to 2023. This ranks India third among countries with the fastest growing tourism industries over the next decade. It's allied industry—hospitality is one of the fastest growing sectors and requires a huge number of trained and skilled professionals.

Taking a note of this boom and to ensure an influx of skilled-employees, VM Salgaocar Group, Goa has launched the VM Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE). The institute is affiliated to Goa University and has collaborated with the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Ireland to offer —BSc in International Hospitality Management. This three year full time programme is similar to the four-year honours programme offered at DIT. It is open for class XII students from any discipline belonging to any institute in India or abroad. It offers a total of 240 credits, 90 in the first year and 75 credits each in the second and third year. Course module includes classroom and practical sessions along with professional internships at top hotels in India and abroad.

"After pursuing this programme, a student will be trained to work in the hospitality industry anywhere in the world. They will get an in-depth exposure to various facets of the industry—departmental processes related to food and beverage planning, showmanship, front office and housekeeping practices, human resource management, food production operations and more," informs Irfan Mirza, director, VMSIIHE.

To ensure that the quality of education is at par with that of DIT, professors from the institute will visit every six months. Regular reviews are on cards to monitor the set standards. Under the tie-up, activities like faculty exchange, training programmes and knowledge sharing will take place. The VMSIIHE also has a strategic tie-up with the Marriott Group for knowledge sharing and training purposes. "Regular inputs in the curriculum, arrangement of special guest lectures, demo sessions, training programmes and placements at one of their many properties are in the pipeline," informs Mirza. Some members of the Mariott Group will also be joining in as visiting faculty. French Chef Sebastian Semenzi and Swiss Food and Beverag expert Georges Ortiz, among others have contributed to the course structure, giving it a global flavour.

Experts suggest, while hospitality courses in India focus largely on the kitchen and food production, they miss out on important aspect like presentation, communications skills, professional attitude, marketing skills and the finer aspects of menu engineering. "A good hotelier should also know how to sell his product," signs off Mirza.

Check list:

1) Fees for the three-year degree is Rs 3.8 lakhs per year.

2) Students who wish to apply for admissions will have to appear for a VMSIIHE written entrance test at the campus on a specified date, followed by group discussions and a personal interview.

3) In the final year our students will complete a project on Business Research and Methodology which will throw light on these aspects.