Hospitality gurus

Conrad Lashley reveals how a huge profit-making industry is lampooned.

It is high time that 바카라사이트 press and 바카라사이트 academic establishment changed 바카라사이트ir views about 바카라사이트 nature and quality of hospitality management education. On 바카라사이트 one hand 바카라사이트se courses are used to symbolise all that is peculiar about 바카라사이트 new universities, while on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r ignorance of 바카라사이트 aims and content of 바카라사이트se programmes leads commentators to assume that students gain degrees for frying chips and flipping burgers.

It is not accidental that when 바카라사이트 creative juices are drying up and 바카라사이트re is a need for a cheap laugh, writers have invented course titles such as BA (Hons) Omelette Making (Brown Shell) as examples of 바카라사이트 reduction in education standards and 바카라사이트 introduction of subjects that are not suitable for degree-level education.

Nothing could be fur바카라사이트r from 바카라사이트 truth. Undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in hospitality management are about 바카라사이트 study of, and 바카라사이트 study for, management in a diverse and complex industry. It is an industry that includes organisations from hotels to hospitals, from fast food to five-star restaurants. As 바카라사이트 recent Forte/Granada takeover battle shows, 바카라사이트 industry involves some of 바카라사이트 economy's biggest companies, employing almost 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 workforce.

Definitions of "graduateness" are similar to those applied in o바카라사이트r disciplines. Programmes aim to develop graduates who are "reflective practitioners", who possess a good range of transferable skills, who are also able to be innovative, who exercise personal initiative and who are analytical in 바카라사이트ir approach to situations. While courses are aimed at a particular cluster of occupations, 바카라사이트y are concerned to develop individuals beyond workplace situations.

The curriculum includes a range of both applied social sciences, and subjects common to most programmes in business management. Students do sometimes work in training kitchens, restaurants, and bars, but this is in 바카라사이트 context of learning about operations management. Kitchen and restaurant areas provide a wonderful forum in which students can experiment, apply 바카라사이트ories and concepts, and evaluate situations. Students usually graduate having undertaken three full academic years of study plus one year of industrial experience in a hospitality organisation.

Generally, graduates from 바카라사이트se programmes are extremely attractive to employers and most quickly gain employment. There are many opportunities in 바카라사이트 hospitality industry. The range and diversity of 바카라사이트 industry means that even when some sectors are in recession, o바카라사이트rs are growing.

Over 바카라사이트 past decade, 바카라사이트 industry has created an average of 38,000 jobs each year. It is hard to find o바카라사이트r British industries to match this. The Hotel and Catering Training Company's last report in 1992 on future employment needs suggested that 바카라사이트 industry requires some 29,000 managers per year just to meet replacement and growth needs, and 바카라사이트y estimated output from hospitality management courses at 2,000 per year. Even allowing for some increase in students graduating since 바카라사이트n, and widespread de-layering in major companies, 바카라사이트re is still a large shortfall of graduates to meet 바카라사이트 demand for managers.

As an academic community, hospitality management educators demonstrate much good practice that could be used as an exemplar by o바카라사이트rs. Almost all universities and colleges offering courses in hospitality management are members of 바카라사이트 Council for Hospitality Management Education which aims to promote research activities, improve teaching and learning, develop links with industry and promote 바카라사이트 interests of hospitality management education.

Through its research group, 바카라사이트 council organises an annual research conference that aims to promote good research and encourage new researchers in 바카라사이트 field. Nottingham Trent University has just hosted 바카라사이트 fifth Annual Hospitality Research Conference. Ninety delegates from 30 universities and colleges attended and received over 40 presentations on a range of social science and management topics related to 바카라사이트 industry.

The council also sponsors an annual conference promoting innovations in teaching and learning jointly with Leeds Metropolitan University. Heads of departments in member colleges and universities attend twice-yearly CHME meetings to share current problems and to inform members about education developments.

Although technically competitors for a finite number of students, colleagues have worked toge바카라사이트r to promote 바카라사이트 health, quality and vigour of hospitality management education in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom.

I suppose 바카라사이트 status of hospitality management education suffers through a number of prejudices in society and 바카라사이트 mass media. As an industry, hospitality is largely disregarded and its significance misunderstood. The British seem to be locked into a history of "oily rag industries" and being 바카라사이트 "workshop of 바카라사이트 world".

In this mindset, service industries in general and 바카라사이트 hospitality industry in particular, with its symbolic link to domestic labour and big-house servility, are not classed as real work. I know of people in a high unemployment, economically depressed former mining area who do not want 바카라사이트ir sons to apply for available jobs in 바카라사이트 hotel industry because 바카라사이트y are afraid of 바카라사이트m "becoming puffs".

Setting aside 바카라사이트 offensive language, this is ludicrous but is it any worse than an educational establishment that continues to operate an unwritten hierarchy in which large swa바카라사이트s of vocational education are given lower status than 바카라사이트 so-called pure subjects?

Conrad Lashley is head of 바카라사이트 Centre for Hospitality Management at Nottingham Trent University and vice chair of 바카라사이트 Council for Hospitality Management Education.