HOSPITABLE HOSTS

NIPS School of Hotel Management is not only the best hotel management institute in eastern India but also holds an enviable world record. By Mridu Rai

In 2012, NIPS School of Hotel Management, Kolkata was ranked the best hotel management institute of eastern India by Competition Success

Review and the best hotel management institute of Kolkata by Brands Academy Education Excellence Award. For an institute which is only two decades old, these accolades reveal a lot about the quality of education offered here. Another feather in NIPS’ cap is that it holds a world record, Asian record, Indian record and Limca record for creating the most varieties of omelettes within 10 minutes,

“Apart from regular education we also provide lots of opportunities for students to participate in extracurricular activities. We believe that this gives them an all- rounded education,” says Ashif Shah, director, NIPS.

“NIPS was first established in 1993 and since then has dedicated itself to providing the best in hotel management education in east India. The fact that it is a young institute does not seem to come in the way of the quality. The management along with the faculty and the students are a close knit group and are constantly striving to achieve excellence in the field.

“I wanted a career that would really make me happy and I realised hospitality management was an ideal choice for me. Once I’d decided on the career field, I wanted to study at the best institute which would give me a good mix of theoretical and practical understanding, which is why, I chose to study at NIPS,” explains Shazda Khatoon, a first- year student of bachelor in hospitality management at NIPS.

Currently, there are two courses offered at NIPS. A three years degree

course in hospitality management affiliated to the West Bengal University of Technology and a three years diploma course in hotel management affiliated to the West Bengal State Council of Technical Education and the All India Council for Technical Education.

When it comes to the faculty, Shah says, “We have a qualified, trained and dedicated team of faculty at NIPS who keep themselves abreast with the latest trends and techniques of the industry. Participating in seminars and workshops help them understand the scenario much better.” Alongside the regular faculty, NIPS also hosts visiting professor and industrial experts from time to time.

“One of the best things about NIPS is the faculty,” says Khatoon. “They are very hands- on and also very accessible. We can talk about almost anything even if it is not related to the course. This has been particularly helpful to the students who come from distant places,” adds Khatoon.

According to Shah, practical training is of utmost importance when it comes to hospitality and hotel management courses. “Hand on training is extremely essential because it makes students familiar with the work environment and they don’t end up flustered with their surroundings when they actually start working,” he explains. “To make this possible NIPS has a suite room and deluxe room for practical training in housekeeping, a specialty restaurant and a multi- cuisine restaurant for food and beverage service training, three well equipped kitchen for food and beverage production training as well as two modern reception with latest software’s for front office practicals. Apart from these we also have facilities for laundry, bell desk, hospitality desk, computer lab, internet café and a well stocked library,” he adds.

The placements at the institute, so far, has been highly successful. “NIPS has thousands of former students working all across the globe and we have had cent percent placement until now. Leading brands and multinational groups have our alumni in their payrolls,” says Shah.

NIPS students have found placements in organisations like Taj, Marriott, Le Meridien, Wipro , Westside , Hyatt, Oberoi Group, Sheraton, Emirates, Jet Airways, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Hyundai, BMW, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and HSBC among others.

NIPS also encourages its students to take up internships as part of their course. These internships are also taken up at some of these same organisations. “Our institute helps students go through the best internship exposure in the best of properties of the country through excellent training and through a vast professional network. This has been extremely helpful,” says Khatoon.

To prepare their students for the workplace, NIPS has various facilities in place. They have special personality development sessions which help in grooming the students in terms of their body language, communication skills and their social manners and etiquettes. These sessions, the institute believes, are indispenisble to any hospitality management student.

Students are also provided ample support while creating their CVs. In fact, every student is made to go through a comprehensive programme designed to help them write their CVs. Along with this, students are also provided special guidance for interviews. Apart from education, students at

NIPS are allowed the opportunity to participate in a number of extra- curricular activities. The institute organises various events on a regular basis which include youth festivals, annual functions, food festivals and other various competitions like debates and extempore speech.

“Ever since I joined the institute, academics and extra- curricular activities have both been important parts of my life here. Seminars with visiting faculty and intra- college sports and cultural meets make my studies much more interesting,” says Khatoon.