New paths opening for hospitality-trained workers
The growing need for superb customer service skills in all sectors has created a demand for hospitality-trained people, and the need is growing, said Susina Jooste, director of The Private Hotel School (PHS).
“Increased expectations about excellent customer service mean that companies are on the lookout for leaders with a track record of being able to fulfil the needs and demands of their customers.
“As a result, the hospitality management qualification is opening up numerous non-traditional career opportunities for graduates, whose diverse skills and ability to interface effectively with the public are increasingly valued across all sectors.”
Jooste said PHS graduates were diversifying outside their traditional hospitality management roles, as much for their own desire to try new ventures as for the pressure put on them through demand in other sectors, both local and international.
Graduates, recent and past, are being offered senior positions because of their flexibility in fitting into every sector, simply because what they offer is a generic ability to cope with client expectations.
She said hospitality knowledge and training gained during studies and practical experience, particularly the ability to interface effectively with the public and handle diverse crises, was essential in modern client management.
“A fixed perception comes to mind regarding the roles and responsibilities when we refer to a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or a teacher.
“But what do we know about the careers of professional hospitality management graduates? Are they all employed as hotel managers and chefs? Absolutely not,” Jooste said.
She said that in recent years graduates had been employed as client relationship managers at banks, key account managers at large corporate companies, real estate company principals, training and development, customer service, business development and public relations managers, as well as jobs more closely aligned with hospitality and accommodation, such as facilities managers at private hospitals, universities and large schools.
“We are certainly witnessing a trend of more and more corporates recruiting hospitality graduates for management positions.”
Jooste said the definition of hospitality evolved beyond the traditional one of “the cordial and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers” into a whole new perception of what it means to live and work in the hospitality industry.
“Due to an increase in expectations regarding what constitutes good customer service on the part of the general public, companies look for those leaders who have a track record of being able to fulfil the needs and demands of their customers, and a hospitality management background is emerging as a qualification that encapsulates the diverse range of skills required to do so.
“A prime example of this shifting customer demand in hospitality and tourism is the growing consumer desire to adapt to an all-encompassing ‘Wellness Lifestyle’.
According to the Global Wellness Tourism Economy Report of 2019, Wellness Tourism has been growing at more than double the rate of ‘general’ tourism and is creating new opportunities for all tourism and hospitality-related businesses.
For information contact the school at 086-111-2433 or enquiries@privatehotelschool.co.za
We are certainly witnessing a trend of more and more corporates recruiting hospitality graduates for management positions