Switzerland lures hospitality grads
PRESTIGE AND PRACTICALITY ARE DRAWS FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS
>> The stunning view of Lake Neuchatel through the school windows is not the only reason why Chayada Chareonthasin, a Thai student studying hotel management, chose to enrol at Switzerland’s International Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (IHTTI).
At IHTTI, she learned all the practical skills necessary for the service industry, from the basics like how to dress tables for fine dining to more complex tasks like running a five-star hotel and dealing with crisis situations and difficult customers.
Confident about what her interests were since high school, the 20-year-old aspiring hotelier decided not to pursue a traditional university education in Bangkok like most of her peers. Instead, she ventured off to Switzerland two years ago.
Ms Chayada says studying in Switzerland enhanced her understanding of the hotel industry. Her school strikes a unique balance between theory and practicality. Real-life experience and skills are considered key, with internships and language classes being mandatory.
“During the first year, our studies focused on food and beverage management, applied skills, and academic and personal development,” she explains.
“After mastering the practical stuff, in the second and third years the students move onto theory in management, finances, marketing and other studies necessary for executive-level hospitality. Every academic year, students are required to have an internship with leading hotels and restaurants worldwide.”
Satana Chuensiripong, a 24-year-old student at the Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland, does not want to build his own hotel like Ms Chayada, but dreams of becoming a global chef and food stylist.
“I love creating mouth-watering foods to lure patrons into restaurants and also illustrating tantalising cookbook recipes,” he said. “I worked in hotels and restaurants in Thailand before coming here to study more of the culinary arts.”
Mr Satana says it was one of his best decisions to study at the Culinary Arts Academy as he has been able to learn from several successful chefs and food stylists.
“If you want to be the best, you need to learn from the best,” he said. “Learning here has changed me. My perception and views have widened.”
He added that having students from over 110 countries helped him learn soft skills too.
Mr Satana says he plans to work in Europe for a couple years after graduating to keep honing his skills before going back to Thailand to open his own Thai fusion restaurant.
Ms Chayada and Mr Satana are two of dozens of Thais now enjoying student life in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss Education Group (SEG), nearly 70% of its current foreign students are from the Asia-Pacific region, speaking to the area’s booming tourism industry. Many of these students come from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with numbers from Thailand also increasing in recent years.
“The hotel industry is booming in Asia even though new players like Airbnb have already stepped up to share in this,” said SEG’s CEO Florent Rondez. “The tourism industry overall will triple by 2020. The prospects for those graduating from hotel management schools, especially in Switzerland, are bright.”
After graduation, most students go on to work in related jobs, though not all of them do.
“Since the students have also studied finance and marketing, some go into finance, consulting, become entrepreneurs or even take over family businesses,” he said. “Education in hotel management allows you to work in any service industry.”
SEG owns five schools — the Hotel Institute Montreux, Swiss Hotel Management School, IHTTI School of Hotel Management, Cesar Ritz Colleges and the Culinary Arts Academy. These have over 6,500 students and hold a combined 60% of the hospitality education share in Switzerland.
“What all of our schools have done is make students feel like they are part of the hotel industry rather than feeling like they’re going to a school from day one,” said Mr Rondez. “Our students get exposed to real-life scenarios, so they learn how to deal with difficult situations.”
Mr Rondez says that students will learn centuries-old Swiss traditions in the hospitality industry at SEG’s schools.
“There is more to Switzerland than snow-covered Alps, luxurious watches and good chocolate. It also offers the best hospitality education in the world,” he said.