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International students are drawn to Europe because of its reputation for high quality hotel management courses, and, as the World Travel and Tourism Industry Council predicts that the worldwide tourism market will double in size over the next 10 years, Annick Barbezat from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland, says, “The market for hospitality [courses] is expanding strongly.”
Switzerland in particular remains a popular destination for international students and Ludvik Bragason from the Swiss Education Group (SEG) – a group that comprises four of the most successful and prestigious schools in the country – says that the country’s reputation in this field is a major draw for international students. “Switzerland has been teaching hotel management for over 100 years and the quality of our academic programmes [and] excellent facilities rank among the best in the world,” he says.
Demand over the past few years has led many schools in Switzerland to increase in size. The Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS) purchased a second campus in Leysin in 2003 and the Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) introduced a new campus and renovated its main site in 2004. Today SEG has over 1,000 international students studying at its four institutions with over 65 different nationalities represented.
At EHL, student diversity is paramount, as Barbezat relates, “Programme[s] provide a truly international environment for interaction among multicultural participants and faculty,” she says. “It is EHL’s belief that attracting master-level participants from diverse educational, professional and cultural backgrounds enhances the richness of classroom exchange”. The school has come a long way since it launched programmes in English 10 years ago and today Barbezat confirms that the total number of nationalities represented by the school stands at almost 90.
However, with global tourism picking up momentum, staying ahead of the competition is imperative. Eva Perez from the American College Dublin in Ireland, believes schools in France and Spain, as well as in Ireland and the UK, are providing Swiss schools with healthy competition and says course fees are at the root of it. “[Swiss] schools have lost out as they are too expensive,” she relates. The American College Dublin isn’t short of course applicants either, despite introducing hotel management courses just six years ago. “Eighty-five per cent of our total student body are international,” says Perez, “and our hospitality programmes are the most popular [accounting for] 40 per cent of all students.”
Courses in hospitality are constantly evolving and Iris Minke from Hotelschool The Hague in the Netherlands says that their entire curriculum is going to change next year. “[This] has been closely monitored by and discussed with the industry. [We are also launching] our new international fast-track programme – a two-year bachelor degree programme.”
Internships are a fundamental part of any hotel management course and Bragason believes this training prepares students for their first job after graduation. Similarly, Jonathan Hilton at César Ritz Colleges in Switzerland says that internships are important and provide an added incentive to students who are keen to earn while they learn.
The future is bright for hotel management graduates and, as the hospitality industry expands, jobs will become more varied, says Barbezat. “Today’s hospitality graduates are also being recruited to join management teams on cruise liners, in theme parks, country clubs and casinos, where the focus is on serving people,” she says.
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