EHL Group To Launch Swiss VET System Based Certificate Level Hospitality Vocational Training Programs In India

What differentiates EHL from other Hospitality Management institutes who are providing similar courses?

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) was founded over 125 years ago in 1893. As the first Swiss hotel school, EHL invented the methods that gave Switzerland’s hospitality management schools a reputation for excellence. We are the first hotel school in the world and the first to receive dual accreditation (NECHE and HES-SO) for our bachelor program. With industry collaboration and research, EHL continues to bring innovation to the classroom and industry. EHL has been a pioneer in education that has inspired the world of hospitality and created a unique professional community of over 25,000 global industry executives and leaders whose shared values have been developed on EHL’s distinctive heritage. 

EHL degree programs are known for instilling the right mix of industry know-how, creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and entrepreneurial spirit. Life at EHL is designed to take the students out of their comfort zone and introduce them to new cultures and ways of thinking. That is why 96% of EHL graduates find relevant employment shortly after graduation and a large majority of EHL alumni are in a senior management position or higher role. Many EHL graduates also go on to start businesses in new, fast-growing areas of the hospitality industry. 

Being part of EHL means that you have access to quality training and education, and also build relationships with graduates in our strong alumni network. Throughout the course of studies, students also have access to top global companies who come on campus to recruit for jobs or internships. Life on campus is truly international, with students from 121 nationalities on campus.

How is Indian Hospitality sector doing? How has been the growth in the recent years and what could be the future of the students who are studying Hospitality courses?

The hospitality sector in India is getting increasingly structured and organised with each passing year. Domestic travel within the country is at an all-time high, land and air connectivity corridors/infrastructure is growing at a rapid pace, by and large the disposable income of the relevant domestic market segments continues to grow and so does the desire to travel. Whilst the Foreign Tourist Arrival figures have grown year-on-year, in the larger scheme of things especially considering India’s significant tourism potential, a lot more needs to be done to grow this segment more aggressively. All of these factors support the further growth of the hospitality industry in India. 

An increase in the influx of institutional capital into the sector, hospitality asset investors/owners increasingly seeking pre and post development cycle professional advice and innovation in B2C distribution platforms will further fuel new hospitality asset development pan-India.        

India’s burgeoning population coupled with the significant growth of the hospitality sector and the Travel & Tourism sector in general presents a huge opportunity, which if coupled with international education and training standards can help creation of a truly globalised workforce. The Travel and Tourism sector is one of the leading service sectors with a significant demand for trained human resources (knowledge, competency and mind-set). Hospitality professionals are much sought after in the country, not only from the Travel & Tourism sector but also from service sector at large. 

Hospitality sector is a significant source of employment in India, how do you foresee the employment opportunities in this sector in 2019?

Hospitality is an integral and key sector within the larger Travel & Tourism sector in India. When we discuss Hospitality education and the employability of Hospitality management graduates/diploma holders/certificate holders, we must look at Travel & Tourism statistics and not just those of the Hospitality sector, as Hospitality professionals have long term professional opportunities available to them across the Travel & Tourism sector, in addition to the Services sector in general.  

In 2017, the Direct employment in the Travel & Tourism sector in India represented circa 5.0% (26.15 million jobs) of total employment in the country. For 2018, the estimated closing employment figure for the same metric is 5.14% (26.88 million jobs). By 2028, the Direct employment in the Travel & Tourism sector is estimated to be circa 5.3% (33.2 million jobs) of total employment in the country. Needless to say that the Total (Direct and Indirect) employment statistics of the Travel & Tourism sector in the country are much higher.  

What differentiates an Indian degree from a foreign degree in Hospitality management?  

In our experience, the curricula followed in the majority of the Hospitality Management degree programs in the country is not updated on a continuous basis and therefore in most instances the curricula is outdated. There is also little to no focus on research and innovation at the institute/college level. Whilst both the industry requirements and the student population are evolving at a fast pace, the education philosophy, pedagogy, andragogy, the learning environment and the graduate profile are not evolving at the same pace at the institute/college level. 

Needless to say that there are a few notable exceptions to the above.

At EHL, the curricula including course plans and lesson plans are reviewed and updated constantly in order to at a minimum remain in tandem with and in most instances be ahead of the hospitality industry requirements, the general business environment, to leverage the explosive evolution in technology and the ever evolving student population. Research and Innovation continue to be at the core of everything that we do at EHL. It is equally important to note that at EHL we follow a student learning centric model and therefore a facilitation based model as compared to a teaching based model. The development of life skills, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, innovation and an entrepreneurial outlook within the student population are key elements of the EHL education philosophy. 

Do you offer any short term courses or online courses to Indian students? What are the career opportunities that one can explore after studying these courses in India and abroad? 

EHL has a range of short online courses, to cater to working professionals who are looking for training on specific topics for career advancement or skills upgrading. 

There has been a surge in the restaurant industry in India, what are the top three courses that a student can look for in order to start his / her own restaurant within the country?

At EHL in addition to our 4-year Bachelor Degree in Hospitality Management and three formats of Post Graduate (Master) Degree level programs, we also offer an intensive 5-month Culinary & Restaurant Management Certificate program. Additionally, we also offer customised programs for executives who are seeking to develop themselves further in any specific domain within the hospitality business.  We have several alumni from EHL who have established highly successful businesses in the food & beverage space in India.      

How many Indian students have enrolled themselves in EHL in past few years? Which are the top courses that were preferred by them?

There are currently 3,102 students enrolled in the Bachelor program at EHL, of which 51 are Indian students. EHL specializes in hospitality management education and we have Indian students across the EHL Master programs as well as the EHL Bachelor program.

Is there any scholarship that you offer to Indian students? If yes, what are they and how can students apply for it?  

Scholarships are assessed based on individual cases. Applicants can contact their EHL Admissions Officer regarding scholarship/financial aid, once they have submitted their application to the bachelor program.

Any other detail about EHL or initiatives that the institute has taken to attract Indian students?

The EHL Group is the owner of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality (in Passugg), both of which are in Switzerland. Based on 125 years of experience in training hospitality professionals, EHL provides guidance and support to other hospitality or hotel management institutions worldwide and helps them reach a level of quality that matches EHL's standards. Through EHL’s advisory entity, Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC), we have developed a network of certified institutions through which we transfer knowledge of international hospitality industry standards and trends, management education methods and the latest learning technology with the vision of sharing the Swiss hospitality excellence around the world. 

We are pleased to have two EHL academic certified institutions in India, The Indian School of Hospitality in Gurugram, Delhi-NCR and the DICE School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Mumbai. 

Furthermore, in 2019 the EHL Group will also launch Swiss VET system based certificate level hospitality vocational training programs in India through a network of licensed training centres.