Hospitality skills bring many opportunities
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Hospitality seems to tick all the boxes. It is a vital part of the New Zealand economy, the skill levels required are constantly advancing, and it is difficult to see how its people could ever be replaced by computers or robots.
The industry offers exciting career opportunities both domestically and internationally. Good training and qualifications can set up talented and enthusiastic people with flexible, transferable skills in demand all over the world.
These range from positions at front of house or in the kitchens of a variety of hospitality establishments including: restaurants, outside catering operations, cafes, cruise ships or fast food outlets. Further study could steer graduates into such roles as: bar manager, restaurant supervisor and hotel manager.
New Zealand has several learning institutes where students can gain qualifications with highly skilled tutors. Among them is the School of Food & Hospitality at The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT). Courses in hospitality management there offer first class training facilities, including five kitchens, a fully equipped training bar, a reception training area, a hotel suite and the Visions on Campus licensed training restaurant.
CPIT has a close relationship with a number of international hospitality providers, such as the International College of Hotel Management (IHCM) in Adelaide. Staff and students have the opportunity to gain valuable international experience as a result of these partnerships.
In addition to comprehensive programmes at certificate and diploma levels, CPIT also offers short courses and industry training, including the Licence Controller Qualification. Understanding the requirements of the Sale of Liquor Act and host responsibility practices is crucial knowledge for all staff working on licenced premises these days.
International tourist mecca, Queenstown, is a natural centre for excellence in hospitality and delivers training through Queenstown Resort College and its Diploma of Hospitality Management, in partnership with the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) and
César Ritz Colleges, Switzerland. The diploma focuses on both hospitality and hotel management training. QRC regards itself as one of the best hotel, hospitality and tourism management training course providers because:
- Students train in the front office, restaurant, bar and kitchen of a working hotel.
- Diplomas include fully paid work experience in a hotel, resort or luxury lodge.
- Students can specialise in a high growth area of hospitality management.
As evidence of its proficiency, Queenstown Resort College came out on top – along with one of its students – in national awards announced in Auckland in September.
Established just six years ago, QRC won the Provider of the Year and Chinese student Gina Gao took out the International Student of the Year title at the New Zealand Association of Private Education Providers (NZAPEP) 2012 conference. The awards were held to recognise excellence in education, training, quality assurance and innovation in learning.
NZAPEP is the largest association of private tertiary education providers in the country with more than 60,000 equivalent full-time students. QRC chief executive Charlie Phillips said being acknowledged by NZAPEP as Provider of the Year was "a great honour", and he was full of praise for Gina's achievement.
"The college's award reinforces that QRC is providing quality in every department, from the teaching in the classroom to the halls of residence, from recruitment to accounts and across the entire operation," he said.
"The reality is you can have wonderful facilities, but it is the quality of staff and students that creates results and culture. Our mission is to deliver industry with the employee of first choice."
Mr Phillips said QRC was dedicated to producing quality graduates with a world-recognised qualification, equipped with the necessary skill and mindset to become quality management leaders of the future. "Although QRC's student population is 80 per cent domestic, it is wonderful for an international student to be recognised in this way."
Auckland's AUT University offers several advanced qualifications in hospitality and has two restaurants — Four Seasons Fine Dining and Piko - complete with a first class professional kitchen. A recent emphasis has been on qualifications at post-graduate level.
Manukau Institute of Technology's Diploma in Hospitality Management aims to develop the ability to perform management and operational functions required at a supervisory level. It focuses on developing the necessary skills, and knowledge of hospitality-specific and generic management. Wellington Institute of Technology and Massey University are among others that run courses in hospitality and tourism.
