Judy Hou, CEO of the Swiss institute Glion, on partnering with the industry to create a more skilled human resource.
BY BABITA KRISHNAN
With a slow but sure show of improvement in the overall industry scenario, there’s a new breed of young people who are eager to join the hospitality industry. However, to achieve professional success in any industry needs backing of information and knowledge – something that can be gained only from a training institute. This demand has led several international brands to make inroads in the country, as an international degree and experience is always beneficial.
One such partner to the industry is Glion Institute of Higher Education based in Switzerland. Judy Hou, the Glion CEO, has worked with many Indian and international hotel brands to create a strong and committed human resource. “Glion has 53 years of experience in providing excellence in hospitality education,” she reveals. “But considering that we have students working in different sectors in addition to hospitality has compelled us to change our positioning.” Revealing another reason for her visit to India, Hou said, ”From a business perspective, we are launching a new specialisation for the luxury brand management, because of the growth that India is witnessing and the synergies that are coming to play between travel-tourism-hospitality and also luxury brands.”
With 60% of the Indian population under the age of 25, education is a focal sector and while there no short supply of people, Hou reveals that the industry partners in hospitality, especially in the luxury sector are crying out for educated and talented work force. “If you look at the travel and tourism growth in India, there is more outbound tourism coming into the country. I think there is a need for providing a global perspective to have a well-developed workforce,” says Hou. Over 95 different nationalities make up the 1,300-1,400 students currently on campus at Glion. This, she feels, benefits the students to get an international or global perspective as it is an opportunity to mingle with other cultures. “Our mission in Glion is to provide industry partners with future leaders. To be a future leader is to have the global perspective, a cultural understanding, and the opportunity and ability to understand an individual,” Hou explains.
Referring to the gap that exists between what the students are being taught in theory and what the industry actually requires, she says, “There are a couple of things that work. One is the applicableness of the theory – we need to give the academic rigour that comes from research and publishing books. Sometimes the text books are very outdated, not that they are not applicable but the industry has moved on and with innovations it is changing rapidly. So as an institute, you have to find the balance between the applicableness of the theory and the current operational practices. As an educator, I also have to be forward thinking. We have to look at where the industry is going to be, what will be the need in future and design a curriculum to fit the future.” At Glion, the curriculum evolves through feedback from industry experts and practicing professionals. “Together with our industry partners, we predict future trends and create programmes to help build the future workforce. The educational institute needs to partner with the industry because we are training the talent that the industry will be absorbing,” she adds. Elaborating, Hou cites the example when 20 years ago there was no such thing called revenue management, which is a key position today. Similarly, the last five years have seen the emergence of another position of digital media or digital experience managers.
The second gap, she feels, is in the way students learn – they want relevant immediate information that is applicable and they can use. Retention is another challenge the industry faces. “Talented people will be snatched up by the next company that comes along. People want to improve themselves and we are in the process of creating short-term courses that would help in reducing attrition,” she explains.
With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality and education sectors, she is very excited about the Indian potential, especially since all the top international brands across categories are here. She feels that since everyone insists on trained professionals, it is time for the educational institutes to step in and partner with them. “When you are running a hotel, it is a million dollar business, and you would want responsible and talented people running it. This is where education that is driven by the current industry needs and trends plays an important role,” Hou concludes.
