HEFCE press release

21 April 1998

New strategy group to set standards for education and training in hospitality management

The creation of a new group to set standards for hospitality managers and safeguard the practical element in higher education courses is recommended in a report published today (21 April 1998).

The report, commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, presents the findings of a review panel drawn from higher education institutions and the hospitality management industry. The industry covers the management of food and accommodation in a range of contexts - from hotels and restaurants to conference centres, hospitals and schools.

Representatives of both sectors approached the HEFCE jointly to express concerns about the development of hospitality management courses, in order to maintain quality and meet the needs of employers.

Professor Clive Booth, who chaired the review panel, said: 'The solutions to the problems identified in the review will be found by higher education and industry working in partnership. Higher education providers need to take a strategic view of the development and resourcing of hospitality management courses. Industry leaders need to lend their strong support to the creation of professional standards and attractive career routes for managers.'

The report identifies many opportunities for graduates in this large, rapidly growing and increasingly diverse industry. It needs to fill around 34,000 managerial posts annually in the UK, yet each year fewer than 3000 hospitality management graduates and diplomates go directly into the industry.

Only 16 per cent of managers in the commercial sectors of the hospitality industry have degree, diploma or equivalent professional qualifications, compared with 52 per cent in industry as a whole.

Many jobs are in small to medium enterprises which demand a range of managerial, financial and personal skills, as well as practical experience. The review panel found that employers value higher education for providing this mix of skills, but that several factors are eroding the vital practical element of training. These include the high cost of providing equipment and space for training kitchens and restaurants, reductions in class contact time, and overall reductions in funding.

Professor Booth said: 'We believe that the best way to address these problems is through a body which will bring together all the interested parties, set professional standards for hospitality managers, and establish a baseline of practical competence for entry into the industry. I am delighted that steps are already being taken to set up such a body.'

The proposed strategy group has a working title - the Hospitality Education and Training Review Forum - and the promise of a secretariat funded by the Hospitality Training Foundation. Chaired by an industry representative, the group will represent all sectors of education (schools, colleges and universities), as well as employers, professional bodies and others.

Professor Brian Fender, Chief Executive of the HEFCE, said: 'This review has been a great success: it is a model of what can be achieved by universities and colleges collaborating with employers. We look forward to working with the new group to maintain and enhance the quality of hospitality management education.'

ENDS

For further information contact Helen Buttery on 0117 931 7125

Notes for editors

1. 'Review of hospitality management' is published by the HEFCE with the British Hospitality Association (BHA), the Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME) and the Hotel & Catering International Management Association (HCIMA). Copies are available from the HEFCE, price £5.

2. Further details on the proposed strategy group are available from Declan Swann, Director of the Hospitality Training Foundation (HTF) or Clare Jolly, HtF Education and Training Manager, on 0181 579 2400.

3. Forty-one universities and colleges offer degree or diploma courses in hospitality management.

4. In 1994 the hospitality industry employed over 2 million people, that is 7 per cent of the UK workforce. (Hospitality Training Foundation, Key facts and figures, 1996.)

5. Consumer spending in the hospitality industry in 1995 was around £50 billion, and it generated foreign earnings of £11.4 billion.

HEFCE 3/98

Last updated