India’s tourism sector is one of the world’s fastest-growing, driven by increasing domestic tourism, robust tourism economy, and global interest in Indian food and culture. However, behind the glamorous expensive restaurants and luxury hotels is an ingrained issue — a shortage of skilled manpower.
Quantity Over Quality
India boasts a few hundred hospitality schools, ranging from government institutions to private schools. In theory, this would translate into an endless supply of work-ready professionals. In practice, though, the quality of training is tremendously patchy. Too many graduates are coming into the industry with minimal or no understanding of basic operations work, customer service procedures, or even professional niceties required to work in the trade.
Why There Is the Skills Gap
1. Outdated Curriculum
In many of the colleges, the syllabus has lagged behind the pace of change in the international hospitality industry. While industry practices have adapted to include new technology, environmentally friendly operations, and individualized guest experience, most of the colleges have been bogged down in irrelevant theory.
2. Limited Industry Exposure
Hospitality is a hands-on industry — one learns best by experience. Unfortunately, in most hotels, students receive little experience in actual practice in the running of a hotel. Internships, when they are given, are brief and badly organized to impart useful skills.
3. Insufficient Faculty-Industry Integration
At other institutions, the professors have not set foot in real hotel environments in years, effectively creating a divide between what is taught in the classroom and what is required on the floor of a high-end hotel or in the middle of a high-stress kitchen.
Impact on the Industry
The lack of graduate skills has a direct effect on hotels and hospitality businesses:
Higher Training Costs: Hotels have to invest significant time and resources in training new staff to working levels.
Decreased Productivity: New employees are slower to adjust, making customer service less effective.
Guest Experience Risks: Novice staff members can cause errors that damage brand reputation.
The Next Steps
To fill the gap, a multi-faceted strategy has to be followed:
1. Syllabus Redesign: Hotels need to collaborate with hospitality brands to redesign syllabi considering the latest trends, ranging from revenue management and online guest engagement to green initiatives.
2. Longer Industry Internships: More time in real working environments, with structured mentorship programs.
3. Faculty Upskilling: Teachers and educators must stay current by taking industry immersion courses.
4. Consumer Orientation and Soft Skills: In parallel with technical education, colleges should focus on communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and problem-solving skills.
5. Integration of Technology: With enhanced usage of AI, online reservations, and touchless transactions, students must be familiarized with digital hospitality equipment from the beginning.
Conclusion
The Indian hospitality sector can grow world-class professionals capable of competing with the world’s best. But this is possible only if there is a transition from conventional, theory-based education to a practice-oriented, industry-specific learning process. India not only can satisfy its own hospitality requirements but also emerge as a talent exporter to the world’s best hotels and resorts if it invests in skill development at present.
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Saikat Das is an academician and professional chef, currently working as Program leader at CII Institute of Hospitality. As a mentor and hospitality professional, he actively voices current trends and challenges in the industry.