Dr Markus Venzin, CEO, EHL Group, says hospitality’s next generation will be looking to lead the sector in a new way with a fresh set of values.
What role do you see EHL playing for the hospitality sector across the world and India in particular?
As the world’s best hospitality management school with 125 nationalities among its student body, we aim to walk the talk and continue shaping the hospitality industry globally. For this, we provide top-quality Swiss education to our students on our campuses in Switzerland and Singapore, whilst also partnering with industry bodies, institutions and governments to raise the standards of service excellence worldwide via training and certification schemes.
Staying true to our Swiss dual education heritage, we have established partnerships with industry bodies such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), ITC Hotels, and IHCL (Taj Hotels) to create a robust talent development pipeline for the Indian hospitality industry. Our approach includes delivering vocational education and training programmes (VET by EHL programmes) through an apprenticeship framework to both new and existing workforce, with the training being provided both within and by the industry.
CII Institute of Hospitality currently offers VET by EHL programmes across seven licensed partner hotels or training centres. It is projected that by the end of 2023, 750 students will be enrolled in the VET by EHL Professional Diploma Programme. Raising the standards of service excellence in India represents a real chance to attract more tourists, enhance the country’s reputation as a hospitality destination, and contribute to its economic growth. This is even more relevant in the post-Covid environment and with India currently hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023 when domestic travel and hospitality will strengthen further.
On a personal note, I’m looking forward to this event since I’ve been invited to be part of the G20 task force to discuss ideas on the future of work, upskilling and mobility.