Students undertaking hospitality management courses will need to prepare for new challenges in an industry transformed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As increased costs continue to put pressure on the sector, there have been consequences for specialised masters in hospitality business and management, reports the Financial Times.
Cohort sizes have only just returned to pre-Covid levels according to Eric Vogler, director of the MSc in International Hospitality Management at EMLyon business school in France, where enrolments fell 10 per cent in 2020 and 25 per cent in 2021.
“Finding jobs or even internships for our 2019-20 and 2020-21 cohorts was a tough challenge,” Vogler told the publication.
“We had to offer other ways to give students their six months’ professional experience, through research projects tutored by the Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center and entrepreneurial projects tutored by the incubator at EMLyon.”
He says post-pandemic, students must be prepared for less long-haul travel, fewer business trips and a greater mix of work and leisure.
Masters courses must also accomodate a changing landscape.
Ariel Castillo, who teaches an MA in Tourism and Hospitality Management at GBSB Global Business School in Barcelona told the Financial Times it is putting greater emphasis on entrepreneurial skills as well as digital tools and teamworking.
“Combining digital and physical experiences allows students to gain a broader understanding of global hospitality practices and cultural agility,” agrees Achim Schmitt, a dean at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland
“Virtual meetings and interactions with industry leaders from around the world have become more accessible, and the pandemic has also helped us rethink our field trips.
