The present-day hospitality industry scenario in India is buzzing. It seems quite promising in terms of career prospects, individual or industry growth and incentives. This sector alone has created an 8% employment scope and is geared up to create more. A study conducted in the year 2018 stated that the hospitality sector will create nearly 70 lakh jobs directly and nearly 1 crore jobs indirectly in the coming years.
The hospitality management in India and globally is decoupling from the traditional model of operations and is on the cusp of a transformation wherein this sector is establishing itself as an independent domain of business service.
The chatter of globalization at every enclave has reshaped this sector. Today, the Indian hospitality professionals are gaining leadership roles in global companies, especially in areas including real estate, revenue management, development, and strategy. Hence, hospitality management institutes in India have started to acknowledge the evolving nature of the industry and some institutes have already included business competencies within their curriculum.
So, what does it say about the future? The individuals in India are witnessing a rapid evolution of the industry and must be prepared to stay abreast of emerging trends. Many recruiters are looking for hospitality management graduates who have been exposed to the work culture. Problem-solving, multi-tasking, and technologically-savvy hospitality managers are in demand to serve in a dynamically changing business environment.
Hospitality management institutes, today are on the quest of becoming a global university, build on its outstanding reputation as a provider of quality education, and prepare students for a successful future. The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) has earned this reputation most prolifically.
Beyond the Conventional
Established in the year 1994, in Kolkata IIHM is the largest chain of premier hospitality and hotel management schools across India. It comes under the Indismart Group, the conglomerate that operates the Indismart Hotels. Ever since the first academic session was commenced, IIHM has evolved as an ideal place to acquire knowledge, improve attitude and learn professional skills needed to flourish in the hospitality sector.
The students at IIHM are being prepared to meet the international standards of modern hospitality needs. Its international character and the global connect and outreach that it maintains in hospitality education and training, gives IIHM a competitive benefit over other hospitality management institutes. The institute maintains a global connect with over 55 countries of the world from where regular culinary masterclasses and other educational exchange programmes are organised.
Distinctive Style of Education
The curriculum of the institute has been created adhering to the industry requirements. It provides a vast curriculum that enriches every student who studies at IIHM. A member of International Hospitality Council (IHC), the institute’s affiliation with the University of West London allows students to graduate with an international degree and equip with global hospitality skills that enable easy placements in any hospitality brand across the world. While students can study Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management from the University of West London, they also have the option of completing their final year from UK.
Furthermore, IIHM’s affiliation with the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology will allow students to get a Diploma in Hotel and Hospitality Administration. Apart from these, students can also pursue degree courses under IGNOU. IIHM is also known for the courses that it offers in wine and spirits. Students appear from abroad for courses in Level 1, 2 and 3. IIHM also offers certificate courses for NSDC.
Hospitality education is primarily skill-based and relies heavily on practical and real-time exposure therefore, IIHM has a hotel attached to the hotel management college in Goa and Calcutta that helps students gain practical knowledge along with theoretical learning. As a result, students acquire industrial knowledge and assimilate management of hotel operations by being directly involved with the day-to-day operations of the hotel.
Complementing the extensive curricula and facilities of this institution are the expert faculties. Four renowned executive chefs of the country are affiliated to IIHM as Directors. Students are groomed under culinary masters like Chef Sanjay Kak, Chef Shaun Kenworthy, Chef Clement D’Cruz, former executive chef of Hyatt Regency Kolkata and Chef Koushik Saha. These four iconic chefs are a part of the culinary education leadership team at IIHM. Keith Edgar, yet another expert, Wine sommelier of international repute conducts classes on wines and spirits at IIHM Global Campus.
A Platform of Futuristic Education
Completing the community of IIHM is its vibrant campus that adds value to education. The IIHM’s Global Campus in Calcutta is surrounded by a picturesque location, spreading across 100,000 square feet of a premier facility in the heart of Salt Lake Sector V. The institute is situated at the nerve centre of all international activities, which includes international events like the Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) finals, international conferences, talk shows, and seminars, where students immediately benefit in terms of acquiring industrial and hands-on knowledge.
IIHM believes that technology has heralded a new dynamic world where the one to adapt continuously and learn instantly will only lead. Propelling the same thought, it has built a Global Campus that is technology-driven. The IT feature of hospitality is practised to the core at this campus and a lot of inter-institution culinary demonstrations, teaching across borders, talk shows from all over the world and social media activities are being organized to help students learn the tech-savvy world of the hospitality sector.
A Leader, Educationalist & Influencer
At the helm of this esteemed educational institution is Dr. Suborno Bose, Founder and Chief Mentor of Indismart Group. Dr. Suborno, with his extensive 30 years of entrepreneurial experience and astute leadership skill has brought out the true potential of IIHM which today, is regarded as one of the best hotel schools in India and abroad.
Dr. Bose revolutionized the hospitality education sector with his concept of opening hotels along with hotel management schools, providing the right mix of theory and practical exposure to students.
He pioneered educational and global connect initiatives. The Young Chef Olympiad is one of the programs initiated by Dr. Suborno. It is the biggest culinary competition in the world and sees more than 55 countries participating every year. The Young Chef India Schools and Young Chef India Junior are also his pioneering initiatives.
The contributions of Dr. Suborno has been acclaimed both globally and nationally. He is a recipient of Asia Pacific’s most prestigious Award; The Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award, The Economic Times Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia Award, The Times of India – The Most Prominent Business Leader in Education, 2018. A leading media house has awarded Dr. Suborno Bose ‘Business leader of the Year (Education), for ‘Putting India on Global Hospitality Map’. The latest feather added to his cap is the XIA Global Award for Excellence in Visionary Education & Hospitality Education 2019 by the St Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association.
Emphasis on Skill Enhancement
At IIHM, nurturing students for the future is of paramount importance. IIHM gives more emphasis on developing students not just as professionals working in the industry but also to become successful entrepreneurs whether in culinary arts or other areas like cloud kitchen. To further help students, it carries out entrepreneurial exercises like food festivals. This activity helps students develop skills like budgeting, procurements and post-event calculating standard deviation, menu engineering the recipe management, etc.
IIHM provides exposure to its students to a world of possibilities where they can invest, learn and adapt to the evolving nature of the hospitality sector. Students at IIHM have an opportunity to run an entrepreneurship venture like running a food kiosk from where they sell, offer home delivery services, or even connect with aggregators like Zomato and Swiggy and sell through them. They are also encouraged to take orders from the offices and canteens, so that they can be an entrepreneur.
IIHM guides and aids its students at every step. Beginning with lending students with the seed money, organizing the Wine Tour, the Culinary Tour, the Whiskey Tour, the institute takes every plausible step to help students get hands-on experience and knowledge. As far as students developing managerial skills is concerned, IIHM conducts several sections and live-case studies where entrepreneurs and managers are invited to the college where they give guest lectures and narrate their own life stories. These guest lecturers also conduct workshops to enlighten students with the industry details.
Chefs from all over the world come and teach the students of IIHM. International chefs like Chef Vincenzo Oliveri, Magdala Caussimon, Chef Farouk Bin Othman are just some of the names who have visited the institution. All this puts the students on a global pedestal and they start preparing for a future that they had never anticipated before.
Alongside this, it also organizes the Young Chef Olympiad and culinary competitions like Young Chef India and Young Chef India Juniors, where the students get to exhibit their culinary skills and also learn from the experts.
IIHM also instils in its students, a sense of social responsibility. It has started the Food Aid initiative, where students and any external volunteers are inducted as Food Soldiers. These Food Soldiers of the world work proactively with the United Nations and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the students of IIHM get a chance to do their bit to the community.
Big Names to Join
IIHM aids its students at every stage of their journey. Along with offering world-class education, the institute also helps students find the job that suits their calibre The institute has a dedicated placement cell that caters to the needs of the students. Starting with talks from industry experts, to offering international internships, the institute has a myriad of opportunities for its students. Some of the countries which the students have visited for internship/placement include France, Spain, US, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Dubai, and Thailand.
A Promising Future
Staying abreast of the changing world, IIHM is also evolving and altering its offerings. Its continued goal is to establish IIHM as one of the best colleges in the hospitality eco-space. At present, IIHM provides the best education that can happen anywhere in the world. However, in the coming years, its endeavour is to become the single most ‘sought-after’ institution in hospitality education in the world. Also, IIHM will continue working on its tradition of turning out exceptional graduates capable of reforming the hospitality sector.
For Designing Purpose
A Global Opportunity
Young Chef Olympiad is a global platform where over 55 countries come on one platform in India and learning from them and their mentors. This event was curated with the intention of bringing the young and promising future stars of the international culinary community on a single platform where they could connect, share ideas and innovations while creating something exceptional out of their experiences.
Heartened by the reception of its local cousin, Young Chef India Schools, the institute was encouraged to set the ball rolling on the International Young Chef Olympiad, supported by the Ministry of Tourism, India. It thought, why not extend this event internationally? Why not bring more people from varying backgrounds to this platform so that it could have a more heterogeneous space for learning? Therefore, in 2015 IIHM organised the first ever International Young Chef Olympiad with 15 participating countries. The rest is history.
While 2015 saw 15 participating countries, in 2020 the Young Chef Olympiad hosted 55 countries, which speaks volumes about the kind of enthusiasm and acceptance we have received from the international culinary fraternity. Some of the most celebrated personalities of said fraternity have agreed to be involved in this event as judges. Young Chef Olympiad has successfully put India on the culinary map of the world.
Expert’s Opinion on IIHM
“IIHM is new Global Benchmark in Hospitality Education.”
-Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
“IIHM’s Young Chef Olympiad 2020 was one of the highlights of my life.”
-Chef Brian Turner, CBE, President of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, UK, and Chief Judge of YCO 2020,
“YCO is a celebration of youth and common humanity through the passion and love of food and culinary arts.”
– Prof David Foskett, MBE, Chairman of IHC, and author of Practical Cookery Series
“YCO is a momentous event. It gives Young chefs a global platform and puts India on the culinary map of the world. Indian Hotels applauds IIHM for pioneering and representing Indian hospitality globally.”
–Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO, Indian Hotels
