209 CHAPTER X. Conclusions, Suggestions and Recommendations 10.1 Conclusion Formulation of industrial training component: The general view is that stakeholder s concerned need to work together in the formulation of industrial training programs to make the partnership productive and logically significant to all stakeholders. In addition, hotel management institutions should take a chief role in developing a structured industrial training component which requires the participation of both hotel industry professionals and students. Information about the needs and interests of hotel management students as well as hotel industry professionals should be included into the planning process of industrial training component in the course curriculum. Hotel Management course curriculum should to some extent includes two times industrial training practice. To enhance the specific skills and competencies of the students that is vital for the real working world and has been shaped by the needs of the hotel industry. Twice sending students for industrial training exist in very limited Universities. The objective of keeping two time industrial training is to provide opportunity to the students to undergo specialized industrial training in the area of interest where they would like to work in the future. In the current practice students are required to undergo industrial training in all core departments of the hotel that is Front office, Food & Beverage Service, Accommodation Operations and Food & Beverage Service. Whereas very few Universities have kept the provision of second time industrial training in the course curriculum, allowing students to undergo industrial training in the area of interest. Current practices of industrial training in the course curriculum contribute not as much of employability skills.where as sending students for specialised industrial training in the area of interest /sector after first the basic industrial training in all core departments considered to be more productive practice lead to better employability skills of the students. Right time and duration of industrial training: By adopting the right time and duration of industrial training in the course curriculum will enhance the employability skills of the students. Sending students at early stage of their curriculum could cause many challenges and problems to hotels, because in some cases, students would have had little or no experience handling machinery, posing considerable risk to hotel property and at the same time many students are not academically prepared /equipped with basic skills needed in hotel industry to carry out assigned task during their industrial training duration. The rationale
210 behind is that students must complete required course modules before taking the industrial training. In the present study majority of stakeholders preferred that industrial training should be of 20 weeks in fourth semester. Industrial training also help hotel management institutions resolve the high expenses involved in providing needed facilities and equipment (Krasilovsky and Lendt, 1996; Hodgson, 1999). The rationale behind sending second time for industrial training in the sixth semester is supported by the findings of Krasilovsky and Lendt (1996), the students also get the chance to meet their future bosses, and have a higher chance of finding a job through the industrial training component. Perception Gap: The findings of the study revealed that students do not like to join the hotel industry due to large gap between what they experienced during their industrial training compared to what they viewed as important. The results of study indicated that the general notion of hotel industry employment appears to be negative among post industrial training students, particularly those who had completed their industrial training from 4 and 5 star hotel properties. Mostly students in initial year of their study have a more optimistic view of the industry, after the industrial training experiences, they develop a less favourable perception due to negative perception among post students in comparison with pre training students on career prospects dimension. Category of assignments provided to them during training, treatment of the hotel industry professionals during their training, and lack of standardisation in industrial training concept were also the reasons for low morale of the post industrial training students. It has been observed that at the end of industrial training, common grievances of the students is the same: they are not given the opportunity to demonstrate their career potential, but are instead used as cheap labour to do unimportant work, due to this unfavourable picture of hotel industry career shaped in the minds of the students. If students were given the chance to do important and valuable task and opportunity to do training in their area of interest, that will enhance their motivation and confidence level to handle guest and different situations. In order to retain educated hotel management graduates, hotel industry professionals need to offer new experiences and career development opportunities to the trainees, and remember the hotel management graduates pursuing a degree course in hotel sector for a reason, and to take advantage of that by giving responsible and challenging task so that they can use their academic competencies. Unfortunately, within the current practices of the industrial training in the course curriculum, students are not able to explore their potential in a particular area of interest; as a result, they often do not have the chance to do what they really want.
211 Strategies to overcome Gap: Hotel Management Curriculum should to some extent includes two times industrial training practice in order to enhance the specific skills and competencies of the students that are vital for the real working world and been shaped by the needs of the hotel industry. The objective of keeping two time industrial training is to provide opportunity to the students to undergo specialized industrial training in the area of interest where they would like to work in future. Current practices of industrial training in the course curriculum contribute not as much of employability skills.whereas, sending students for specialised industrial training in the area of interest /sector after first basic training in all core departments considered to be more productive practice leading to better employability skills of the students. Consideration of right duration and time in the industrial training component is very essential. Presently, in most of the Universities students are going for industrial training after the completion of first year that is in third semester, by this time students have learnt only basic things in their course and going to face the real working situations which practically not sound beneficially,because they will not be able to relate their observation with their basic academic learning in comparison to the real working encounters. One of the principal benefits of industrial training for students is that students with industrial training experience evidently have an advantage in the job market, which can translate into their being hired more readily for subsequent jobs. It is a fact that every educational system needs constant review since everything in the world is dynamic (Gothard 1987) and the industrial training exercise is by no means an exception. A number of institutions need to review their industrial training programs to make them as effective as they should be, eradicating any grey areas which hinder the success of this very necessary component. When all stakeholders have different viewpoints of the industrial training outcomes, then there will be no alignment in making it as a fruitful exercise and efforts of all concerned will go in waste. There is a need to align the objectives of industrial training component by all stakeholders. The general view is that stakeholder s concerned need to work together in the formulation of industrial training programs to make the partnership productive and logically significant to all stakeholders. In addition, hotel management institutions should take a chief role in developing a structured industrial training component which requires the participation of both hotel industry professionals and students. Information about the needs and interests of hotel management students as well as hotel industry professionals should be included into the planning process of industrial training component in the course curriculum.
212 Contribution towards employability: Industrial training provided an opportunity for the students to experience the actual hotel work environment and give the right influence on the students information of the industry. Before industrial training, students perceptions differed from the reality of their work experience. Thus, the greater the mismatch between their prior perception and the reality of work experience, the more negative the impact on their career commitment. Findings of the study highlighted the reason for the low commitment of the students towards the hotel industry due to hotel industry did not meet students expectations of what constituted in an ideal industrial training duration and time, which according to students meant providing them with meaningful learning opportunities. Post industrial training students found disheartened because hotel industry professionals emphasised operational skills due to which assigned menial task to the trainees and did not identify the needs and expectations of students. Students intend to leave does not only depend on individual factors, but on situational factors as well. Present study, highlighted that situational factors that could be controlled by hotel organizations. Hotel Industry needs to frame certain policies on their treatment attitudes and behavioural patterns towards trainees.when employability policies are part of a sound employability culture; trainees will feel stimulated to orient themselves on their employability. An organization with a strongly embedded employability culture stimulates young learners to develop themselves, and grant them autonomy to learn and do new things, inside and outside their jobs. Students before joining hotel management course may have an illusory image of the industry as glamorous and probably hold unrealistic perceptions. The faculty members and hotel industry professionals should be more active in providing information to students in their initial years of their course about labour conditions with regard to career opportunities, professional development and concrete jobs. By providing students with the realistic job previews, hotels industry professionals might increase the commitment of the students towards hotel industry. The retention of hotel graduates needs to be monitored and to reduce the skill gap. It is responsibility of the industry and takes necessary steps to ensure that hotel organizations treat them with respect and will extend proper training in order to meet their expectations to ensure their continued success. It should be noted that importance of industrial training is to increase the employability of students toward hotel industry and not the academic performance of students. The faculty coordinator s role is to support the student in preparation for industrial training experience. These coordinators can be a guide for students that may help lessen stress and uncertainty that often come with a new work experience.
213 10.2 Suggestions: For improving the quality of hotel management industrial training component for all the stakeholders. Before - Preparing students for industrial training a) b) c) d) Workshop: A pre-industrial attachment workshop focusing on grooming and deportment, discipline, codes of professional conduct, personal security and what students are expected to produce at the end of the industrial training should be organised in hotel management institutions. To be coordinated by the faculty members in collaborations with representatives from hotel industry as resource persons. The workshops must highlights the importance of industrial training in minds of students and motivate them to take maximum benefit from the industrial training. Session in time table: Institutes must keep the provision of at least one session in the time table on what to observe (WTO) during the industrial training phase for the overall success of the said purpose.faculty members should frame WTO Sheets for students so that during industrial training, they should know what to observe in the real working environment. Be prepared before Industrial Training: Academically students should be prepared to face the real working environment by incorporating the right time (semester) for sending students for their industrial training. Essential knowledge of the hotel core functioning areas and their job descriptions will help students to apply theories from books or lectures, in which career skills can be developed and strengthened. Be positive about Industrial Training experiences: Realistic expectations should be established to anticipate difficulties or even boredom.faculty members must brief the
214 students that they should not make negative perception about the hotel industry, in case if they had bad or unfavourable experience and guide them that certain experiences are just situational and might not be same in all the hotels. Industrial training should be treated as a potential learning opportunity and like a real job. e) Stipend: There is need for review of stipend paid to the students during industrial, so that the allowance needs should be realistic since it helps students cope with the financial demands of the work environment. f) Accommodation: Providing housing may make an industrial training more attractive to students, and attract more and possibly better qualified students. g) Industrial training site consent: Faculty member who is responsible for arranging students training, should ask students first about their preferred location for industrial training.normally students face difficulties in other cities, due to accommodation and other personal obligations which are linked with their parents. Institute should not assign training site hotels without taking consents from parents as well as students. In some cases, it has been found that students feel homesickness, due to staying away from their native place for duration of more than 20 weeks. During Industrial Training a) b) Industrial Training Orientation/Schedule: The induction program should be made more structured and comprehensive to give a fair idea about the work culture of the property/hotel group concerned to the students when they began their industrial training. Hotel industry professionals should frame proper training plan in order to avoid getting any surprises for the students once they begin their training program. Plan should have all details regarding learning outcomes, job rotation, mentors, feedback process, grievance handling etc. This will surely help in preparing students to understand the nature of the industry/work and also to face the stressful situations and works like realistic job preview. Meeting of faculty members & hotel industry professionals: The differences between student expectation and their actual experience may also be reduced down by having better co-ordination and supervision by faculty member in charge for training and hotel industry professional. Both meet periodically and exchange ideas for improving the quality of these industrial training programs.
215 c) Mentor: Hotel Industry professionals offer a mentor to the student during industrial training, who should be someone working at the supervisory level. Students should more openly discuss problems and concerns with their respective mentors other than a direct supervisor. d) Industrial connection visits: Faculty members to visit students at least three times during the training period to assess their work and to solve any problems as needed. Training in charge must meet the industry professional to discuss the trainee progress or any problems of concern to any of the parties. The industrial training faculty in charge must ensure that the employers do not treat the trainees as cheap or free labour, however ensure that trainees get meaningful experiences and supportive work exposure. e) Category of assignments: The quality of an industrial training as a learning tool appears to be more dependent upon the category of assignments given to the students and type of supervision a trainee receives. Supervisors should assign motivating and challenging assignments to the trainees which makes trainees satisfied with the learning benefits of the industrial training experience. There is a need to instruct the supervisors on how they can work more effectively with students f) Be proactive during the internship: Students must take the initiative to ask for tasks and questions related to their queries and feedbacks. g) Job Rotation: Industry professional must rotate the trainees in all operational departments and provide the schedule on the orientation day. After-Industrial training a) b) Evaluation: Evaluation and assessment during and after training needs to be more structured and strict so that students see more importance being attached to the assessment, in return they will take the learning process more seriously and should include performance appraisals of the trainee filled by the supervisors, Project report and presentation. Feedback: Trainees should be encouraged to offer feedback regarding the organizations and overall industrial training program
216 10.3Recommendations: Industry Academia Linkages: The University and the hotel industry need to form strategic partnerships to keep industrial training programmes up to date with current trends and developments in the hotel sector. It is also advisable for the University to constantly invite representatives from hotel industry and other stakeholders to deliver talks and to attend academic functions organised on campus. Such partnerships can go a long way in ensuring a bright future for students and University training in general. Industrial connection visits: Hotel management Faculty members to visit students at least three times during the industrial training period to assess their work and to solve any problems as needed. Training in charge must meet the hotel industry professional to discuss the trainee progress or any problems of concern to any of the parties. The industrial training faculty in charge must ensure that the employers do not treat the trainees as cheap or free labour, however ensure trainees get meaningful experiences and supportive work exposure. The following recommendations are made with regard to this investigation. 1. It is recommended that additional research be performed to involve a more diverse group of hotel industry professionals working in various segments of the hotel industry particularly five star hotels. 2. It is recommended that additional research be conducted to include career progress of hotel management alumni. 3. It is recommended that hotel management course must incorporate the right duration and time of industrial training component in the course curriculum to better prepare students for their industrial training experience according to competencies needed in the hospitality industry. 4. It is recommended that faculty members inform and circulate what to observe sheets (WTO) to students before proceeding for industrial training experiences 5. It is recommended that faculty members must inform to pre- industrial training students, the importance and value of industrial training component.