Nilgunj Road in Panihati may be the back of beyond but it provides the perfect foil for rustling up the most inventive dishes. The sprawling greens spread over 23 acres, smart buildings with all kinds of amenities and a relatively good faculty are three good reasons why students are eager to take up a course at the Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management (GNIHM).

Evidently, the JIS Group — the trust which runs the institute — has taken care to ensure that it gives shape to the dreams of enthusiastic youngsters intent on a career in hospitality. The institute, which offers a four-year bachelors degree in hotel management and catering technology, also happens to be one of the four institutes in West Bengal affiliated to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The West Bengal University of Technology awards the degree.

Sunrise sector

The service and hospitality sector has the corporate world buzzing with excitement. In fact, hospitality has developed into a multi-billion dollar industry spanning the globe. From budget hotels to star hotels, boutique inns to speciality restaurants, and airlines industry to travel operators, the options are unlimited. Explaining the supply-demand ratio in this sector, Manpreet Kaur, CEO, JIS Group, says, “Hospitality is a sunrise sector and institutes offering these courses are a dime a dozen. So, we decided to lend some credibility and set up this institute to offer quality courses.”

The institute offers a four-year, full-time bachelors in hotel management and catering technology (its flagship course), a three-year bachelors in travel and tourism management and a three-year bachelors in hospitality management. Candidates who seek an in-depth knowledge of the hotel business are encouraged to take up the four-year course. Those who do not have too much time to spare and are in a hurry to take up a job usually opt for three-year courses.

Candidates who have passed or appeared for their Plus Two examination from any recognised board in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are eligible to apply. They also have to clear the West Bengal joint entrance examination for admission to degree-level hotel management course (JEHOM) or the Common Entrance Test (CET) as applicable.

Both the hotel management courses acquaint students with core areas of the business, namely, front office operations, housekeeping, F&B, accommodation, operation and food production. The travel and tourism course, on the other hand, equips graduates to take up a job in any section of the travel and tourism sector. Trained in travel trade and IATA, ticketing concepts and laws of tourism, students can find employment opportunities with the airlines and tourist boards, theme parks, heritage sites, travel agencies, cruise lines and airport management.

Class apart

“To survive in the rough and tumble of this business, one needs to have an attitude. That counts immensely,” says Arunanshu Bhattacharya, principal of GNIHM. The institute strives to go beyond teaching students how to serve a cup of tea correctly. Trained in managerial and logistical jobs, they can budget, plan, forecast and prepare duty rosters. That helps them further their careers as stewards and managers.

The infrastructure is in keeping with the rigorous training that the industry demands. There is an in-house restaurant, a fully functional multi-cuisine kitchen, language labs, and rooms to practice housekeeping, complete with iron-sets. Abhijit Das, a student who is attracted to F&B service, says, “I’m getting ample training in our well-stocked bars.” Executive suites modelled on similar ones in star hotels will also come up shortly.

The infrastructural facilities perhaps account for the fees — Rs 35,000 per semester. However, seats hardly go vacant in the institute. There are reasons for that. Says Puspita Dey, a first year student who wants to be a chef and wishes to rustle up Indian dishes in the not-so-distant future, “The faculty is good and cooperative and we share a very good rapport with our teachers.”

Apart from ensuring that students get world-class training, the institute also provides placements through industrial tie-ups, inviting HR personnel from renowned hotel chains for campus interviews and organising guest lectures. Says Soumya Chatterjee, “I am buoyed by the job prospects that this course offers. The faculty has considerable exposure to the industry and this helps us get a first-hand view of the job and the industry.”

At the moment, the institute is looking to strengthen its core courses. But short courses for executives are also on the anvil.