Hunnarbaaz series: Skills and jobs in hospitality sector

This article is based on Hunnarbaaz TV series that was aired on Doordarshan. We wish to acknowledge and credit Directorate General of Training, MSDE and Cinema Vision India for Hunnarbaaz series. We are thankful to National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for permission to re-use the video content in this educational series. Please note that the names of organisations and designations of people shown in the videos and quoted in the article may no longer be the same. This article has 3 pages.

About Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC)

Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) was formed by the industry, and promoted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with financial support from NSDC. THSC plays a key role in creating as sustainable ecosystem in this industry by catering to the skill and knowledge requirements of sub sectors Hotels, Tour Operators, Food Service Restaurants, Facilities Management and Cruise Liners. Click here to know more about THSC.

India is a country of diverse culture and food. Every region in India has its own delicacies in food. This variety in food attracts tourists. Indian food is very popular and every big city in the world has restaurants that serve Indian food. There is a need for about two lakh professionals every year to meet the demands of the industry hence there is a need for vocational training institutes. Hospitality sector is the 2^nd or 3^rd in terms of job creation and GDP contribution. As you can see in the video below, the hospitality industry is mainly divided into two sectors:

Courses in Services and Food Sectors

The Service sector comprises of the following services

1. Front office management– This involves handling check in, check out and all reservation related activities. 10^th or 12^th pass candidates can apply.
2. Porter service – This involves taking care of the customers’ luggage and transport needs. Entry level candidates earn Rs. 6000 to 10000  as salary

The Food sector is divided into the following three divisions

1. Bakery – Cakes, chocolates and confectioneries, etc. form a part of this section
2. Speciality kitchen – Thai, Mughlai, Continental, South Indian food and the like are a part of this section
3. Cold section – Salads, Sandwiches and delicacy foods are included in this section also known as garde manger.

Job roles: Qualification Packs (QPs) and National Occupational Standards (NOS)

Hospitality management requires personality attributes like interaction with people, standing long hours. Not all attributes are required from the start but if candidates have the right mindset they can be trained in these areas. One of the popular job roles is that of stewards. The need for stewards is also there in railways, airlines and business services in addition to hotels and restaurants. Click here to learn about other job roles and NOS.

Several institutes offer low cost, small and short term courses in personality management, food and beverage services, kitchen services etc. which help trainees acquire the various skills required in the hospitality industry. Trainees upon completion of these courses aim to get into 5 star hotels. IL&FS Institute in Bhubaneswar is one of the main institutes offering these type of skill based training.

There are hundreds of institutions and training companies that offer graduation courses and short term skill development programs, for example, Indian Institute of Hospitality and Management, Chitkara University, IL&FS Skill, LabourNet , Indian Institute of Hotel Management and many more…