Versatile hospitality qualifications fuel growing demand for graduates

Source: 123RF

Customer service: A core skill for all industries

Hospitality education places emphasis on customer service, instilling in graduates the skills to deliver exceptional experiences and build customer relationships. These skills foster loyalty, where satisfied clients lead to repeat business. Studies show that 73% of customers are more likely to continue doing business with a company if they have a positive experience.

Apart from the hospitality-focused skills these graduates take with them a range of transferable skills that include analytical and problem-solving skills, delegation and task management, marketing and finance and networking and people management.

Another key skill hospitality graduates develop is a keen eye for identifying and responding to client needs. With these crucial skills, any hospitality graduate can excel in various industries.

Expanding career horizons for hospitality graduates

As the service sector continues to permeate other industries, the boundaries of hospitality careers continue to expand. By tapping into this talent pool and acknowledging the transferable nature of hospitality skills various industries can benefit from employing hospitality graduates and graduates can also enjoy a wider range of industries in which to practice.

It is for this reason that employers are looking for versatility both in skill and knowledge. Qualifications in service are also becoming a priority in hospitality to support this growing need for graduates who can apply sound knowledge in different customer-centric environments.

The IIE School of Hospitality and Service Management, for example, is leading the charge in this field with a Bachelor of Service Management and a Higher Certificate in Service Management, both of which offer students a wide net upon which to cast their services upon graduation.

With a strong focus on client relationships, attention to detail, logistical expertise and a customer-centric approach, many other subfields benefit from the hospitality graduates.

Marketing, finance, telecommunication, and health are among many industries that have all come to rely on hospitality for customer-centred training, further increasing the demand for hospitality graduates.

Hospitality-trained professionals can be found in healthcare, leading patient-centred care through delivering exceptional patient experiences, empathy and effective communication. They also assist in enhancing service quality, handling and reducing complaints and increasing patient satisfaction. This can be in the form of a Patient Experience Manager or Service Quality Coordinator.

Entrepreneurial opportunities for graduates

Graduates can leverage their knowledge of customer experience, operations management and marketing to start ventures as entrepreneurs in industries such as travel tech and consulting. These graduates are best prepared to innovate using their understanding of service delivery and quality control, customer behaviour and preferences, as well as revenue management.

These would-be entrepreneurs can also opt for the traditional hospitality routes by opening their own accommodation establishments, restaurants, event planning companies or by becoming tour operators.

Consulting firms also take advantage of hospitality graduates for their understanding of service quality, building and fostering client relationships, operational efficiency, staff training and development and even change management skills.

These graduates also lead the charge with a detailed understanding of customer experience design and strategy positioning, service management and quality control and training and development.

Unlocking new career pathways

With hospitality-trained professionals in high demand across various industries, their skills are driving business success far beyond hotels.

Let us redefine our understanding of hospitality management education and acknowledge its potential to unlock diverse and dynamic careers. I believe that hospitality graduates are inimitably positioned in today’s service-oriented world.

By tapping into this versatile talent pool, businesses will benefit from their skills, transforming customer experiences and shaping the future of service management.

The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management will hold an Open Day on Saturday, 26 October from 9am to 12pm. The Open Day will be held at each of the school’s two campuses – at Newlands in Cape Town and at Rosebank in Johannesburg. Attendees to the IIE HSM Open Day will have the opportunity to tour the campus, interact with lecturers and speak with expert advisors.