How can we as an industry encourage the younger generation to join the hospitality industry?

Michael Newnham: Firstly, many commentators make too much of the difference between millennials and other generations. Millennials’ outlook on life and careers is certainly different. But the principles for managing and motivating this generation are no different to other generations. We all have mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs that are recognised through good leadership and HR practices. Emphasis should be placed on activities such as mentoring and coaching, rewarding managers who develop subordinates, creating clear career paths, fostering team cohesion, fast-tracking high potentials (identified through talent management processes), and so on.

Sneha Rahul: Youngsters today are very ambitious. They take pride in being associated with bigger names but don’t like to be one of the many. While they are ready to take challenges and attracted by the glamour that our industry showcases, they may not, however,  be patient on results. The core here is to connect with them as early as possible. It is not only important that you make opportunities to rapidly learn, grow and engage within the industry, but equally significant is to make sure that such activities reach a wider audience. Opening up the industry for organisational studies, internships and similar pre-employment activities is a good start. Creating a fun atmosphere is also important. Youngsters desire to be vibrant and creative at work and to enjoy the social life that employers can provide. Give them a platform to talk and regular feedback to keep them focused and make  them feel important. Work-life balance is crucial.

Remmie de Graaf: There is a misconception that the hospitality industry is just about operational functions such as accommodation services, F&B etc, but in actual sense it encompasses a larger picture. There are many ‘behind-the-scene’ functions that the general public fail to recognise such as finance, marketing, sales etc roles that are related to the business. The industry is multi-faceted and as industry players, we need to bring this aspect to light. At Hilton Garden Inn Ras Al Khaimah, one of the ways we are doing to promote the industry amongst the younger generation is by reaching out to schools and giving talks to students about career prospects in the hotel industry. We also invite students to come and visit our hotels, both front- and back-of-the-house, so they can see for themselves firsthand what a hotel is about. I am always intrigued by how interested students are about the back-of-the-house where all the real action takes place.

Furthermore, as an industry we don’t shout enough that the hospitality industry is a vibrant and entrepreneurial sector. The number of new food and service related concepts that are popping up are predominantly hospitality-related and this is something that resonates with the younger generation.

Andrew Vieira: The hospitality industry is currently one of the fastest growing industries worldwide, particularly in the Middle East. Due to its constant evolution, there is a lot of interest from the younger generation, as it offers them a chance to be creative not just in their culinary skills but all the other ancillary skills which have become necessary. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest give you ways to promote and showcase your work to a global stage. Newbies also have the advantage of a variety of internships and work experience programmes, which give them a feel of first-hand industry experience. All these are very encouraging trends that encourage the younger generation to understand and fall in love with the hospitality industry.

Pamini Hemaprabha: Promotion of hotel management courses is far behind that of other courses in this age. Many youngsters are more inclined towards choosing medicine or engineering, purely based on the social awareness these subjects have. We need to make our voices heard so that it reaches younger generations and they can make right career choices.

Every summit should include students from universities as attendees. All colleges must have a hotel management programme and the lives of successful hoteliers need to be celebrated loud, so it reaches youngsters through social media, for example, and they may find our industry attractive. Treating our staff with utmost dignity and with pure professionalism is key, as they can be ambassadors for this industry.

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