IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management

There is a growing demand in South Africa and the continent for academically trained hospitality professionals particularly as many executive positions in the African hospitality industry are not filled by those from the region. However, this is rapidly changing.

The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management – which has campuses in Rosebank, Johannesburg and in Newlands in Cape Town –  seeks to address the expanding need for service, hospitality and customer-centric education, spanning entry-level through to management-level qualifications.

This year, the school is introducing a brand-new course – the one-year full-time IIE Higher Certificate in Travel – while as IIE Higher Certificate in Service Management is being offered for online studies.

This IIE travel qualification is for the students who enjoy interacting with customers and want to learn more about the travel and tourism industry. With intakes in February and July this year, course content includes digital and academic literacies, travel products and services, travel destinations including an overview of Southern Africa, an introduction to customer care and sales, travel operations and planning, domestic fares and ticketing, global distribution systems and the all-important work integrated learning (WIL) which the IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management is renowned for and which gives students hands-on practical experience.

So why the introduction of the travel certificate?

Travel and tourism are two of the fastest growing industries in the world today. The State of Hospitality believes that by 2025, growth is forecast to reach US$846 billion in total spending within the travel and tourism industry. Tourism and hospitality constitute 4.7% of the total global GDP growth each year – equal to the construction industry. As of 2021, there were 17.4 million global hotel rooms available to travellers and this is projected to grow to 18.6 million by the end of this year.

The greatest proportional increase will be upscale luxury hotels, increasing from 4.1 million in 2021 to 4.7 million in 2024 – a crucial  opportunity for upcoming hospitality graduates.

Perhaps most striking is the massive talent gap in the hospitality and travel industry. Up to 14 million new hospitality graduates will be needed to fill this skills gap by 2025.

Says Renee Hill, IIE HSM’s MD: “Travel and tourism continue to be one of the fastest growing sectors globally and provides real economic growth in our country. However, there is a shortage of qualified people to fill a wide variety of roles and this is where we come in. We are determined to give our students and graduates the skills and knowledge they need to succeed, not only in South Africa but wherever they want to work in the world.”

The IIE’s new online course – the Higher Certificate in Service Management – is a programme designed to equip students with essential knowledge and skills for thriving in diverse and dynamic service sector industries. This qualification’s primary purpose is to provide learners with foundational knowledge and practical skills to comprehend fundamental service management principles and practices. As with other IIE qualifications, the certificate focuses on preparing graduates for the workplace. There are intakes in February and July this year with students receiving online support from IIEHSM online tutors for 18 months.

Other courses offered by the school include the IIE Higher Certificate in Hospitality Management, the IIE Bachelor of Hospitality Management the IIE Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Leadership Distance and the IIE Advanced Certificate in Hospitality Management.

The IIE Higher Certificate in Hospitality Management also creates a pathway to enrol for the IIE degree. The IIE Bachelor of Hospitality Management is a three-year degree course. Both qualifications meet international standards and are available via distance learning.

Continues Hill: “When most people think of the hospitality and service industry they more often than not think of hotels and restaurants and little else. But the truth is hospitality and, especially service, is present in every company and business that has customers and is focused on meeting and fulfilling those customers’ needs satisfactorily.

“By studying hospitality management, students acquire tangible in-demand skills that employers look for in candidates. This applies to not only upper-level management skills and operation processes, but also marketable skills such as teamwork, leadership, design thinking, finance and budgeting and marketing.”

So what to do if you want to learn more:

There will be an Open Day at both campuses on Saturday, January 27, from 08h00 to 12h30.

• The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management, 3 Keyes Ave, Rosebank, Johannesburg, Gauteng. +27 86 111 2433
• The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management, The Quadrant, 146 Campground Road, Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape. Tel: 021 881 3792

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management

Courses offered include the IIE Higher Certificate in Hospitality Management, the IIE Bachelor of Hospitality Management, the IIE Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Leadership Distance and the IIE Advanced Certificate in Hospitality Management. The IIE Higher Certificate in Hospitality Management is a full-time one-year course which also creates a pathway to enrol for the IIE degree. The IIE Bachelor of Hospitality Management is a three-year degree course. Both qualifications meet international standards and are available via IIE distance learning with support from the IIE HSM academic team.

The IIE HSM is a school of the Independent Institute of Education (IIE), Africa’s leading provider of private higher education and is internationally accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC).

• The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management, 3 Keyes Ave, Rosebank, Johannesburg, Gauteng. Tel: +27 86 111 2433
• The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management, The Quadrant, 146 Campground Road, Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape. Tel: 021 881 3792
• Email: info@iiehsm.com

Social Media:

• Internet: https://www.iiehsm.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IIEHSM/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iiehsmsa/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/iiehsm?lang=en

The Independent Institute of Education (IIE)

The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd is a private higher education institution registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (reg. no. 2007/HE07/002). The IIE is internationally accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) as an Independent Higher Education Institution, and a leading registered provider of private higher education in South Africa, it offers world-class standards. Students can be confident that their IIE learning experience meets international best practice standards. The IIE operates across 24 sites offering more than 130 registered and accredited higher education qualifications from Higher Certificate to Doctorate level.

British Accreditation Council

The IIE is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC), an internationally recognised quality assurance agency. The British Accreditation Council is an independent authority in the United Kingdom that accredits private providers globally, including Greece, Switzerland, Singapore, India, Mauritius, and the United Arab Emirates. The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management students can be assured that their IIE learning experience meets international best practice standards. To find out more visit, http://www.the-bac.org

Issued by JAG Communications on behalf of The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management. For more information contact Janine Walker on janine@jagcomms.org or Grant Bushby on grant@jagcomms.org