A partnership geared towards attracting talented students to careers in the hotel industry has been launched in Manchester.
Manchester Hoteliers’ Association and Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met) are behind the initiative that will see 10 final year undergraduates link up with general managers of some of the region’s most high-profile hotels.
The mentorship programme will see hospitality undergraduates interact with general managers on at least five occasions.
In a bid to create closer ties with the hotel community Manchester Met has already launched a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship in Hospitality, which sees full-time hotel employees study part-time and utilising the apprentice Levy or SME funding sources.
It also comes after The British Hospitality Association (BHA) recently submitted to the Government a 10-year-plan to encourage more UK people to consider a career in hospitality.
MHA Chair Adrian Ellis said 1,259 hotel rooms are due to open across Greater Manchester in 2018 – and has urged students and those interested in hospitality to join the boom.
“Our partnership with Manchester Met is all about inspiring people to get into the industry.
“Unfortunately, students can spend a few years studying hospitality and then end up not working in the industry which we think is a shame.
“The hotel industry offers fantastic progression and is a rewarding and enjoyable career that I can only recommend.
“We’ve already held a careers and skills day with Manchester Met at their Business School campus this year, which was a great success. It will be good to see how 10 final year undergraduates benefit from time spent with general managers of hotels that are part of our membership organisation – and vice versa too.”
Chris Mitchell, Principal Lecturer in Hospitality Management at Manchester Met, said: “We are a large university, with fantastic facilities and want to work as closely as possible with the Manchester Hoteliers’ Association to ensure our students develop into talented hospitality operators and managers for the future.”
“The student mentorship programme lead by, Amanda White, Programme Leader for Hospitality Business Management and Adrian Ellis, is another constructive way to express what a good partnership we have with MHA.
“On the flip side, Manchester Met were early adopters of degree apprenticeships with our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship in Hospitality in 2016. Offering part time degree level studies to managers and operators working full time in the sector.
“For general managers of Manchester’s hotels, the degree apprenticeship is both an investment and a great opportunity to recruit talented school/college leavers to the sector or upskill their existing staff.”
