Gearing up for talent acquisition by 2020

As Dubai hit over 100,000 hotel rooms last year, it expects a lot more to be launched this year. Human resources or talent search in the hospitality industry plays a pivotal role during this phase, insists Judy Hou, Managing Director, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.

SHEHARA RIZLY

Q) Do share a brief about The Emirates Academy.
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) specialises in providing business management degrees with a focus on hospitality. The Academy offers a BBA and an MBA in International Hospitality Management with many of our graduates now holding senior positions around the globe. As an integral part of the Jumeirah Group, students at EAHM are able to gain first-hand experience through internships, part-time jobs and building relationships with people in the industry.

Q) Could you give a brief of the professional training and development programmes conducted at the Academy?
The Professional Training department delivers a range of training, consulting and research services in both short course format or bespoke courses designed to meet specific training needs. Our experienced facilitators deliver programmes for a large range of organisations including airports, banks, hospitals, retail sector and government departments. Some of the courses currently being run are Customer Service, Digital Marketing, Business Skills, Finance, Leadership, Spa Management, Kitchen & Restaurant Management, Butler programme, Cultural Awareness, Presentation Skills, Culinary, etc.

Q) What is the training you have deployed for medical tourism professionals in the hospital sector?
Many people would be hard pressed to discern the difference between the level of service at a five-star hotel and some of the hospitals in the UAE. The Academy has provided training into these facilities that covers everything from five-star customer service to food services to butler training. The landscape of hospital service has changed immensely and the days of poor food and understaffed wards are a thing of the past. Our programmes for hospitals have developed significantly over the last two years and will only continue to expand as we see more health facilities keen to improve their level of patient services.

Q) Going up to 2020 where 20 million visitors are expected in Dubai, how do you train and generate talent? Expo 2020 will be a brilliant platform for our students to launch their careers. The Academy is seeing quite an upturn in interest and enrollments as young people are realising the value of a career in hospitality. Within the hospitality industry, we are seeing a massive roll out of new hotel offerings. The team at Expo 2020 is doing a brilliant job in managing manpower and the Academy is committed to supporting these initiatives through student involvement and training.

Q) How do you provide incentives with hospitality partners and others?
The Academy prides itself in maintaining its extensive network and reaching out to new brands. We invite industry leaders to give presentations on a regular basis for students to be familiar with the landscape of the industry and expose them to the latest industry trends. We hold career fairs for students and businesses alike. The fairs attract luxury goods, hotels, online travel companies and consultancies from within the UAE and internationally.