London hotel school takes international approach
A hotel school opening in London next month is aiming to rival the top Swiss hotel schools by introducing international courses and qualifications to the UK.
The London Hotel School, based in Bedford Avenue, is being set up by Rod Hardingham, who currently lectures in HCIMA courses at Lewisham College and runs a training consultancy, Hospitality Training.
Mr Hardingham is making courses designed by the American Hotel and Motel Association the centrepiece of the school's curricula, arguing that they provide better business skills than anything currently on offer in the UK.
"The association's courses are much more business focused than UK courses and are more internationally acceptable than HCIMA qualifications," he told Caterer.
"In my role with Hospitality Training I deliver training on-site to hotels and realised there was a demand for something more formal," he explained. "I did a tour of the Swiss hotel schools to see what was on offer there and our courses are similarly designed for high-flyers with an international focus."
The school will run both full-time and part-time management courses. It is also the first college in Europe to offer the American Hotel and Motel Association's distance learning hospitality management diploma.
Students on the 18-month Managers in Training course will spend six months in a hotel on work experience. The St Giles Hotel has already agreed to take students and the school is talking to other large London hotels about participating in the programme.
- The Training and Business Factory is offering employers the chance to train front-office staff for free. The company has won a Government grant allowing it to offer free training and assessment of staff in City & Guilds NVQ level 2 in hotel reception. Details from Amanda Johannson on 0171-274 4106.
