Goan students better equipped to succeed in hospitality: Jana

IAM-Institute of Hotel Management (IAM) opened its doors in Goa in the year 2004 and by 2015 it was awarded “The Best Hotel Management Institute in Goa”. The Institute has separate residential facilities for girls and boys close to the campus with 100 seats per batch. VIKANT SAHAY talks to its newly appointed Director, Shabnam Jana to find out what the institute has to offer. 

HERALD: How do you see your new role and what are your immediate challenges?

SHABNAM JANA: Yes, it has been over 28 years now in the Hospitality Industry working in hotel operations, nurturing students and training hotel staff. It is a tough job to convince the parents and school principals to initiate the students towards these alternative yet lucrative career options. The other challenge is more and more students are looking for easier options to get high paying jobs. The present generation needs to understand that nothing can be achieved overnight. Discipline, sincerity and hard work have no substitute and are integral qualities of a successful hospitality professional and a good human being.

HERALD: Kindly elucidate on the recent measures taken up by your institute, particularly in terms of developing the Goa campus.

SJ: IAM follows the Swiss model of hospitality education where a training hotel / hospitality outlet is attached to the campus. IAM Goa is situated within the Indismart Woodbourne Resort with a fully functional multicuisine restaurant and bar, conference hall, open dance floor, swimming pool apart from the 48 villas and guest rooms. The purpose is to impart operational skills while handling day to day activity at the hotel. Students gain maximum exposure in handling guests that differentiate them from the others, right from day one. The students also have the benefit of on the job training at the resort and six months internship in hotels in India and abroad. The overseas exposure in training puts the students at par with the global hospitality professionals. More over the cross cultural experience broadens the horizon as well as confidence. Apart from regular class schedule we have introduced ample opportunities for personality development through extracurricular activities like International Food Festival, which is a mega event in itself. IAM Future Chef Goa competition is an innovative drive initiated in 2013 by IAM Goa, who is also a training partner of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to promote vocational skills in the area of hospitality. It is a culinary challenge which cooks up a storm with the high school students across Goa pitching their culinary skills against each other.

HERALD: What is the profile of students that enroll at your institute?

SJ: They are mostly just out of school and passed Higher Secondary examinations. We get students from all over India. Presently we have students from as far as Nepal too. Jharkhand, Uttarkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra are some States from where we get students regularly. 

HERALD: What are the placement options you provide? Is there availability of jobs in Goa?

SJ: Hospitality courses in IAM are so designed that before they complete their 3rd and final year all the students are placed in the 5 star hotels, airlines or International retail companies across India. There are plenty of jobs in 5 star hotels in Goa provided the students complete their curriculum seriously. The students from Goa stand a better chance to succeed in the Industry since most are English speaking and have a focus towards the hotel Industry, Goa being an International Tourist destination. With more and more hotels opening across the country and International brands making their presence, it is boom time for the hospitality industry.

HERALD: Who are your competitors and how have you differentiated your self from them?

SJ: I personally feel IAM does not have any competition at all. The infrastructure, the International curriculum, the Industrial Training in India and abroad is unique to our Institute. The mentoring of the students with international exposure is unmatched in the Industry. The Faculty members of the Institute come with a healthy mix of industry and academic experience and are extremely approachable.  It is topped by subject experts coming from abroad as visiting lecturers.