Elevating Service

An instructor demonstrates making sushi at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Seattle.

Social networking, shifting consumer tastes and emerging
sectors are changing the game for hospitality schools and their graduates. In a
dynamic, competitive market, schools are exploring new industries, stepping up
technology training and tuning in to trends to give students an edge.

As hotels scale back on entry-level management jobs, new
graduates should consider other options, says Nancy Swanger, director of
Washington State Universitys (WSU) School of Hospitality Business Management.
New sectors such as the gaming or cruise industries are promising.

In 2009, the states tribal casinos posted $1.6 billion in
net receipts, growing 6.2 percent from 2008, and the cruise industry forecasts
6.3 percent growth for 2010. Last year, our top graduate accepted a great
position with a hospitality-oriented senior living company, says Swanger.
That was a big cue that we should develop new industry relationships.

New hotel hires may also need to adjust their expectations.
They might come in as an hourly employee, and theyll wear many hats,
explains Seattle Sheraton General Manager Matt Van Der Peet. He works with
seven to 10 hospitality graduates per year, cycling them through different
roles every six to 12 months.

The industry today needs employees who can manage and work
in any position, says Bill Baldwin, president and CEO of Baldwin Resource
Group and a member of WSUs hospitality advisory board.

Technical knowledge is critical for graduates with their
sights set on upper management or corporate roles. As travel websites and
applications create new distribution points for properties, managers interact
with systems analytics on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis.

The environment calls for sophisticated software and people
who understand it, notes Carla Murray, Starwood Hotels senior vice president for
operations for the western United States. The more distribution points you
have within your business model, the greater the importance of technology that
allows you to make minute-by-minute decisions.

To that end, the three-year-old Hospitality Business
Management bachelors degree program at South Seattle Community College (SSCC)
offers technology training, including a standalone computer applications class
in which students design a complete computer system for a hotel including
reservations, yield management and revenue management modules.

In addition, social networking presents unique opportunities
for new hospitality hires. The Sheratons new social networking committee leans
heavily on the digital savvy of younger employees to shape online outreach on
sites like Facebook, Yelp and TripAdvisor. SSCC students can prep for such a
role in a new Marketing via Social Networks course component.

The community college model allows us to be extremely
responsive to industry, and get new concepts in front of students quickly,
says Tom Mayburry, faculty coordinator at SSCC and a former member of WSUs
hospitality school board.

Click image to enlarge

Trend spotting is even more important in culinary education
as schools prepare students for a market characterized by increasingly educated
consumers with specialized tastes.

The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of
Seattle conducts focus groups to identify trends like charcuterie and sous-vide (under vacuum) cooking. A professional advisory
committee and guest chefs like Tom Douglas help ensure that the curriculum
represents whats hip and fresh in the market, says Career Services Advisor
Surtida Shelton.

Local schools are ideally situated to capitalize on trends
toward regional, seasonal eating, adds Academic Director Ian Mackay. We have
so much to work with. Our menus feature indigenous ingredients and Washington
wines. Students will be well-prepared to step into Seattles vibrant
restaurant scene and work with local bounty, he says.

WSUs organic farm provides produce to its hospitality
school, and menus are designed with input from farm manager Brad Jaeckel.
Students visit local suppliers like Palouse Natural Beef.

Schools are also preparing students to meet growing demand
for global cuisine, which hospitality consulting agency Andrew Freeman &
Co. identified as a top trend. Courses at the International Culinary School
focus on perfecting from-scratch preparation and mastering essential flavor
elements from around the world. Asian influences, Latin influences, and
Mediterranean influences are everywhere. We spend three weeks on China alone,
says Mackay.

Global influences flavor the curriculum at WSU, where
students can choose from several study-abroad trips with a culinary focus.
Executive Chef Jamie Callison spent most of May in Florence as a group of his
students learned authentic Italian cooking in the Tuscan kitchen of Apicius
International School of Hospitality.

Classroom experiences are evolving, but educators and
professionals agree: Hands-on experience is what keeps students up-to-date.
Even the most cutting-edge programs cant get trends into the classroom
immediately. Work experience fills in the gaps.

Internships put students in the industry in that moment,
and build a cycle of information sharing, says Mackay. WSU and SSCC require
1,000 internship hoursthe equivalent of more than four full-time WSU
semesters.

Schools provide real-world experience via catering and
dining operations, like the International Culinary Schools Portfolio Restaurant,
open three days a week during academic sessions. WSU students operate a
successful catering business and dining room as well as a popular campus cafe.

Putting students to work keeps the focus on
service. Its a service business, and it always will be, says Craig Schafer,
owner of Seattles Hotel Andra and Portlands Hotel Modera and a graduate of
WSUs program. Students can be current on technology and trends, and still fall
short if they cant exceed a guests expectations, he says. The personal touch
is still the most important thing in the industry.