Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
Skills for Gen Z to fit into the future workforce
Excerpts from article published in Forbes India
The education sector has had to deal with some of the major impact of the on-going coronavirus pandemic. However, while the education landscape changed overnight for students, businesses and large corporates also had to change their current working landscape to run their operations.
Hence, it becomes imperative for educational institutes, especially B-schools, to provide students with the right skills and knowledge in order to prepare them as active and contributing members of the future workforce. Some of the contributing factors that will help students as well companies prepare for the road ahead are as follows:
Up-skilling for the right talent
As most jobs are going to be skill based, students will have to reskill or upskill themselves in the area of specialties they want to work in. A World Economic Forum report highlights that despite technological advancements, students get little to no practical exposure in areas such as cybersecurity, cloud technology or artificial intelligence. Technology is driving reskilling for Gen X & Y in senior and mid- management, inviting these generations to adapt and adopt technology in their day to day work.
Being mindful of Diversity and Inclusivity
As the socio-political scenarios are constantly evolving, the future of workforce – GenZ – are open to more diverse and inclusive workplaces with gender neutral policies. There is more cultural acceptance for fellow employees’ beliefs and preferences. The industry is expanding their horizons, and more brands/ multi-national organisations are embracing non-binary pronouns over being gender specific. Generation Z also encourages businesses to function ethically and with empathy.
New business development
The new generation of workforce is innovative and entrepreneurial which connects them well with millennial entrepreneur startups. According to reports, in the US alone, Gen Z is the largest group of people and have key implications in e-commerce with $44billion in holding power. Many companies are re-adjusting to the tastes and preferences of this group of decision-makers. Businesses can leverage their skills, networking abilities and ability to understand the root cause of a given problem to come up with effective business solutions.
Workspaces and the outlook towards working in large corporates is constantly evolving.
Career
Career in hotel management: How to fulfil your passion in the hospitality, culinary industry
Excerpts from article by Chef K Thirugnanasambantham, published in India Today
The hospitality industry is about providing lodging or accommodation in all forms and about food and beverages served in all sectors. Essentially, these two products, along with travel, transportation, recreation, and all related activities are usually connected with a destination that makes up the tourism sector as a whole.
One important component of all types of hospitality units is a ‘hotel’, which provides a whole lot of hospitality services under one roof. Thus, aspiring students for a career in hospitality and tourism will choose ‘hotel management’ to get to know how to manage accommodation and food and beverages.
Today, another specific learning in this big world of hospitality and tourism is to focus on the ‘culinary arts’, which gives ample scope to interested learners to spend more time in hands-on experience in all types of cuisines and the fine arts of bakery.
Career prospects in hotel management
Several opportunities have opened up for today’s graduates of hotel management, culinary arts, and tourism management in the cruise lines, airlines, catering, vending, retailing, restaurants, start-ups and many more allied sectors.
Today’s hotel management students have a wide range of career options to choose from. With the advent of international hotel chains, the organisational culture in hotels has also been very positive towards students from hotel schools.
Apart from that, the joy and fun of being part of this industry as an employee, with so much travel, luxurious stays in wonderful hotels, and being in magical destinations, most of it coming free, are great additional takeaways.
The current supply of skilled/professionally trained manpower is estimated to be a very dismal 8.92 percent to the total requirement as per a study commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism. The study takes into account the attrition rate, retirement and supply from both government and private programmes.
The high rate of attrition in the Indian hospitality industry is definitely not beneficial to employers, as it results in increased costs in way of hiring costs, training costs and loss of productivity, loss of company knowledge, which the employee takes away with her/him, interruption of customer service and goodwill of the company.
According to sources, attrition in the industry currently hovers at 25-30 percent across different levels.
Shortage of chefs
The hospitality sector has always faced a shortage of chefs. But more recently, with mass acceptance of international cuisines, entry of international food chains and specialised restaurants, more opportunities in retail and food-related industries, the chefs are in great demand.
The hospitality sector, plagued by constant attrition is also trying to ramp up the number of women in its workforce at mid to senior levels.
Headhunters say more and more hotel chains are making diversity an integral part of their hiring strategy and are giving out specific mandates for hiring women at senior levels across functions. Diversity and inclusion are the essential targets of the top brands in hospitality.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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