Higher Options career talks: hospitality & tourism

[ Higher Options career talks: from architecture to zoology ]

If you’re interested in a career in hospitality and tourism, experience and qualifications are vital, say experts.

“These programmes are not as in-demand as some other courses, however, the career opportunities are phenomenal and they’re global, not just local,” says Cáit Noone, head of the Galway International Hotel School at Atlantic Technological University (ATU).

CAO vs alternative options

“There are many entry routes into higher education, some will be through the CAO, but there’s also opportunities for people to look into access routes as mature students and also through further education courses.”

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Dr Seán T Ruane of the Shannon College of Hotel Management says international hotel management degrees also open a “whole variety of career trajectories” for students.

“Lots of our graduates start off in hospitality and tourism and many of them go on to be entrepreneurs and open up their own businesses,” he says. “A business degree is a key asset to be able to do that.”

Work experience

Work experience is vital, he says, and hands-on work in hotels forms a key part of degree offerings and hospitality training.

“Lifelong learning is something which is valued in our industry – but for entry-level students, having a degree is an advantage in moving quicker up through the ranks of management,” Ruane says.

On employment prospects for hospitality graduates, David Maxwell, managing director of Boojum, says the industry is rebounding after the impacts of the pandemic and that the industry “hires for values and teaches skills.”

“I would encourage most people to reach out, rather than to doubt yourself. Quite often you’ll be pleasantly surprised, we are an amazing industry for building resilience, empathy and learning how to work within a team,” he says.

Max Reid, a student who studied international tourism and management at ATU, agrees.

“It’s such a broad industry where you can shoot off in so many different directions as you climb the ladder and be successful,” he says.

Reid spent three months on placement in New Zealand as part of the course, where he worked in an Irish bar. He says the programme allowed him to “get great experience in the business side of hospitality and learned about how a successful business works.”

He recommends people to join the sector if they are interested in travel “What better course to go for,” he says.

Interview conducted in 2021

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