Muhammad Mahabubul Alam
GM (In-Charge) and Director, HR & Training, Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden
Tejgaon College is the largest N-Govt. College and one of the renowned Educational Institutes in Bangladesh. Along with other disciplines, this college has a very popular and time worthy faculty called Tourism and Hospitality Management. In development of skilled human resources, the contribution of this Institute is so eminent. Based on the current global context, the demand for skilled workforce in travel and tourism industry is very high. Keeping that in mind, the college is facilitating the opportunity for the students to study tourism and hospitality.
This college can play a very pivotal role to create a huge number of skilled workforce to fulfill the market demand in the tourism sector. Students should prepare themselves keeping in mind that would lead the tourism industry in future. By their diligent activities the tourism industry will bloom to the next height in the coming decades.
The teachers and the students jointly can chalk out a framework for development of the future leader for this industry since the today’s hospitality students will lead tomorrow.
The development framework may include the following competencies:
- Relevant subject knowledge (theoretical)
- Practical work opportunity in the own campus
- Thorough knowledge in the areas they want to start with( e.g. Food & Beverage, Front office, Housekeeping, Finance etc.)
- On- site visit of Five Star hotels/ restaurants/ convention centers as a part of their study
- Meet and greet with the industry leaders to know the opportunities and challenges
- Part time job exposure
- Mandatory industrial attachment in hotels/ Motels/ Resorts/ Restaurants/ Convention Centers/ Travel companies/ Airlines and shipping companies
- To be attached with any hotel/ restaurants/ convention centers etc during their study
- Visiting historical places and make journal / documentation
- Learn and practice communicative English
- Develop special skills for hospitality industry
- Develop positive attributes
- Develop mindset to work and grow in the tourism sector
- They have to dream big and pursue it
Follow a particular website for tourism and hospitality - Continuous virtual learning besides academic study
- Continuous learning with good peers
The above competencies will open wide opportunites for the students to develop themselves to be confident and competitive. The persons having the said set of skills can also start up a small business in tourism and hospitality. As industry leaders, we also should support them, encourage and inspire them to love to work for this high demanding sector. The skilled workforce is always an asset for any country and contribute to the sustainable socio economic changes in the own community, country and beyond the borders.