CATHM / Swiss Education Group
Managed Internship (placement) Programme
Objective
Hotel management students constitute a source of motivated, professional, flexible, (semi) trained and economical personnel. Employing the right internship students can significantly enhance the service provision within a hotel, with minimal (financial or resource) investment. This is because internship students are 'guaranteed' to remain in position and perform to the best of their ability for the duration of their internship, since their academic programme and future prospects depend on this. Just as importantly, internship students in effect 'come to you' (since the administration is undertaken by the hotel school), meaning hotels avoid the high and recurring costs of recruitment.
Finally, if the correct relationship is developed, hotels can benefit from a 'rolling supply' of the best internship students, which means that resource planning and the headaches of seasonal workers, with insufficient skills and experience, low motivation and thus poor retention, can be minimised!
The objective of the CATHM/SEG Managed Internship Programme (MIP) is to establish a professional and efficient system to oversee the recruitment and management of internship (placement) students for participating hotels, in order to maximise the 'value added' to individual establishments and the students that participate.
The Right Partner… The Best Internees
The key to achieving this objective lies in establishing a strong, yet flexible and, above all, trustworthy partnership with a suitable hotel school.
The Swiss Education Group (SEG) owns and operates three of Switzerland's leading hotel schools, which together educate and train over 1600 students a year, making SEG Switzerland's leading provider of hospitality education in English (www.swisseducation.com) In the main the students study a 5-term (2.5 year) diploma, which consists of 3 academic terms (terms 1,3 and 5) of 18 weeks. The programmes are highly practical in nature, with students accruing plenty of 'hands-on' experience. All the tuition in SEG schools is in English, so students are guaranteed to have a strong command of English (verbal and written). The remaining part of the programme consists of 2 mandatory internships of a minimum of 16 weeks (terms 2 and 4). Some students opt to do a third internship after they complete their diploma, or even a fourth alongside study towards a BA or MA qualification. The MIP will only seek students undertaking their second (or subsequent) internship, as they will have had more theoretical input, be more practically experienced, older, more mature and generally more able than students seeking their first internship. As such, each hotel will gain the maximum benefit from the internees they employ.
Programme Management
The Managed Internship Programme will be developed and managed by Dr. Craig Thompson, the Managing Director of CATHM, Centre of Applied Tourism and Hospitality Management, at Macdonald Highland Resort in Aviemore. Dr Thompson was Academic Director with SEG for the past 5 years and thus has an intimate knowledge of the programmes offered, a real understanding of the abilities and nature of the students and a great working relationship with all schools within the Group.
Internees would, of course, report to the line managers in the hotels in which they were employed. But Dr Thompson would provide support to the hotels in managing and administering the internees and would provide the interface with SEG, so that any issues that arose would be swiftly and effectively addressed.
Programme Dates and Duration
SEG internees can be employed between February and late August (up to 7 months) and between July and February (up to 6 months). However, as internships have to be for a minimum of 16 weeks in duration, the actual start and finish dates of internships can be adjusted to suit requirements of each establishment. These dates mean that it is possible (though not essential) to 'overlap' and thus 'double up' internees in July and August, which provides additional support during these busy months and facilitates a smooth changeover.
Selection
All that is required of each GM/HoD is terms of selection is that they inform The Programme Manager (Dr Thompson) of their requirements (how many internees, for how long, to undertake what roles) by the end of March and October each year, by completing the application form below.
All the remaining administration (selection, interviewing, administration, travel arrangements etc.) will then be undertaken by Dr. Thompson in association with SEG. Establishments do not have to pay any costs for administration or travel.
What is Required from You
Though the internees selected will be experienced and mature, they will perform best with support and guidance. In most instances the Programme Manager will provide this, but it would be beneficial if each establishment could identify a mentor for internees. This may be the GM, but devolving the mentoring responsibility to another member of staff has the advantage of offering this employee more responsibility and a training function, which can have additional benefits for the establishment.
Internees will normally require accommodation, but this does not have to be within the establishment, since the timescale described allows time to arrange external accommodation.
Internees will expect to be paid, but the minimum wage will be sufficient in most instances. However, if an establishment has particular requirements, for example an older, more experienced/ qualified student, then the rate may be adjusted accordingly. Internships are part 'work experience' and part 'cooperative education', so internees will expect to work and learn during their placements. This means that some element of training and development must be included in the internship, but GMs can determine the degree and nature of this component with support from the Programme Manager.
Similarly, internees need to be assessed on their internship, but much of this is managed by the internees themselves (in the form of a weekly journal and a reflective report) and the remaining components can be organised and managed by the Programme Manager.
And in Return…
You will employ a professional, experienced, educated and motivated member of staff, for a period that suits you! Internees can be employed at craft level, but establishments are likely to benefit most it they test internees in a variety of roles and in more challenging positions. You will also have the full support of Switzerland's leading hotel school group and the Programme Manager!
If you wish to participate in the managed Internship Progamme please complete the standard application form by clicking here
Starting the hospitality revolution...
CATHM is operated in association with Macdonald Hotels.
makes a stir...
