The demand for hospitality services has grown over the years. To match the current demand and stay abreast of changes, the industry has embraced innovative ways to nurture efficient solutions and hence demand skilled professionals.
SRM Institute of Hotel Management, Kattankulathur, is the paragon among producing the most industry-ready hospitality leaders disrupting the field for a brighter future. The Institute prides itself on offering a curriculum that mirrors the latest trends and technological advancements. From cutting-edge culinary techniques to the nuances of sustainable tourism, SRM ensures that students are well-prepared to meet the demands of the modern hospitality landscape.
SRM Institute has been dedicated to spreading holistic hospitality education for three decades. The Institute revamps the syllabus once every three years, and it is one of the great outstanding phenomena of SRM IHM. It offers 100 per cent placement assistance to students with the help of all the renowned hotels and retail sectors.
The hotels of the SRM brand offer opportunities for the students to receive training in special expertise as per their needs. The experience and exposure that the students gain by serving high cadre officials like the honourable governor, Chief Minister, other ministers of his cabinet, and administrative officers are abundant. The curriculum of the PG Diploma in Culinary Arts is framed in such a way that the graduates of any stream can become a hotelier after the completion of their course.
Paving Better Hospitality Paths
The institute aims to achieve excellence in the field of hospitality and tourism education and to be the preferred recruitment destination.
The motto of the Institute is – “Education to employment, learn by doing and earn while you learn.”
It aims to achieve the following goals:
- To be tailor-made to the needs of the tourists and the tourism industry.
- Nurturing empathetic professionals ready to feed, accommodate, and secure in the field of hospitality and tourism.
- To bring out graduates and postgraduates as employees, employers, and entrepreneurs.
Revamping the Learning Ways
The board of studies meeting at SRM is held once every three years to revamp the syllabus of the degree, diploma, and PG Diploma courses. The board members are comprised of academicians from other colleges, hoteliers, book writers, and other department academicians. Every time, the syllabus is modified to be up-to-date and in line with the industry.
The modifications and the changes that prevail in the industry are included in the syllabus. Every subject is streamlined to impart the essential skills required for the students to achieve success in their lives. The new norms followed in the hotels after the pandemic in kitchen, restaurant, accommodation operation, and front office have been imparted in the syllabus. Courses on entrepreneurship, life skills, and human values all have been included in the curriculum of the students.
SRM Institute of Hotel Management believes in the holistic development of every individual student. That’s why, more than classroom teaching, the students are given a wide range of exposure to participate in competitions that happen across the globe as its student, Ms. S. Anushree, has participated in the World Skills Competition that was held in Montreal, Switzerland. Also, other students, Anto and Saurabh, won silver medals at the Southeast Asian Culinary Challenge in Sri Lanka. Students also receive ample exposure to serve in Raj Bhavan, Secretariat, and government meetings with high cadres. The students are taken for industrial visits to learn the nuances of the industry.
As mentioned earlier, with the revamping of the syllabus being done once every three years, all the changes that are implemented in the industry are covered in the syllabus. The opportunities that students receive to do their internships and also their outdoor catering strongly help them stay in line with the ever-changing hospitality industry.
Bridging Industry-Academia Gaps
At SRM, every student has to undergo Industrial Exposure Training for one semester, which has 16 credits, and the students undergo their training in every department of the hotel. Besides the regular internship, the students received additional international exposure Training for two successive years. In 2021 and 2022, the students went to Doha, Qatar, for the Arab FIFA Cup and FIFA World Cup. The students are encouraged to be personal butlers and assistants to the hoteliers who visit the country for special purposes.
The Institute’s Pearl Jubilee Alumni Meet 2023 was held on 8th November 2023, and the success stories narrated by its alumni are stupendous and worth mentioning. Not only in the hospitality industry but also as lawyers, in the police department, in the government sector, entrepreneurs, academicians, in government offices, and so on.
Mr. Ritesh Sharma is the general manager of Taj Palace Hotel, Mumbai; Mr. Arun Raj is the COO of Accord Hotels; Ms. Cheruba Charis Nelson is the proprietor of Les Amis Bakery; Mr. Sumith, the Front Office Manager of Whitefield Marriott, Mr. Keshav Krishna, the founder of Cheers Chocolates, Mr. L. R. Prabhakaran, Advocate at Madras High Court, Ms. Aishwarya, Sous Chef of Cambridge Mills Flour and the list continues.
The students here are always encouraged to be creative and innovative in all areas of their performance, be it academic or extracurricular. Separate workshops are conducted for plating presentations. They were able to get 67 medals in the 6th edition of the South India Chef’s Association Culinary Exhibition and Challenge.
Not only in food production but also in the preparation of cocktails and mocktails and in the category of preparing wealth from waste. Innovatively, they also participate in many competitions like cultural and technical and have won great laurels and medals.
Strive for Responsible Tourism
In hospitality, sustainability and ethical practices are crucial elements addressed in various ways within the curriculum. Incorporating specific courses or modules focusing on sustainable practices in hospitality, covering topics such as eco-friendly operations, resource management, waste reduction, and responsible tourism.
The Institute also invites experts from the industry to share the policies and practices followed in their hotels toward sustainability and ethical practices. Universal Human Values have been made mandatory for all the students of the first year with two credits. Faculty members attend faculty development programs and master development programs on Universal Human Values, which is, in turn, imparted to the students.
More than 15 SRM students of 2023 passed out have been placed in the hotels of the USA under the recruitment being done by Big Cedar Lodge, USA, and Wisdom Career Education Consultancy. Additionally, with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Qatar Star Services, 355 students received the opportunity to receive International Exposure Training at the Arab FIFA Cup 2021 and FIFA World Cup 2022. The Institute’s faculty members are sent to Faculty Development Programs outside the country, like at SWISS Hotel Management Institute, Switzerland.
Embracing Inclusivity
Creating a diverse and inclusive learning environment in hotel management programs involves various intentional measures and practices like Recruiting a diverse faculty and staff representing different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, which allows for diverse perspectives in teaching methods, curriculum development, and student support. SRM curriculum is designed to give importance to practical, theory, case studies, projects, industrial visit examples, and materials that represent a wide range of demographics and backgrounds.
The Institute encourages and supports student-led diversity clubs or organizations that celebrate different cultures, backgrounds, and identities. Added to this, organizing events, workshops, and activities promotes understanding and inclusivity among students.
Hospitality service is more human-centric, and even with the advanced technology, the service by humans, for humans, is always encouraged. Yet, many changes have been implemented to be on par with the trends. Teaching aids have become technological, and assessing students has become digitalized.
Along with the blooming of new technology, SRM IHM is taking up all initiatives to elevate hospitality to higher levels. Its faculty members are being sent for all training across the globe. To mention a few, Ms. J. Lalitha Shri, the Vice Principal of the college, is attending the FDP organized by SWISS Hotel Management College, Geneva, on AI in the Hospitality Industry. Moreover, Mr. Nithyanandan, the assistant professor, will be attending the FDP in Switzerland, which will be held shortly.
SRM’s students get their results within ten days of finishing their exams. Moreover, interactive methods like gamification, online quizzes, and collaborative projects that leverage technology to engage students and reinforce learning are incorporated at SRM. By integrating these approaches, students can understand how technology is transforming the hospitality industry and develop the skills needed to adapt and thrive in a tech-driven environment.
