A recent State of Hospitality report has indicated that up to 14 million new hospitality graduates will be needed to fill a skills gap by 2025.

The report also showed that hospitality operations will soon surpass pre-COVID levels to the value of US$502.7bn.

By 2025, growth is forecast to reach US$846bn in total spending within the travel and tourism industry. Tourism and hospitality constitute 4.7% of the total global GDP growth each year – equal to the construction industry.

As of 2021, there were 17.4 million global hotel rooms available to travellers and this is projected to grow to 18.6 million by the end of 2024.

The greatest proportional increase will be upscale luxury hotels, increasing from 4.1 million in 2021 to 4.7 million in 2024 – a crucial opportunity for upcoming hospitality graduates.

Skills gap ‘welcomed’

Lee-Anne Singer, FEDHASA Cape Chairperson, concurred that the need for skills in the hospitality industry was “massive”, although she added that it was a welcome addition to the hospitality and tourism landscape.

“It is very important that we have more and more players in the marketplace and industry to help upskill. Whilst we have educational institutions, it is very important that the curriculum is always matched up with workplace needs – this is key.

“It is also very important that a variety of programmes are presented. Having more qualified individuals entering hospitality and tourism will only make the industry stronger. By partnering closely with employers to shape practical training, we can build a talented, qualified workforce for the future,” Singer told Tourism Update.

Hospitality skills ‘transferable’

Etresia Booysen, a senior lecturer at The IIE School of Hospitality & Service Management (IIE HSM) in Rosebank, Johannesburg, noted that many hospitality management skills were transferable, so graduates could switch between industries and take on new opportunities as their life’s journey progressed.

“I always tell my students that the hospitality industry is so broad that they need to place themselves within it, and what you start off doing is not necessarily what you're going to do for the rest of your life. A hospitality qualification gives people a grounding and building blocks for a number of job prospects and careers,” Booysen said.

Singer added that hospitality was not only about soft skills like waitering, housekeeping and front of house, but also the very hard and necessary skills of revenue management, inventory management, channel management and understanding the role technology played in these businesses.

“Hospitality encompasses complex, specialised skills and should be recognised for the profession it is,” Singer said.

Hospitality management degrees provide graduates with a strong set of transferable skills, including those in high-demand in sectors outside of traditional hospitality roles, including management consulting, sports management, the financial sector and eCommerce.

IIE HSM offers the following qualifications: IIE Bachelor of Hospitality Management NQF 7; IIE Higher Certificate in Hospitality Management NQF 5; IIE Advanced Certificate in Hospitality Management NQF 6; IIE Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Leadership NQF 7.

Need for management positions

Singer said there was also a need for professional qualifications such as leadership positions, management positions, commercial skills – which was what the above degrees offered.

Renee Hill, IIE HSM’s MD, added that, by studying hospitality management, students acquired tangible in-demand skills that employers looked for in candidates.

“This applies to not only upper-level management skills and operation processes, but also marketable skills such as teamwork, leadership, design thinking, finance and budgeting and marketing.”

‘The bridge between students and the workplace’

Singer said FEDHASA had positioned itself as the bridge between students and the workplace, because it was a member-based organisation, it sat with databases of employers that could house graduates.

“I often joke and say that FEDHASA is a recruitment agency because we have so many educational institutions contacting us on a weekly basis saying: ‘We’ve got great students. Please help find a home for them!’ Within a couple of days, we place them with one of our members, so it is a win-win for both. FEDHASA is privileged to play that role because we are creating opportunities on both sides.”

The future of the hospitality industry

Singer believes that the future of hospitality lies in hospitality technology, which presents massive opportunities and will impact how hospitality businesses are run going forward.

“There is a serious lack of skills to drive this, especially when we consider the imminent convergence of property technology, hotel technology, travel technology and financial technology.

“This technology integration will transform hospitality, allowing for more efficient, customised and tech-enabled guest experiences. Training the next generation in these strategic skills, while ensuring fundamentals are not lost, is key. We can continue innovating by expanding perceptions of hospitality and promoting its technological possibilities,” Singer said.