ITM Group Of Institutions: Addressing the Existing Gaps of the Hospitality Education Segment through Industry-relevant Curriculum
Ujwala Sonawane, Dean, ITM Group Of Institutions
In the near future, the hospitality segment is expected to envisage robust growth and because of that, the demand for hotel management professionals is already at its peak. In addition to its glamour, a career in hotel management has become rewarding and adventurous, attracting more students to opt for it. With a notion to enrich the aspiring professionals of this domain with industry-specific trends and expertise, the ITM Institute of Hotel Management was established by Dr. P.V Ramana, Chairperson and the Founder of the ITM Group of Institutions. Being a man of vision, ventured into the field of education after his retirement and laid the foundation of a series of educational institutes catering to different verticals under one umbrella - the ITM Group of Institutions. Incepted in 2002, the ITM Institute of Hotel Management started its operations with their founding collaboration with Queen Margaret university, Edinburgh, UK and got its affiliation from the University of Mumbai in 2006. Ranked among the top Hotel Management Institutes in India, the ITM Institute of Hotel Management offers the best Hotel Management programs to train students and the syllabus is enriched by a cutting-edge curriculum, extensive industry connections, and practical internships with five-star properties.
Bridging The Gap Between Education & Industry Requirements
ITM IHM believes in providing industry-relevant education and caters to an extensive range of courses such as Bachelor of Arts in International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Bachelor of Arts in International Culinary Arts, B.Sc. in Hospitality Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts, Diploma in Patisserie and Confectionery, and Certificate Course in Cruise Operation. Through its advanced curriculum and pedagogical methodologies, ITM IHM aspires to address the existing gap between the education and industry requirements in the country. Reflecting on the same, Ujwala Sonawane, Dean, ITM Institute of Hotel Management, quotes, "The curriculum of the hospitality that is followed in India needs review and it has to be more relevant as well as up to date to address the current nuances of the hospitality segment. Secondly, I feel that the industry-academic interface is not as much as is required. At ITM IHM, for every subject that they offer each semester, there is a subject expert master class/ guest lecture, to ensure that the industry expert interacts with the students for that particular subject. By talking to the experts, their students get adequate subject knowledge and exposure that helps them in the long run. Lastly, the hospitality industry should also look at the veneration that is catered to the hospitality professionals at their nascent stage because a huge gap can be envisaged in the pay scale of the hospitality students who are at the beginning of their career in comparison to the budding professionals of other sectors such as IT, Management, and so on".
"Equipped with more than 29 years of experience in the industry, Ujwala has motivated and inspired generations of hospitality professionals. Currently she is working AT ITM IHM as the associate dean, responsible for academics of their Mumbai and Navi Mumbai campuses."
Focused on personal grooming, soft skills, language abilities & professional development for a comprehensive and all-around learning experience, ITM has collaborated with numerous industry partners and global institutions to develop advanced programs in hospitality and services management. Providing students with opportunities in different industries and sectors beyond the hotel management industry, Top-notch placements with an exciting and fulfilling experience is one of the main highlights of ITM IHM. Affiliated with the Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and University of Mumbai, the vision and mission of ITM IHM is to help its students develop professional skills and explore career prospective, in the national and international markets. "We encourage our students to achieve their true potential and make them future-ready. Our mission is to embark graduates with an international perspective of hospitality, tourism, and service industry, turning them into lifelong learners, and global citizens. To achieve this goal, we train our students accordingly", states Ujwala Sonawane.
"Through its advanced curriculum and pedagogical methodologies, ITM IHM aspires to address the existing gap between the education and industry requirement in the country"
At the institute, the students are groomed through an Industry-endorsed curriculum for Hospitality Management. Ensuring intense service-oriented practicals along with the highest number of study tours, ITM IHM has emerged as a premium educational institution in the field of hospitality education sector. Equipped with internationally trained & experienced faculty members, ITM IHM ensures world-class infrastructure along with One-On-One Corporate mentorship to the students that enables them to get clarity about the dynamics of the hospitality sector even before entering into it and emerge as prolific professionals. The holistic program offered by ITM IHM for students' overall development through soft-skills training and personality development with the Corporate Trainers, has grabbed the attention of many students and stalwarts alike.
Ensuring Advanced Pedagogical Methodologies
Apart from the factors like a research-based curriculum and experienced faculties on board, exclusive subjects like food history, culinary concept development, innovative product, and new enterprise creation, strategic leadership and tourism in developing economies, food blogging, food photography, and so on, give ITM IHM a unique identity within the industry as these subjects are rarely offered by other hospitality institutions of the country. The syllabus is enriched by a cutting-edge curriculum, extensive industry connections, and practical internships with five-star properties. Top-notch placements with an exciting and fulfilling experience are one of the main highlights of ITM IHM "Our students are exposed to a lot of field trips, where they experience winemaking, distillery, cheese making, brewing of tea, and so on. We take our students to the Shirdi kitchen, where the operation is huge. In this tour, students get to know about the exclusiveness of operating a large and efficient kitchen, which is 24/7 operational. Apart from that, students can see the equipment used in the kitchen to prepare massive meals to understand the complications and subtleness associated with serving a huge number of people. We also take our students to various hotels to make them aware of the difference between the commercial hotels and resorts, along with the distinctiveness of their functionality. These are some of the unique field trips that the students are taken to so that they can gain experience and learn accordingly", avers Ujwala Sonawane.
"For its contribution to the hospitality education sector, the ITM institute of hotel management was bestowed with the education excellence award at the Taj hotel Bangalore in 2021"
For its contribution to the hospitality education sector, the ITM Institute of Hotel Management was bestowed with the education excellence award at the Taj Hotel Bangalore in 2021. The institution was also awarded the top Hotel Management Institute Award by the Times Education Icon, in 2021 and 2022. ITM IHM has recently started offering a diploma in cruise course of four months duration to get the students ready to work on a cruise liner. The institution has also started providing a one-year Diploma in Bakery and Patisserie, to hone the skills of aspiring professionals in the F&B sector. "We are planning to add a few skill-based courses specifically for the verticals like F&B services, food production, housekeeping facility management. Currently, we are witnessing an upsurge across our international placements. At the moment 20 percent of our students are placed internationally and this figure is going to increase in the coming years. So, at present we are planning to majorly focus on this aspect", concludes, Ujwala Sonawane.
Bridging The Gap Between Education & Industry Requirements
ITM IHM believes in providing industry-relevant education and caters to an extensive range of courses such as Bachelor of Arts in International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Bachelor of Arts in International Culinary Arts, B.Sc. in Hospitality Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts, Diploma in Patisserie and Confectionery, and Certificate Course in Cruise Operation. Through its advanced curriculum and pedagogical methodologies, ITM IHM aspires to address the existing gap between the education and industry requirements in the country. Reflecting on the same, Ujwala Sonawane, Dean, ITM Institute of Hotel Management, quotes, "The curriculum of the hospitality that is followed in India needs review and it has to be more relevant as well as up to date to address the current nuances of the hospitality segment. Secondly, I feel that the industry-academic interface is not as much as is required. At ITM IHM, for every subject that they offer each semester, there is a subject expert master class/ guest lecture, to ensure that the industry expert interacts with the students for that particular subject. By talking to the experts, their students get adequate subject knowledge and exposure that helps them in the long run. Lastly, the hospitality industry should also look at the veneration that is catered to the hospitality professionals at their nascent stage because a huge gap can be envisaged in the pay scale of the hospitality students who are at the beginning of their career in comparison to the budding professionals of other sectors such as IT, Management, and so on".
"Equipped with more than 29 years of experience in the industry, Ujwala has motivated and inspired generations of hospitality professionals. Currently she is working AT ITM IHM as the associate dean, responsible for academics of their Mumbai and Navi Mumbai campuses."
Focused on personal grooming, soft skills, language abilities & professional development for a comprehensive and all-around learning experience, ITM has collaborated with numerous industry partners and global institutions to develop advanced programs in hospitality and services management. Providing students with opportunities in different industries and sectors beyond the hotel management industry, Top-notch placements with an exciting and fulfilling experience is one of the main highlights of ITM IHM. Affiliated with the Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and University of Mumbai, the vision and mission of ITM IHM is to help its students develop professional skills and explore career prospective, in the national and international markets. "We encourage our students to achieve their true potential and make them future-ready. Our mission is to embark graduates with an international perspective of hospitality, tourism, and service industry, turning them into lifelong learners, and global citizens. To achieve this goal, we train our students accordingly", states Ujwala Sonawane.
"Through its advanced curriculum and pedagogical methodologies, ITM IHM aspires to address the existing gap between the education and industry requirement in the country"
At the institute, the students are groomed through an Industry-endorsed curriculum for Hospitality Management. Ensuring intense service-oriented practicals along with the highest number of study tours, ITM IHM has emerged as a premium educational institution in the field of hospitality education sector. Equipped with internationally trained & experienced faculty members, ITM IHM ensures world-class infrastructure along with One-On-One Corporate mentorship to the students that enables them to get clarity about the dynamics of the hospitality sector even before entering into it and emerge as prolific professionals. The holistic program offered by ITM IHM for students' overall development through soft-skills training and personality development with the Corporate Trainers, has grabbed the attention of many students and stalwarts alike.
Ensuring Advanced Pedagogical Methodologies
Apart from the factors like a research-based curriculum and experienced faculties on board, exclusive subjects like food history, culinary concept development, innovative product, and new enterprise creation, strategic leadership and tourism in developing economies, food blogging, food photography, and so on, give ITM IHM a unique identity within the industry as these subjects are rarely offered by other hospitality institutions of the country. The syllabus is enriched by a cutting-edge curriculum, extensive industry connections, and practical internships with five-star properties. Top-notch placements with an exciting and fulfilling experience are one of the main highlights of ITM IHM "Our students are exposed to a lot of field trips, where they experience winemaking, distillery, cheese making, brewing of tea, and so on. We take our students to the Shirdi kitchen, where the operation is huge. In this tour, students get to know about the exclusiveness of operating a large and efficient kitchen, which is 24/7 operational. Apart from that, students can see the equipment used in the kitchen to prepare massive meals to understand the complications and subtleness associated with serving a huge number of people. We also take our students to various hotels to make them aware of the difference between the commercial hotels and resorts, along with the distinctiveness of their functionality. These are some of the unique field trips that the students are taken to so that they can gain experience and learn accordingly", avers Ujwala Sonawane.
"For its contribution to the hospitality education sector, the ITM institute of hotel management was bestowed with the education excellence award at the Taj hotel Bangalore in 2021"
For its contribution to the hospitality education sector, the ITM Institute of Hotel Management was bestowed with the education excellence award at the Taj Hotel Bangalore in 2021. The institution was also awarded the top Hotel Management Institute Award by the Times Education Icon, in 2021 and 2022. ITM IHM has recently started offering a diploma in cruise course of four months duration to get the students ready to work on a cruise liner. The institution has also started providing a one-year Diploma in Bakery and Patisserie, to hone the skills of aspiring professionals in the F&B sector. "We are planning to add a few skill-based courses specifically for the verticals like F&B services, food production, housekeeping facility management. Currently, we are witnessing an upsurge across our international placements. At the moment 20 percent of our students are placed internationally and this figure is going to increase in the coming years. So, at present we are planning to majorly focus on this aspect", concludes, Ujwala Sonawane.
