With a drop in the number of students opting for engineering degree programmes, increasing trend of candidates preferring other professional courses, and the increase in job opportunities for several specialised courses, Catering Science and Hotel Management is a course that seems to be having more takers.
S. Bernard, Head of the Department of Sankara College of Science and Commerce, says that that in the past couple of years there has been an upswing in admission and also placements.
Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, Managing Trustee of the AJK Educational and Charitable Trust that runs the AJK College of Arts and Science, adds that the increase in number of hotels and restaurants along with opportunities for the students in cruise liners, airline industry and even railways has also played a role in students preferring the course. There is also an opportunity for the students to become entrepreneurs.
This demand has seen students choosing the hotel management and catering science course over other courses resulting in seats in almost all the colleges in Coimbatore filled up.
Mr. Lal Mohan says that yet another reason for the seats in the course flying like hot cakes is that the practical component is given more importance than the theoretical aspect and points to the 18 hours practical out of the 30 hours students spend a week in the third, fourth and fifth semester of the six-semester course.
But not all agree with the upswing theory, though. N. Rajkumar, Principal of VLB Janakiammal College of Arts and Science, says that there appears to be a change in the perception and catering is no longer the favourite. The other interesting aspect with the course is that boys prefer the course over girls. In almost all the colleges the number of girls does not exceed 10 per cent of the total seats available.
This has to do with the opinion that the course is more suited to boys when they work in hotels, says P. Premkanna, Head of the Department, Catering Science and Hotel Management, Hindusthan College of Arts and Science.
There is also the perception rooted in the culture that work in hotel is looked down upon, says Mr. Bernard and adds that this has to do with the lack of awareness on the opportunities available in the hotel industry.
Students have options of working in the front office, kitchen, restaurant, service department or hosts at various places within the hotel.
(reporting by
Karthik Madhavan)
