Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration: The Complete Hotelier

BACK IN 1986, RAMDAS M PAI, chancellor of Manipal Acad­emy of Higher Education, and the late YC Deveshwar, ex-chairman, ITC Limited, signed an agree­ment to form a college benchmarking industry-academia partnership in hotel management education. That is how Welcomgroup Graduate School of Ho­tel Administration came into being, and its unique strength is the MAHE-ITC Ltd professional collaboration. Thus began the first course of Bachelor’s in Hotel Management (BHM) in the country.
WGSHA as a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, a deemed university (UGC) and an Institute of Eminence (Gov­ernment of India), received NAAC ac­creditation (A++) in 2022. The college is approved by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for BHM and MHM (Master’s in Hotel Manage­ment) programmes.

WGSHA is accredited by the World Association of Chefs’ Societies and the Indian Federation of Culinary Associa­tions. It is the first and only hospital­ity school in the Asia-Pacific region to be accredited by the “Hotel Schools of Distinction” in the US. The college has also been certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India as a licensed food busi­ness operator.

The college’s interna­tional collaborations pro­vide flexible career options to students. The institute has academic partnerships with colleges in Canada, Bulgaria, Italy, France and Indonesia. Active collabo­rations are on currently with George Brown College of Applied Arts & Tech­nology, Ontario, Canada; the SAGES Institute International, Surabaya, Indonesia; Campus Etoile Academy, Italy; IMI International Management Institute, Switzerland; Hospitality Connection SA, HOSCO, Switzerland; Ducasse Education, France; City & Guilds, UK; Alliance Française; HRC Culinary Academy, Bulgaria; Culinary Arts Academy of Switzerland; CAST Alimenti, Brescia, Italy; INTRECCI, Castiglione in Teverina, Italy; Wine & Spirits Education Trust, UK; and Hospitality & Tourism Management Institute, Switzerland, among others.

Through a public-private partner­ship, the college has floated its Student and Faculty Mobility Programme under the National Council for Hotel Manage­ment and Catering Technology. Recruit­ers from among the top brands in India and overseas visit the campus, including Fortune 500 companies.

For over three decades, WGSHA has been attempting to bridge the compe­tency gap between the requirements of the global hospitality industry and academia by imparting education that caters to current trends in the industry. The college also endeavours to stream­line student evaluation and feedback processes—the two crucial components in the teaching-learning process.

The WGSHA faculty is committed to imparting contemporary education, and students benefit from their exper­tise every single day. The faculty mem­bers bring with them a blend of academ­ic experience and industry exposure.

We offer several undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, includ­ing Bachelor’s in Hotel Management (BHM), BA (Culinary Arts), Master’s in Hotel Management (MHM & CT) and MSc (Dietetics & Applied Nutrition). We also offer a host of certification pro­grammes, including Wine Appreciation Programmes, and several courses from City & Guilds, UK.

The programmes aim to pro­vide students with a strong base of knowledge, skills and hone the right attitude required for employabil­ity/leadership roles in hospitality and restaurant operations, management and entrepreneurship. Our Culinary Arts undergraduate and postgraduate programmes aim to provide aspiring culinary professionals with a globally benchmarked educational experience and qualification. The courses are de­signed by top chefs from India and focus on hands-on training. Proficient chefs and guest chefs from around the world handle the classes.

Apart from the university scholar­ships (Achievers’ scholarships, SAGES scholarships, Konkani scholarships etc), the college offers prizes, medals and even internal scholarships by alumni and other partners. These include ITC Chairman’s Gold Medal for the univer­sity topper of BA (Culinary Arts), ITC Chairman’s Gold Medal for the best outgoing students of BHM and BA (Cu­linary Arts), Chef Floyd Cardoz Scholar­ship, Lourdes Scholarship, Ricky Victor D’Souza Memorial Award (Gold Medal), Prof Trevor Devas Award, G Sathyavathi Award, and so on.

The alumni have instituted endow­ment awards and conduct workshops. Alumnus and six-time Michelin-starred celebrity chef Vikas Khanna has donated a culinary museum dis­playing antique utensils and tools worth $2 million. The museum is listed by the Limca Book of Records as India’s “First Living Culinary Arts Museum”. Our students get an op­portunity to network with industry leaders, academic experts, entrepre­neurs and alumni. The students are also encouraged to take part in vari­ous community services through the Volunteer Service Organisation (VSO), a community service wing of the uni­versity, and sporting activities.

WGSHA also organises structured workshops on soft skills, such as com­munication, interpersonal relations, problem-solving capacity, decision-making skills, etc that help them adapt to challenging environments. Simulations, culinary boot camps, food enthusiasts’ programmes, wine appreciation programmes, expert ses­sions, food festivals, etc are conducted frequently to add to the students’ learn­ing and exposure. To strengthen our students’ skillsets, the college has cre­ated a student-run restaurant, Classic Café, a student-run pastry shop, Min­istry of Bakery, and a gourmet store of food products on campus.

Well-equipped modern kitchens and bakeries for contemporary learn­ing experiences meet the specialised training needs of students on par with industry standards. Students can gain practical understanding of the disciplines by using course-specific laboratories like Front Office Training Lab for simulations and hands-on learning with hotel software and Mock Guest Room for students’ practical learning in housekeeping; Student Training Restaurants and our Unique Mock Bar for demonstrations and practical learning.

Students of WGSHA are well known for their self-confidence, and the industry finds them more respon­sible and courageous to take up newer challenges.

About The Author

K Thirugnanasambantham

K Thirugnanasambantham is Principal, Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration