Studying for a career in the International Hospitality Industry

Shannon College of Hotel Management Ireland
The hospitality and tourism industry is the world's largest service industry. It is currently experiencing rapid growth and offers the most diversified and dynamic career opportunities among service industries.
It encompasses management of travel, tourism, meetings and conventions, trade shows, fairs, private clubs and non-commercial food service and lodging operations. Each industry segment has its own characteristics, but they all share a common mission: serving the customer. 
The Irish Tourism Industry 
Tourism is making a significant contribution to Ireland's economy - it currently accounts for 6.2% of GNP and 5.7% of all exports. Thanks to tourism, Ireland can support three airlines, a large ferry company, dozens of quality golf courses and thousands of world class restaurants, hotels and guesthouses. There are magnificent art galleries, museums  interpretative centres, wildlife refuges, national parks and a host of other visitor attractions. 
Training and education for the international hospitality industry 
Ireland is at the cutting edge in the provision of training and education for the international hospitality and tourism industry. International tourism is estimated to have grown annually by 3.8% in the last decade of this century. Ireland's target is more than twice this figure. Hospitality  training and education has developed in tandem with this growth - it is matched to the skill needs of tourism as identified by research and individual establishment level. 
Quality standards and strong business performance in Irish Tourism depend to a large degree on a highly skilled workforce. There are a number of third level colleges in Ireland offering a range of courses conferring professional qualifications in the field of hospitality education. Many colleges combine a mixture of classroom theory and hands-on experience to prepare you for your careers, one such college is the Shannon College of Hotel Management. An example of this kind of course would be a four year program, combining two internships of two year's duration in international 
hotels providing experiance beyond what you will  learn in a classroom. The remaining two years would then be spent at college acquiring the necessary skills, including practical, language and business training. Research has shown that Irish graduates reach management positions and are better paid than graduates of many other hotel management colleges. Some of the world's most exclusive inter- national hotels are managed by graduates from Irish colleges, e.g. the Dorchester Hotel in London, the Kahala Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu and the seven star Chicago Beach Hotel in Dubai are managed by graduates of Shannon College of Hotel Management. Ireland's world-wide reputation for quality and professionalism will help you on your way to advancement in lucrative positions such as, Hotel/Restaurant Manager, Food and Beverage Manager, Rooms Divisions Manager, Hotel Banquet Manager etc. 
Few industries offer you the possibility for success that exist in the international hospitality industry, perhaps the fastest growing business in the world. It is estimated by the year 2000 there will be a 33% increase in job growth in hotel/restaurant positions. Such rapid growth has create  opportunities that until now were impossible. 
Ireland is famous for the welcome it extends to visitors - as a nation it is among the pioneers in hospitality education and is constantly at the leading edge of the newest technology and innovation. There has never been a better time to study in Ireland. The range of colleges, courses and qualifications on offer in the hospitality sector is second to none as Ireland continues to build on its reputation for excellence in education. You are in an ideal position to take advantage of the flourishing industry and receiving a diploma/ degree from one of the many options available in Ireland is your key to success.

Anna Cunningham

Shannon College of Hotel Management

Shannon College of Hotel Management
Shannon Airport
Co. Clare
Ireland

Tel: 353-61-712213

Fax: 353-61-475160

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admin@shannoncollege.com

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www.shannoncollege.com