Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow
EducationWorld November 05 | EducationWorld
One of the oldest government promoted hotel management institutes in India, Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow’s 23 batches of graduates occupy important positions in the hospitality and allied industries Spread over four lush acres in the heart of the city, the Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow (IHML), is the fifth oldest government established hotel management institute in India. Promoted in 1969 as the Food Craft Institute, it was upgraded to the status of a full-fledged hotel management business school offering a three year B.Sc degree in hospitality and hotel administration under the aegis of the ministry of tourism, in 1980. Today, the 23 batches of students who have graduated from IHML and occupy important positions in the hospitality and allied industries, are a testimony to its success. Eminent alumni include Virag Joshi, CEO Pizza Hut, Anurag Bajaj, general manager, Hotel Marina, Mumbai and Rashi Puri, general manager, Gemini Continental, Lucknow. The IHML bachelor of science programme, offered jointly with the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), imparts training in core areas such as food production, food and beverage service, front office operation and housekeeping. These are combined with training inputs in sales and marketing, financial management, human resource development, hotel and catering law and property management besides entrepreneurship development. While NCHMCT provides the hospi-tality and catering curriculum, IGNOU’s course material includes study programmes in tourism management, English communication skills, HRD and entrepreneurship. “Although there is no official ranking of hotel management institutes by NCHMCT, I believe IHML, being one of the oldest, is among the top choices of students who write the joint entrance exam of hotel management institutes supervised by NCHMCT,” says Arun Kumar Singh, principal of IHML. An alumnus of the Thames Valley University, UK, Singh is also credited with the promotion and upgradation of the Food Craft Institute, Jodhpur. The enviable reputation IHML enjoys among the rising number of aspirational hotel management students could be attributed to the institute’s high quality 16-member faculty which includes professionals with career stints in the International Labour Organisation, government of India and several top-rung hotel chains. Moreover six hands-on professionals from the hospitality and corporate sectors constitute the institute’s crack visiting faculty. “A growing number of our graduates are being recruited in industries such as banking and entertainment which have no direct connection with hospitality. Moreover our students routinely attain vice presidential positions in corporate enterprises while many have become successful entrepreneurs. I attribute this to the all round personality development education provided by IHML,” avers Singh. This employment mix is also reflected in the companies which visit the IHML campus for placement. Last year, the list included ICICI Prudential, Jet Airways, Wills Lifestyle, Max Health Care, Raddisson Hotels, Taj Group, Overture and Hyatt Regency among others. The 600-member alumni association also serves as a strong recruiting network. According to Singh, the distinguishing characteristic of the IHML B.Sc degree is the high premium on practical training. “It makes all the difference,”…