THE Irish tourism industry is currently producing more jobs than graduates - while applications for some courses in the sector have fallen.
There are, however, a number of highly significant tourism-related courses available at a number of institutions that should result in a rewarding career for graduates. One of the most prestigious courses is the Diploma course in international hotel management with a BComm option at UCG offered by the Shannon College of Hotel Management.
This college, which was founded in 1951, believes that industry experience at operational, supervisory and trainee management level is a central part of management training and that language training is vital to working in the industry. Accordingly, the college's diploma course has a high degree of practical training and language instruction.
Taken over four years the Shannon diploma in international hotel management includes courses on accommodation services food and beverage studies management and communications economics and statistics financial accounting marketing principles human resource management and either French or German.
In second year students go abroad for the entire year on work experience to improve their operational knowledge of the hotel industry and foreign language fluency. They also undertake distance learning courses in marketing, business policy and human resource management.
Third year is generally spent on campus as students build on the practical knowledge they have acquired abroad - while the final year comprises a trainee management stage or internship with major hotel groups in Europe or the US. Those who intend pursuing the BComm option in UCG follow much the same course as those taking the diploma, but spend less time away and greater emphasis is placed on modified parts of the diploma's business aspects.
Anna Cunningham of Shannon College of Hotel Management says the college takes in about 50 students every year and only has about 200 students on its books at any one time.
