Press Release (cbedit@imaws.org)
The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Marriott Hotels India Pvt Ltd on May 11, 2022. With a mutual understanding and agreement to enhance the learning experience of hospitality education and training at IIHM, the MoU aims at enhancing the learning experience of the students of hospitality management at IIHM to create a highly employable graduate.
According to the MoU, Marriott India will train the 2nd and 3rd-year classes doing Bachelors and Diploma courses in Hospitality Management in IIHM. They will provide mentorship, career guidance, guest lectures and assistance in project work to impart industry trends and enhance the learning experience of students. Further, students of IIHM will get the first preference to be placed in Marriott hotels across India for their industrial training programmes.
Elaborating on other aspects of the MoU, future students of IIHM will be delighted for the privilege to be a part of this exemplary programme. Securing their future, Marriott India will extend its first preference to recruit qualified students of IIHM at an entry-level position or any applicable existing opportunity in Marriott India.
“Marriott and IIHM have done many things together and this MoU will further celebrate this partnership and bridge the gap between academia and industry and create future talent in the hospitality industry. IIHM has been leading in the education platform of the hospitality industry and for us to partner and try to further enhance the education levels, ensure that we can have internships and eventually create job opportunities in our portfolio of hotels. This MoU will help to add value to the system and uplift the education levels of students and eventually, we hope that a large part of them join the Marriott family. I feel that they will have an edge over others as they will not only learn the basics of hospitality from IIHM but also the nuances of working in a corporate organisation like Marriott International,” said Gaurav Singh, Market Vice President, East India and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Marriott Hotels.
“IIHM and Marriott share a significant bond and this MoU will strengthen the bond between us and help us to work closely. Marriott Hotels India is one of the first organisations in this industry to think of such a programme to bring the industry and academia to work together and garner real talent. For the first time, such a structured arrangement has been put into place with a special classroom designed according to Marriott’s guidelines students will also get to do their internship at Marriott Hotels and if they pass the selection criteria, they will also be selected for placement at the hotels,” said Dr Suborno Bose, the Founder and Chairman of IIHM.
Lizanne Pinto, Area Director, HR, South and East India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Marriott Hotels added, “We have been working with IIHM for a very long time in various cities. We are happy to join in this effort to enhance students’ careers and make sure that they are industry-ready.”
“This is a historic marriage between the largest and prestigious hotel group in the world and IIHM, a universally respected leader of hospitality management education. This initiative will create wider and better opportunities and career paths for all IIHM students across the world, further demonstrating why IIHM is the international Hospitality Management College of the 21st century,” said Prof David Foskett, MBE, renowned hospitality educator and author and Chairman of International Hospitality Council (IHC), London.
Chef Himanshu Taneja, Culinary Director of Marriott International, said, “It’s a great day for all of us as Marriott collaborates with IIHM, the best hospitality institute in the country. The talent that we will get from this collaboration will be truly commendable.”
Chef Shaun Leonard, Executive Chef and Culinary Programme Leader, BHMS, Switzerland and FIIHM, who joined this historic moment virtually, said, “It is an important moment for IIHM students to secure their future and it is important for leading hotel groups like Marriott International to secure the future of our students and our industry.”