A popular stereotype in the hotel and tourism industry is that people who work in this sector do not require any formal education. The general perception of vocational roles such as chefs or waiters within the sector is that these roles have no long-term ability to grow into impactful careers that significantly contribute to tourism sectors. The result is a very limited emergence of higher education institutions that invest in quality hotel and tourism education and, as a consequence, a growing H&T industry hampered by the lack of personnel with the quality and capacity to cater to this growth. This reality is even more pronounced in African countries that have only recently begun to develop their tourism industries. In 2016, the New Times Rwanda published an article on the shortage of trained personnel in Rwanda’s hospitality and tourism industry, commenting on how this scarcity has resulted in local companies depending on international skilled personnel for jobs that could be occupied by locals. Vatel Rwanda Just 2 years after the publication of this article, Vatel Hotel, and Tourism Business School established a campus in Rwanda. The School’s mission is to help bridge the skills gap by providing the highest standards of education in H&T locally. The Vatel Group of schools comprises 50 campuses spread across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. With over 30 years of experience in developing professionals for the H&T industry, Vatel is ranked amongst the top 10 hospitality schools in the world. Since its inception, Vatel Rwanda has trained 57 students for managerial positions through its Bachelor’s degree program in International Hotel Management and is changing the narrative within the local industry. Over the course of their degree program, they have acquired intensive hands-on work experience, preparing them to undertake executive-level roles immediately upon completion of their studies. Vatel students are actively contributing to the H&T industry, not only as skilled employees but also as solution providers, with some students having chosen to become entrepreneurs and have launched their own ventures in the H&T industry. Learning model Vatel’s unique learning model consists of a progressive mixture of theoretical learning and professional experiences. Each year for the 3-year duration of the degree program, students are exposed to a mix of theory and practical applications, with an additional 4 months mandatory internship in hospitality establishments at the end of each school year. As part of the curriculum, Vatel students acquire core operational, legal, financial marketing, and linguistic skills for their field. They also learn crucial managerial techniques and leadership skills. Their placements in renowned hospitality establishments for their practical applications enable the students to acquire on the job training and provides them with the opportunity to put into practice the theoretical knowledge they have received in class and to suggest new and innovative ways to improve the job processes that they encounter in the industry. A testament to the importance that Vatel places on practical learning has been the establishment of Nyurah, a high-end restaurant where Vatel students are exposed to various roles ranging from Executive Chefs to Food and Beverage managers. Nyurah serves as a culinary center of excellence, where the students get to work alongside fine-dining experts who teach and mentor them to achieve their career goals. Integrated into the Vatel learning model is the Marco Polo program where students are provided the opportunity to spend their second year at another Vatel campus in order to broaden their international exposure. The international nature of the program helps students develop a culture of tolerance and open-mindedness which are essential for those who wish to succeed in the service sector. With this program, students can: discover a new country; experience a new culture; learn an additional foreign language while continuing their hotel management studies with our curriculum. MasterCard Foundation Hanga Ahazaza Initiative Vatel Rwanda is also part of the MasterCard Hanga Ahazaza initiative, a $50 million five-year initiative focused on increasing employment opportunities for young people while expanding the tourism and hospitality sectors in Rwanda. In collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, Vatel Rwanda commenced the Rwanda Enterprise and Employment Initiative project in 2018. The overall goal of the program is to provide high-quality training and education for young people seeking to join the hospitality sector and to upgrade the skills of those who are already employed in the sector and wish to progress further in their careers. Student testimonials Meet Hagenimana Jean de Dieu who is a final year student in our BA program. He describes his journey with Vatel and how it has been so far. “As I researched before starting my application to Vatel Rwanda, I was happy to learn that Vatel would provide their students with both theoretical classes and practical experience from the industry. Besides taking us to the world through a series of industrial attachments, Vatel Rwanda brings the world to us by bringing in guest speakers from the industry who share with us their experience in the hospitality and tourism industry. I really enjoyed learning from these sessions as some of our guest speakers have turned into my mentors. This program has taught me to be focused on my dream and professionalism and opened my mind more about the hotel and tourism industry. Vatel has taught me that working hard is not enough if I am not honest and passionate about what I do, and I felt it. In my future, I want to do marketing. I want to collaborate with the fantastic team marketing RWANDA to the rest of the world, to boost the number of tourists who visit our remarkable destination.” - Jean de Dieu Hagenimana Another story is of a recent graduate of the Vatel Rwanda Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program, Salama Umohoza. She was one of the first recipients of the MasterCard Foundation scholarship under this program. has been in the hospitality industry for nine years and is currently a Branch Manager at Bourbon Coffee Ltd. She is passionate about conserving the environment and owns Salama Tours & Travel Agency Ltd, a company located in Lemigo Hotel. She shares her journey with Vatel below. “I chose Vatel Rwanda for many reasons. First, it is an international school aiming to prepare younger generations for a successful hotel and tourism management career. The RPL program is helping me grow my company by using the tools and materials I got from our qualified lecturers. This program was beneficial to me because our studies were captured in all corners. As a startup, I needed to know how to apply human resources, relevant and impactful marketing strategies, financial management, and complaint handling. From the course, I also learned how to make a customer’s trip memorable, how to perform target segmentation, what my USP is, my competitive advantages, and the impact of my business on local communities.”- Salama Umohoza With a fast-growing hospitality and tourism industry in Rwanda, there is a clear need for skilled, well-exposed, and experienced personnel that is locally groomed and easily accessible by the different Rwanda H&T stakeholders. Vatel Rwanda currently has its BA program applications opened for admissions and prospective students can apply at www.vatel.rw or email their admissions team at info@vatel.rw for more information.
