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Careers Info from Intec College

How to make the most of the "local is lekker" boom

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:30

The hospitality industry in South Africa continues to grow at a rapid rate as more and more tourists book their summer holidays along the Cape or KwaZulu-Natal coastline, enjoy a 4x4 game safari trip in The Kruger Park or tackle the Drakensberg peaks mid-winter.

Alive with possibilities and bursting with African culture and pride, South Africa is coming into its own ahead of 2010. If you are keen on joining the national hospitality industry the time is right for ambitious career seekers to sign up for courses which upskill them!

Quinton Meiring, INTEC College guidance counsellor says if you are a real people’s person, have a flair for organising, are a team-player and are a true local ambassador, you could have the right stuff to make a success of the hospitality industry.

Meiring advises there are numerous career paths under the hospitality umbrella. You can enrol at INTEC College and specialise in hotel management, tourism management, guest-house relations, food and beverage management, restaurant management or game-ranging management depending on what interests and motivates you.

So, how do you know which industry is your fit? INTEC’s Meiring answers a few commonly asked questions:

South Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing tourist destinations and up to 80 percent of visitors stay in hotels or guest houses. Your enthusiasm and professionalism within the hospitality industry will help build a positive image for the South Africa we all love and will create far-reaching benefits across SA’s economy. So with doors opening in all directions within the hospitality industry, you could look at working in-house at a large hotel chain, getting involved in the food and beverage side of the vocation or even managing your own guest house – a growing trend in SA. The possibilities really are endless!

If you love food, wine, fine dining, organising functions and managing people then working as a food and beverage manager at a hotel, guest house or restaurant would be an ideal career for you. Key skills that you will develop during your food and beverage management training include learning guest relations, purchasing and stock control, hotel accounting and law, catering, introduction to computers, hygiene, hospitality management and how to plan for a big event or banquet.

If the restaurant business is more your style, you could study for an INTEC Certificate in Restaurant Management. Here you will be responsible for ensuring the establishment operates efficiently and profitably while retaining its reputation and ethos. You will be required to coordinate a variety of activities such as maintaining a high standard of food, top form service, ensuring health and safety measures are regulated and managing the day-to-day business performance. You will work closely with finances and ensure that cash-ups are coordinated daily, suppliers are paid and customer payments are managed. Restaurant management is a fast-paced, highly demanding role but for those with the energy and drive is a very rewarding career.

A visit to The Kruger Park, Sabi Sabi or a private game reserve is a ‘must’ for tourists who want to experience an authentic safari and the Big Five up close. As a game ranger you will be responsible for educating visitors about the environment and ensuring the welfare of wildlife while playing your role in developing the local tourism market. Not everyone enjoys the nine to five life and with a 4x4, a crowd of lions and khaki pants as your office tools, a rewarding and enriching career as a game ranger could be your calling.

You could work at an established park such as the Kruger, Sabi Sabi or Addo Elephant Park or investigate smaller lodges such as The Garden Route Game Lodge. If wildlife parks are more appealing, you could investigate crocodile farms in Oudtshoorn or Cheetah Outreach projects such as Spier Wine Farm in the Cape.

A career in tourism management can lead you into a number of different job opportunities where you will be responsible for maintaining a positive image and developing local destinations.

You could work in a travel consultancy and arrange packages and holidays for international and local guests. Or you could work for the tourism information offices and assist people with their travel itineraries. Perhaps you want to open your own adventure tour operating company and take visitors on rock-climbing expeditions, bungee-climbing or sky-diving trips?

If the strategic side appeals to you, you could work in tourism marketing, creating and implementing new ways of attracting visitors to our shores. Even consider combining your knowledge of tourism management with other areas in hospitality such as guest house management, wildlife management or event coordination, hotel management or the food and beverage related industry to achieve a comprehensive and thorough skills base to work across these careers.

INTEC College is one of the recommended SA institutions where you can study hotel management, food and beverage management, game-ranging, tourism management, guest-house relations or restaurant management.

The distance-learning courses will allow you to study while you work, giving you the option of gaining some in-house practical training at the same time if you wish. Why not consider shadowing a manager in a hotel or a restaurant and learn the trade first hand?

INTEC College 0800 012 311 or www.intec.edu.za

It is highly recommended that you have a strong command of English – both written and verbal.

Study duration spans between eight to 24 months depending on the course you choose and you will require the following education grade to be considered for enrolment: