Laflèche College, in Mauricie, offers students of its hotel management technique to learn in the workplace, a new method that allows them to integrate the first, second and third years in the field from the start of their training.
In total, the students will work just over 970 hours over three years in one of the 17 partner hotels in the program. At the rate of two days a week, all these hours of work will be remunerated.
“We think it can be attractive for future students,” hopes the professor responsible for learning in the workplace, David Gélinas.
This is a possible solution to the labor shortage that has been increasingly felt since the arrival of the pandemic. Employees are lacking in the hotel and tourism sector, assured the marketing director of the Baluchon Éco-villégiature, Émilie Gélinas.
“Precisely, this is the reason for my participation in learning in the workplace. [On va] try to find passionate, dynamic people to join the team, young people as well,” explained the general manager of the Énergie Shawinigan hotel, Rachel Larivière.
“The student who is going to be there in training can, subsequently, be hired by the workplace to become an employee during the session,” added the professor.
The reality of the labor market has also changed. After numerous closures and then reopenings, managers must constantly adapt to the evolution of the health crisis.
“The customer profile is very, very different from what it was before the pandemic. Last minute reservations, last minute cancellations. Let’s say there is less stability.”
The new training will allow future recruits to see how an establishment is relaunched in the current context, commented Mr. Gélinas.
The revised program also includes an eco-responsible component with objectives in terms of sustainable development, local purchase, in bulk, as well as better use of water and packaging.
For Ms. Gélinas, this will be an opportunity to support students in the various eco-responsible actions, while many are already in place at the Baluchon Éco-villégiature.
Even if the industry has been sluggish for the past two years, managers are hopeful that the latest deconfinement plan presented by Quebec will boost sales.
“We expect to rebuild our hotel environment,” rejoiced the owner of the Hotel OUI GO!, Gilles Babin.
But managers will still have to do without up to 60% of their income without business tourism.
The Association Hôtellerie Québec has asked that meeting and convention rooms be reopened, while just over three-quarters of establishments in the province rent them.
While the hotel market has been experiencing ups and downs since the arrival of the virus, some are taking the opportunity to invest elsewhere.
This is the case of Rebel Hôtel, which chose Trois-Rivières to inaugurate a collective dwelling. Similar to a small hotel complex, there are rooms and common areas for the occupants.
The big difference is that the rental is long term. A safer bet, because occupancy rates in hotels amount to 5 to 10%, mentioned the general manager of Rebel Hotel, Jean-Charles Goyeche.
According to him, COVID-19 has even accelerated the craze for this type of living environment, which makes it more profitable than hotels in certain measures.
Reference-www.tvanouvelles.ca