Our Industry Connections

The Hotel School has built a strong network of industry partners who provide an invaluable resource for internships and Work Integrated Learning as well as other activities. We enjoy a  reputation for producing hard-working and eager students to our partners who are an invaluable part of your learning.

Our academic team also enjoys a robust professional network in their capacity as educators as well as from prior experience in the industry. They can share these connections with you as you progress through your studies, sometimes yielding valuable opportunities for work or mentorship.

Interview with Lyndsey, Director of Human Resources at Grand Hyatt Melbourne

Our emphasis on industry experience through internships is a main benefit for students studying at The Hotel School. In 2021 our Professional Learning Centre advertised 10,682 industry experience opportunities for students. These included work experience, volunteer work, job vacancies and internship opportunities, and were in addition to the options available via industry networking events and annual careers expos.

Up to 78% of our students are employed before graduation. 98% are employed within 6 months after graduating.

Contribution to curriculum design – We consult with industry professionals on curriculum design in order to ensure that content is up to date and relevant to industry needs. The following industry partners among others contributed to the development of our courses: InterContinental Hotels Group, Accor, Marriot and TFE. The partners covered the skills and knowledge industry look for in new and upcoming talent in the various areas within hotels and hospitality.

Guest Speaker Series – We invite an Industry Guest Speaker to present to a class for every subject we deliver. They provide insights and expertise on the content and, in some cases, provide case study material for assessments. Guest speakers are chosen for their practical and relevant experience, which supports the theoretical content of the subject.

Our Industry involvement enhances learning with story telling and case examples in ‘real time’ and of which are highly topical and relevant to students. For example Robert McKenna from TFE Hotels provided a compelling, honest and raw account of the challenges he faced with COVID-19 last year. Involving Industry in the academic program and extra-curricular activities directly provides opportunities for employment for our students.

Networking Opportunities - Industry experts offer insights into their respective worlds, careers and role progressions. This allows students to hear stories ‘from the trenches’ and be motivated and inspired by their journey, success and personal achievements. Speakers can give advice on career opportunities after graduation and how the courses provide skills that are flexible and adaptable for a variety of roles in the industry, and also unrelated industries. This demonstrates the breadth of career options available for students that they may not have considered prior to these talks.

Real Life Simulations – The Hotel school delivers a career development-learning unit called ‘Introduction to Professional Practice’ as part of our undergraduate program.  In this subject students have an opportunity to undertake a ‘mock’ interview with an industry representative, which serves as part of their assessment. It includes an industry standard structured interview process, during which the representative provides students with constructive written feedback designed to build career capability.  These representatives make a significant contribution to students’ education and career awareness through their participation in an authentic learning and professional development experience. In 2018 The Hotel School was shortlisted as a finalist by the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) for this program. Student feedback is that this is one of the most valuable learning experiences they are immersed in. Nicole Salonga of Four Seasons HR Team commented that she loves the mock interviews activity and she saw it as an opportunity for her to gauge the level of talent coming through that she could tap into.

Industry Mentoring - We have an Industry mentoring program in place, whereby students are selected based on their merit. Selection criteria are set specific to the mentoring program. Students are assigned an Industry mentor and they work together on aspirational career planning; anticipating obstacles and challenges with strategies to combat, future orientated goal setting with steps mapped to reach them, and how to remain adaptable and flexible in a changing industry in order to thrive.

Extra – Curricular - In addition to our Guest Speaker Program, we have a further range of contact points where students and industry can meet and exchange ideas:

• On The Couch Series: a panel of high level industry speakers who can field questions from the students.
• Local field trips to a range of hospitality businesses where students and industry can meet ‘on site.’ Students get the feel of the organisation and can see a live business at work.
• Singapore field trip: we take students to Singapore for 8 days and expose them to hospitality organisations operating in a different social, economic and cultural environment. Speakers from these businesses give students a better ‘world view’ of hospitality and its operations and management.
• Use of our alumni and student ambassadors – creates a powerful story for students to hear directly from their peers.

Our Academic team have a collectively diverse range of industry experience and have practical and inspiring stories that they intertwine with lecture content and class activities. They bring theory and practice to life in a holistic and meaningful way, enriching our students’ learning. Students build positive learning relationships with our Academic team.

We strongly encourage students to explore career opportunities and become aware of what is available to them. There is no better way of exploring career options than by learning from those who are in the field. Having role models helps students conceptualise what a career might look like, and what the different pathways might be. Every student will take a unique path, but if they are well informed they can make better choices about what fits them and will be a rewarding future career.

Our alumni community is very engaged with The Hotel School and continues to provide guidance and support to students. They often contribute their own experiences to the Guest Speaker Program. Students connect with alumni on a personal level; they can relate to their experience of being a student and receive affirming advice and guidance on starting out in the industry after they graduate.