Adelaide’s International College of Hotel Management (ICHM) has teamed up with the Swiss Hotel Association to offer a badged degree, the first time ever outside Switzerland.
The Bachelor of International Hotel Management, which has been endorsed by the Swiss Hotel Association (SHA), will now be offered along with a Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management).
The two degrees, which can be completed in three years, comprise four academic semesters, 1500 hours of industry placement and proficiency in a second language.
ICHM’s CEO Gerald Lipman said the qualifications are an impressive offering in the highly competitive world of hotel management education and training.
“South Australia’s ICHM is the only SHA-affiliated college outside Switzerland, and over the past 20 years we have provided our students with an international passport to the industry through the SHA diploma,” he said.
“This new academic program has taken 100 years or more of tradition and prestige to a whole new level, creating the most up-to-date academic qualification in hotel management in the world.
“This is the best program of its kind anywhere,” he said.
According to Lipman, ICHM’s two degrees were subject to a rigorous process of review that included the SHA’s Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and the Bologna process in Europe, and the Australian accreditation system.
In developing the degrees, ICHM drew on the expertise of a range of international Hoteliers, including more than 20 graduates in top positions around the world. They included Caroline Hardman in Dubai, Peter Pysk in Taiwan, Melissa Pitt in London, David Picard in Singapore and Charmaine Turner in Vancouver.
“As a result of this industry contribution we are confident we’ll attract more young people looking to reach the very top of the industry,” Lipman said.
In September this year, ICHM celebrates 20 years since the signing of its agreement with the SHA and the South Australian Government to operate as the SHA’s Asia-Pacific basin campus.
In the last 20 years, it has educated and trained more than 2500 aspiring hotel managers from around 80 countries, contributed more than AUD$150 million to South Australia’s economy and provided in excess of AUD$2.5 million in scholarships.