A NEW alliance has been struck between the hospitality trade and the academic world to help the industry find the leaders of tomorrow.
The International Leadership School in Scotland (ILSS) will see the industry link up with three international academic institutions, including the Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, to address what has been described as a deficit of emerging leaders in the global tourism and hospitality sectors.
The Business School, based at Strathclyde University, will deliver a two-year Executive Masters in Hospitality and Tourism Leadership alongside Cornell University in New York and Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland. The ILSS will also offer a series of executive education modules for senior managers. Chairing the body is Gleneagles chairman Peter Lederer, with David Cochrane, the boss of the Hospitality Industry Trust in Scotland, chief executive.
“The hospitality and tourism sector is a key contributor to the global economy, worth in excess of $1.8 trillion annually,” Lederer said.
“To ensure that the industry grows and fulfils its potential, there is an urgent need to provide the best and most appropriate training at the highest levels for what is now a very complex business.”
(Image : Lederer, centre, and Cochrane, far right, launch the Executive Masters course outside Glasgow Science Centre last month.)
