The City of Cape Town is abuzz with unlimited opportunities for professional growth in the hospitality industry.
This was the message delivered by guest speakers during the Cape Town Hotel School’s BTech Seminar which saw its BTech students presenting their research papers in front of lecturers and moderators.
Hospitality Industry Consultant John Jackson, who has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, said the industry has opened a lot of opportunities for him.
He argued that with new hotels, restaurants and chef schools opening in Cape Town, the city has a wealth of training opportunities.
He added while the new government regulations restricting foreigners from taking jobs bode well for the locals there also challenges such as whether the nation can provide enough opportunities to match the demand from future hotels.
He said staff retention is also a challenge as people working in the hospitality management sector can pick and choose between jobs that will remunerate them satisfactorily.
Luke Van Rensburg, Food and Beverage Manager at Zeitz Mocaa Events, said he learnt a lot during his time as the Cape Town Hotel School’s Marketing Manager.
Van Rensburg, who holds a Masters Degree from CPUT, said it was never his intention to study hospitality management as his family wanted him to become a Chartered Accountant.
“I decided on hospitality management because I thought I’d enjoy it,” said Van Rensburg.
He added that he later enrolled for the Master’s programme in order to change the hospitality industry, which he at that stage viewed as an Old Boys’ Club.
“Don’t limit yourself and grab the opportunity to study further,” he told BTech students.
