$2.2bn RAK hospitality training zone to improve industry service

The International Hospitality Trade and Training Zone (Ihotz), will cover 350 acres of land and be split into two distinct parts.

The larger 260 acres will be used to supply the hotel trade, providing logistical support and services such as bakeries, ice making, abattoirs and so on.

The 90 acre education zone aims to churn out well-qualified, trained people who can work in the hospitality business. It will train five levels, from people new to the industry to executives that want to study courses on a vocational basis that will enhance their career path. Its aim is to improve the service and expertise of staff working in all areas of the industry.

'Few people are talking about the experience consumers are going to get and who is going to provide it. We believe that the single largest impediment to the growth [of the industry] is the lack of qualified, well-trained human capital,' said Bobby Batmanghelidj, president and CEO of Argentum Development, which is leading the project at the MEED Ras Al Khaimah conference.

Companies focus on the physical infrastructure, such as the style of the building or rooms, he said, more than the level of care given to guests. But people return to places where they are made to feel special far more readily.

Education, education, education

It has teamed up with 16 education establishments to provide the training on campus, although Batmanghelidj would not reveal any names. But courses offered will be the same as those available in each university's home campus. They start in 18 months and an MBA will cost about $16,000 a year.

The project has been on-going for over two years, but the company is only now beginning to talk about Ihotz. It will take about 10 years to complete.

Ihotz deliberately sets out to train staff from around the world who will then return to their home countries. The fact that the UAE may not benefit from the training people receive is a deliberate approach - it is set up to attract international attention.

But the hope is that by having a larger pool of well-trained staff, there will be less poaching in the hospitality industry. Currently, said Batmanghelidj, the top hotel chains are seen as the best trainers, and other hotels will look for staff from these organisations.

Equally though, Batmanghelidj thinks more locals in the region should be encouraged into the sector - particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where few are entering the hospitality sector. 'The Emiritisation and Saudi-isation are critical to growth of the hospitality industry in those regions. In both, few want to work in this industry,' he said.

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Ras Al Khaimah targets property and tourism for economic growth
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