Structured Hospitality Internship:

The Case of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

By:

Eitan Rehan

Department of Hotel and Tourism Management

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Beer-Sheva, Israel

( 972-7-6472193 Fax: 972-7-6472920

E-Mail: rehan@bgumail.bgu.ac.il

and

Arie Reichel

Department of Hotel and Tourism Management

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Beer-Sheva 84965, Israel

Paper presented at the Annual CHRIE International conference, Albuquerque, New-Mexico, Aug 4, 1999

Abstract

The article introduces a model for a successful internship program in the hospitality industry, developed and applied in the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. The internship model reflects the program’s objectives based on the principle that a successful and effective internship program should be based on commitment from all the parties involved - the university, the industry and the student. This commitment was found to be a major cause for the very special relations developed between the department and the hospitality industry in Israel for the benefit of the students and their future objectives.

 Introduction

For many years, hospitality programs have attempted to be prescriptive in their efforts to find a common model for the experiential component of hospitality education. While there is no perfect internship model for all hospitality education programs, quality field experiences should reflect the program’s objectives within the parameters of the program.

The internship model introduced by the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, is based on the principle that in order to implement a successful and effective internship program there should be a commitment from all the parties involved - the university, the industry and the student.

This model, like most other academic settings, relies on the basic components of quality commitment, congruence with program objectives, competency-based experiences, grading, and evaluation mechanisms (Pauze, Johnson and Miller, 1989).

The balance between theory and practical experience in the various curricula of hospitality studies programs is a continuing subject of debate in academic scholarship and professional practice.

Raising a concern

The issue of integrating theory and practical experience, and the value of practical experience in the curriculum of hospitality education, is well documented (DiMicelli, 1998).

Many four-year colleges do not require or expose their students to hands-on practical course experience in their curriculum. This reflects the belief of some academic scholars that a hands-on course is neither appropriate nor necessary. According to this approach, if one grasps the basic premise of the theory, its practical application is a minor and inconsequential additional step that can be readily learned on the job.

At the same time, however, many students in hospitality programs do not feel fully prepared or confident when their education is based exclusively on theory. Moreover, a strong hands-on approach to learning which evaluates, supports, and implements theoretical principles, is a necessary component for success in the increasingly competitive world encountered by students upon graduation (DiMicelli, 1998).

Internship programs in the United States

A study of education interns found that the students who completed an internship before graduation entered the labor force with less anxiety, higher perceived self-efficacy, and increased general and specific skills (Herrick, 1987). Interns can be integrated into the organizational structure of the workplace, although their role may differ slightly from that of the typical employee. A fundamental realization in developing an internship structure is recognition that a new and separate category of employees is created, which requires special attention and training. (Edelson, 1991) noted that although interns may work at a slower pace than practicing professionals, they are valued because they are eager to learn, cost little or nothing, and keep the professional training staff on its toes with their inquisitive nature and fresh ideas. Moreover, they are a valuable resource for future hiring. Some of the internship programs documented in the literature include the Penn State On-Campus (Wildes and Mount, 1997), the Disney internship program (Roush, Dickson and LeBruto, 1996) and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  All of these programs emphasize the importance of providing students with the appropriate training environment. This often requires the active collaboration of school, industry and relevant executives. Moreover, internship programs of the nature benefit all parties involved, including instructors of specific academic courses.

The following describes the objectives of the hospitality program offered by Ben-Gurion University. An attempt is made to examine the extent to which these objectives contribute toward the basic components of an effective hospitality internship model.

The Ben-Gurion University Hospitality Internship Program

The undergraduate program in hotel and tourism management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel includes a minimum of 1,200 hours of practical work at leading hotel and tourism organizations in Israel and abroad. These hours can be accumulated during the summer months or throughout the school year. Departmental faculty closely supervises the practical training. Students are offered a choice between hospitality and tourism internships. The tourism internship includes rent-a-car companies, travel agents, airlines, and other enterprises related to hospitality and tourism. Students planning their future career in the hospitality industry are required to complete at least 1,000 hours within an “approved hotel,” i.e., a hotel that meets the standards of the Israel Ministry of Tourism and ensures adequate facilities and training staff. The remaining 200 hours can be completed within any tourist industry organization. Those who do not intend to develop their careers within the hospitality industry are required to complete 400 hours internship within a hospitality organization, 600 hours in any tourism enterprise; and the remaining 200 hours in a hospitality/tourism setting of their choice. The advantages of the two options: each student selects his/her career choice for the internships, can be more tailored to the student’s background without compromising the quality of the program requirements. Following the European approach to higher education, university-level courses usually focus on the theoretical aspect, while most of the practical and experimental elements are provided in field work. Hence, internship plays an essential role in the program.

In the initial stages of the program, it was assumed that students would benefit most by completing part of their practical training in a different hotel every summer. In this way, they would be exposed to various type of hotels with different organizational cultures and management styles. In terms of experience and knowledge, this is clearly a most effective way to be introduced to the profession. Within a short time, however, we realized that this approach does not benefit the students, nor does it conform with one of the outlined objectives, i.e., to enable students to establish contacts that will give them an advantage when they finish their study and start working. Based on the experience with the first internship class, the department revised the program and recommended the model of long-term relationships between the student and the hotel. According to this model, students were encouraged to complete 1,200 hours of practical training with the same organization, often resulting in successful placement upon graduation. Organizations that employ program graduates include chains such as the Hilton, the Hyatt Corporation, Holiday Inn, Accor, Hertz, Pizza Hut and other local hospitality and tourism organizations.

The recommended internship program is designed to provide interns with an opportunity to spendleast one day working in each department of the hotel, assuming that this will be their first and last experience in that specific department. Out of a total of 1040 hours, interns have to complete at least 160 hours at the front office (Reception) including reception and cashier functions, and at least 160 hours in the kitchen departments (saucier, gard-manger, bakery, dairy, or, butchery) including at least three of the above departments. In order to complete the 1,200 hours of the internship program, students can choose either to continue at the hotel or move to another tourism enterprise.

Every intern should accomplish the internship program that was planned for him (and approved by the Internship advisor) before arrival to the hotel. However, since the hospitality industry (especially in Israel) is so sensitive to external factors, the hotels are allowed to adapt the program to unanticipated changes in occupancy rates.

Student Selection and Industry Commitment

The premise that successful programs should be based on commitment from all the parties involved (in the hospitality internship), is applied at a very early stage in the program of studies.

That is by applying a system of personal interviews which is strongly advocated by the hospitality and tourism executives who participate in the interview process. The major argument is that unlike in other professions, the service industry places special emphasis on interpersonal skills. In addition, it is argued that essential information about the candidate’s knowledge of the industry and practical experience is most successfully obtained via interviews (Reichel and Milman, 1996).

Internship Program Objectives

The objectives of the Ben-Gurion university internship are congruent with the high industry involvement approach. Thus, it aims to achieve the following goals:

• 1. To acquire the practical tools, knowledge and experience necessary for successful accomplishment of any task after entering the hospitality/tourism industry.
  2. To enable the interns to create personal contacts with the organizational staff during the internship period. This puts the interns in an advantageous position after graduation, since they can continue working in familiar settings.

Introducing the first interns to the hospitality industry

Prior to the program at Ben-Gurion University, interns in the hospitality/tourism industry were not paid. When the current hotel and tourism management program began, Ben Gurion University initiated a policy in which the interns would be considered regular workers and benefit from the same work conditions as regular workers in the specific organization.

As expected, the new concept introduced by BGU was met with immediate resistance from many of the hotel executives who were used to taking in interns at no cost. Their initial response was: “What happened?, what is new? – what is the difference between BGU students and other interns who come from technical/vocational hospitality schools and have spent their internship period at hotels for years without receiving any pay?”

The hotel managers claimed that they have to invest time, effort, and resources in order to provide interns with the practical training they need to complete their professional knowledge. Therefore they didn’t think should have to pay the interns a salary. Moreover, they view interns as potential professionals who are prepared to invest in their future without any compensation. On the contrary: Some executives argued that they are the ones who should be paid for their extra work and for supervising the interns. However, it didn’t take long for the industry executives to realize the quality of the students. We, at the University, believe it was a major step in the process of raising the standard of the hospitality industry in Israel to an academic level.

By the end of the first summer, when the BGU interns completed their first internship period, the hospitality executives in Israel realized that the university is indeed training a new generation of potential hospitality executives. Following this first experience with the BGU interns, it was only a matter of time until almost all Israeli hotels expressed interest in accepting BGU students to their internship program. Clearly, the spontaneous penetration of BGU students into the entire industry contributed toward the prestige and quality of the department and its students, elements that are often lacking in the hospitality industry.

Making the connections

The process of introducing the intern-students into the industry took place in several stages. As mentioned, hospitality executives are involved in the process of selecting applicants and participate in interview committees. In so doing, they commit themselves to involvement in the practical training process and have an opportunity to mark potential future workers for their organization.

Obviously, the next step in examining the suitability of candidates for work in a specific organization is to have them work at the hotel during the internship period. This seems to be a most useful process of recruitment where the employer (and the candidate) can observe and examine each other before getting into any long term obligations.

There are several ways for students to make initial connections with hospitality and tourism organizations: they range from signing up to a particular hotel, through an Employment Fair organized by the faculty and held on campus; organized field trips; students initiatives; and organizations approaching the Department (i.e. Accor, Golden Tulip etc.). The latter has become a preferred way to attract students.

Notices about open positions always appear on the department’s bulletin board, and the internship advisor is available for students who seek advice or are looking for a special position at a special location.

Internship recruitment process

As mentioned, we first thought that for the students’ professional development it would be better if they complete part of their practical training in a different hotel every summer. Within a short time, however, we realized that it is best for both the students and their employers to stick together for the duration of the internship period.

Some students may prefer to work at a hotel in their home town so that they can complete the internship program during weekends, holidays, and summer vacations.

As noted above, after the initial connections have been made, students generally stay at the same hotel for the duration of their internship and there is no need for further intervention.

As is well known, the hospitality industry is very sensitive to political/security developments (Mansfeld, 1996). This is particularly true in Israel, where ongoing military tension with the neighboring countries in the Middle East makes it difficult to forecast the occupancy rate during the summer vacation period. Consequently, interns who do not link with a hotel during the course of the school year are likely to learn about their internship location only a few weeks in advance. The internship program seeks develop on-campus "ambassadors" who speak to peers about their internship e(Edelson, 1991). This concept was fully realized as soon as the first graduating class entered management positions in Israeli hotels. The graduates-executives were interested in recruiting Ben-Gurion University interns in order to establish new management level staff at their hotel.

Hotel Selection

Selection of student-interns is left solely in the hands of the hotel management team, with no involvement of university personnel. The hotel’s human resources managers contact the intern of their choice within two to three weeks after the interview. If the student agrees to accept the opportunity for internship, the human resources manager will inform the person in charge (usually the training manager) and arrange to receive the student. Students are sent letters of confirmation outlining the internship program shortly after the decisions are made.

All agreements between the intern-students and the hotel must comply with the instructions issued by the University. Since the internship program is carried out for the mutual benefit of the student and the hotel, students who complete their internship during the course of the academic year arrange their schedule with the hotel. Those who participate in the internship program during the summer, usually work from eight to twelve hours in order to save money for the following academic year.

The approval process

As noted earlier, hotels have to be approved by the internship advisor in order to ensure that the hotel complies with the criteria set by the Israel Ministry of Tourism.

The hotel’s internship representative (usually the human resources manager) has to sign a letter of commitment (to the University), indicating that he is aware of the terms and conditions for recruiting students to the internship program. The letter must be accompanied by the appropriate form. In addition, students must present a written plan and timetable (signed by the hotel representative) and a written commitment from the hotel to pay the intern the same salary received by every other worker in the organization.

Students who wish to intern at a hospitality institution abroad must submit a written request and attach a formal letter of commitment from the hotel management, to the effect that it undertakes to comply with the rules of the University.

Student reports

Interns are required to submit two written papers, each submitted on the first day of the subsequent academic year and should cover the year/summer vacation internship period. Interns can choose either a written report providing a detailed description of the practical training program (including a description of the hotel’s organizational structure and other related operational aspects related to the specific hotel), or a paper dealing with topics related to experiences and knowledge gained during the internship program. Potential topics include: Yield Management and opening a new restaurant.

The objectives of the paper are stated as follows:

Student reactions

The combination of theoretical and practical training in the undergraduate hospitality and tourism program at Ben Gurion University was found to be highly successful according to both students and industry executives.

Students reported complete achievement of their espoused goals, as reflected in the following responses:

1. “Theories taught in the classroom were fully applied. During the practical training period I had an opportunity to compare the theoretical aspect with reality and could observe the differences. Without the internship, I would not have been able to do this.”
2. “I learned about the hotel organization through practical experience in the different departments. This is impossible to accomplish inside a classroom.”
3. “I gained a broad perspective and understanding of the system, which is very important for understanding the organization as a trainee manager.”
4. “The market looks completely different when you sit in lectures and listen to the speaker’s description than it does when you are actually out there… I had a unique opportunity to examine my personal abilities and career aspirations.”
5. “I had the chance to meet with executives and discuss with them my future career.”

The department plans to carry out a follow-up evaluation on its content five years after interns graduate.

Faculty-industry relations

As noted, one of the objectives of the internship program is to enable the interns to establish personal contacts in order to give them a head start when they begin working in the organizations.

In an attempt to help the graduates realize this objective and provide students with opportunities for recruitment, the department has developed a special mutual relationship with the industry. These relations are still being developed for the benefit of both the students and the graduates. Relations with the hospitality and tourism industry have reached the point where they go far beyond the internship and now include activities such as meetings with industry executives aimed at discussing topics of mutual concern, e.g., the future of the industry and the potential contribution of the faculty toward future objectives. Moreover, projects such as market research and feasibility studies are conducted by students who are instructed and supervised by faculty members. Projects range from designing a comprehensive plan for sustainable tourism in the town of Yerucham, to planning tourism routes in the city of Beer-Sheva and market research for the Hilton Hotel in Beer-Sheva (Israeli and Reichel, 1998).

The Department also established a series of guest lectures where industry executives are invited to give lectures and share their rich experience with the students.

Another avenue for cooperation is reflected in grants and scholarships allocated by the hospitality industry (hotel chains), the Israel Ministry of Tourism, and Ben-Gurion University. This financial assistance is design to encourage high excelling students to join the hospitality/tourism industry and to enable the donors to recruit the best potential future managers. Approximately 15 scholarships are awarded each year, based on academic excellence. Israel Hotels Association sponsors at least one half of these scholarships. Corporate scholarships are also provided on the basis of an agreement between the chain and the student. This practice is lead by the Isrotel chain.

Relationships were also established with international hotel chains that operate their own educational institutes/universities. Such relationships would promote exchange of knowledge, lecturers and applied research. The strong ties to the industry are also manifested in the fact that Israel Hotels Association has accepted the Department as a member. This allows faculty members to become closely involved with developments in the industry.

In addition, the president of the University appointed advisory board consisting of leaders in the hospitality and tourism industries in Israel, Great Britain and the United States (headed by Mr. David Lewis, owner and founder of Isrotel hotel chain).

Along the same line, an “Executive-in-Residence” program was established in the shape of a special course taught by a top executive from the industry. In 1997, we hosted Mr. David Fattal, the former chief executive of Holiday Inn, Israel and currently chief executive officer of franchised company of Meridien hotels.

How successful is the Internship program?

The Department faculty attempt to maintain contacts with graduates as one of the means for assessing whether the expected outcomes have been achieved. An updating questionnaire is sent to the program’s graduates to keep a track of where they are, what are their specific positionsand how they have progressed since the previous year. Findings indicate that one year aftcompletingthe BA program, graduates are found in positions such as front office manager at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Crown Plaza hotel, restaurants manager at the Jerusalem Hilton Hotel, banquet manager in the Tel-Aviv Sheraton Hotel, marketing manager at the Beer-Sheva Hilton Hotel, and various other executive positions at leading chains in Israel.

The department chairman, the internship advisor as well as other faculty members are constantly assessing and reviewing the program in order to respond to needs that arise. Feedback received from the industry confirms the success of the internship model developed and applied by the department.

Conclusions

The structure and content of the hospitality internship program at Ben-Gurion University are consistent with most of the results of Petrillose and Montgomery’s (1997) exploratory study of internship practices carried out in hospitality education institutions:

1. We provide practical experience as part of the student’s professional development.
2. We are highly involved in the internship program.
3. We maintain ongoing contact and visit the student interns.
4. We employ an internship coordinator to develop and maintain contact with the industry.
5. The duration of the Ben Gurion University internship program is significant – 1,200 hours.
6. Findings reveal that students who have successfully completed their internship with a certain organization are more successful in their management-training program.
7. Our figures support the finding that “less than one-third of the interns return to full-time positions” after completion of the program. Most of these graduates enter the industry into junior, or middle managerial positions.

Future Research

Future research should focus on a long-range survey of the success of undergraduates hospitality programs and the value of internship in terms of the number of graduates employed in the industry and their positions. It would also be worthwhile to compare Ben-Gurion University graduates with personnel in management positions who were trained at technical/vocational schools, or at other universities that do not require practical training.

References