Every open day, parents walked up to Jacqueline van der Zwan. 'What a nice school this is,' was then their reaction. 'If only there had been something like this for me before.' At one point, the director of the International Hotel and Management School of ROC Mondriaan (HMS): surely I have to do something with this. "Especially because in the hospitality sector, the demand for staff is still high," she says now. Last year, she consulted René Bogaart, who sits on the school's advisory board. This hospitality entrepreneur thought it was "a gap in the market". 'Employees who are just a bit older have a natural superiority,' he informed her. 'They are more hospitable and sense what the guest wants better than younger colleagues. As far as I'm concerned, they can start working here right away.'  

During a brainstorming session with Harry de Bruijn, member of the school's executive board, the three came up with an accelerated senior secondary vocational education (MBO) programme, which was launched early this year. Van der Zwan is thinking mainly of lateral entrants and re-entrants with management potential. During the course - which lasts two years - candidates will be prepared for the level 4 diploma Manager/Operator in Hospitality with a managerial role in a hotel or restaurant. Last but not least, the 30-somethings will receive a corresponding salary even during their MBO studies.   

She has already had several teachers at her table asking: can I teach this group? "It is of course nice to teach people who consciously choose this. Young people still often see the MBO as a prelude to further education. Around seventy per cent go on to hbo and not to the labour market. While that is what is needed." 

The abbreviated course prepares candidates for a managerial role in a hotel or restaurant.

Spanish 

In the first year, students go to the ROC for two evenings and to a hotel or restaurant for two afternoons. "Those evenings with us last from seven to nine," Van der Zwan says. "We always start with a meal where everyone can share their knowledge and experiences. Then we leave for the classroom. One evening, they follow generic subjects like maths, Dutch, English and German, while the next evening they get 'excellence workshops'. Think wine knowledge, how to set a table, but also: what exactly is hospitality? To determine your own colour, students also choose a number of minors. That could be Spanish, event management or a sustainability course."  

Before studying, everyone takes a test. Van der Zwan: "Someone who speaks and writes perfect English is of course exempted from that subject." In year two, students also take courses in leadership. "If you will soon be a hospitality manager, you have to be able to give feedback to your colleagues. Or be able to conduct evaluation or dismissal interviews. And that is not always easy. You have to get to know yourself first, if you want to lead others." 

Pavarotti 

While studying at the ROC, students gain two years of practical experience, in both a hotel and a restaurant. With working hours from 08.30 to 14.30, HMS takes into account the over-30s who often still have school-aged children. Besides Pavarotti, René Bogaart's hospitality company, a number of hotels in The Hague have already responded enthusiastically.  

The common thread of this training, Van der Zwan concludes, is 'hostmanship'. "That is something different from hospitality. Hotels often have those standard presents with a package, such as a welcome cocktail. But if a businessman reports to the reception late at night with a tired face, are you still going to offer that cocktail? Or do you say: 'Mr Jansen, here is your key, around the corner is the lift that will take you to floor 2. Tomorrow at breakfast I'll catch up with you.' That is hostmanship: treating someone the way you want to be treated yourself." And that's different for everyone. Yes, so that's hard to sense." 

Chocolatier 

Then she shoots into laughter. "I am suddenly reminded of a working visit to China. At breakfast, half a litre of milk was in front of us. Far too much for most Dutch people, but they had thought about it. And that is not only thoughtful, but necessary. I know a story of a chocolatier in The Hague who couldn't understand why Chinese people never entered his shops. As it turned out, he had put the wrong colour on his gift boxes. Chinese people associated it with death, he later found out. Then he changed the colour and it was fine. As a future manager of a hotel or restaurant, these are useful facts. So cultural differences will definitely be covered during the abbreviated training." 

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