Frequently Asked Questions?

Q: What is the purpose behind the STEP programme?
A: Until STEP was launched in 2004, our company only recruited people who had passed out of an institute of hotel management, a hotel school or a university. We always felt that there must be lots of young people out there with an interest in the hotel industry, who for one reason or another were unable or unwilling to follow a more traditional way of becoming qualified. We believed that if we could offer them the opportunity to graduate, we would be able to attract them to join our hotels. We would then need to maintain their natural enthusiasm by providing systematic training, regular feedback, challenging goals, and interesting work in excellent surroundings. We would be giving them the chance to graduate and qualify: a chance that they might not otherwise have had. We would be able to develop lots of multi-skilled, committed young people who would have several good reasons to stay with us for the entire three years of the programme, and then hopefully, to stay on to build a flourishing career. Win-Win for all concerned!
   
Q: How does the STEP programme compare to other hotel management programmes in the country?
A: Traditional hotel and catering programmes have to be general in their approach. That is to say, they have to equip their students to be able to work in any sector of the industry: hotels, motels and resorts at every level; restaurants; fast-food outlets; airlines, cruise liners and railways; hospital and hostels; pubs and clubs - in fact, any operation where people eat, drink, sleep or go to for entertainment. When you have completed the course, you will have to choose one sector of the industry. You will probably find that a lot of what you had to learn on your course is not directly relevant to your job, and perhaps there are lots of things you really should have or could have learned had your course been more focused. STEP is totally focused. We only train people to work in our deluxe and first-class hotels and resorts. Everything you will learn will be directly relevant to your career. As soon as you have learned something, you will get to put it into practice the very same day. Some teachers on more traditional programmes have no experience in the hotel sector, or else their experience was many years ago - and things have changed. The people who will be teaching you have completely up-to-date experience, since they will actually be working in a hotel! When students pass out of traditional hotel and catering courses, they have to start looking for a job. You will already have a job! Finally, it costs several lakhs of rupees to attend a traditional hotel course. We pay for everything when you are a STEP trainee, and even give you a stipend. So you will actually save several lakhs of rupees.
   
Q: Why do you offer two programmes?
A: Three years is long enough for a training programme. By a happy coincidence, this is also how long it takes to complete the requirements for the degree. To become sufficiently skilled in one department takes about a year, so obviously we could only include three departments in a programme. This is why the Hotel Operations Programme (or HOP) includes Front Office, Food and Beverage and Housekeeping. Now the Kitchen is like three departments in one: Indian Kitchen, Western Kitchen and Speciality Kitchens (bakery, pastry, butchery and garde-manger - which is another way of saying 'cold kitchen). There is so much to learn that it was immediately obvious that we would need a separate Kitchen Operations Programme (KOP).
   
Q: How can one apply for admission to the STEP?
A: Our on-line application forms are available on this website from 1st Feburary to 3rd of April. You can apply on-line by visiting our page on ‘ How to Apply?” during that period. At that time you should also check and find out when and where we are holding our presentation and selection rounds. Just come along on one of our selection dates to the venue mentioned.
   
Q: What is the selection procedure for STEP?
A: There are three parts to the process. First you will need to see a presentation about STEP, and ask whatever questions you or your parents may have, so you can all be sure that the programme is really what you want. If you choose to leave after the presentation, that is perfectly fine. If you decide to stay, you will be asked to choose one of the two programmes: Hotel Operations (HOP) or Kitchen Operations (KOP). In groups of 15-20 you will be taken to another room and each of you will be asked to take a minute or two to introduce yourself to the rest of the group. You can use the time however you like - sing, dance, tell a story, or tell us about your family, your education, your achievements, hobbies, interests and ambitions. Using a scale of 1 to 5, we will grade the quality of your verbal English, your grooming, your poise and confidence, and the content of your presentation. If you do move onto the next round, this will be a short interview with a panel of two or three of our colleagues, either on the same day, or on the following day. We try to let candidates know within two weeks whether or not they have been successful.
   
Q: What is the financial involvement of the student during the three years?
A: We pay for almost everything: your fees at IGNOU, your training, your food, your accommodation, reasonable medical expenses, and even a telephone call home each week. You are responsible for your transport costs when you go on vacation or on study leave. Your personal expenses are your responsibility, but you should easily be able to pay for these out of your stipend, which is currently Rs 3,500 in the first year, rising in increments each year of the programme.
   
Q: What is the minimum qualification required to join the programme or is there any minimum percentage required?
A: In order to register on the Bachelor of Tourism Studies, you must have passed X+II. There is no minimum percentage but a clear pass in all subjects is expected.
   
Q: Why did you choose the IGNOU - BTS course for the STEP programme?
A: We think it is important that everyone gets the chance to graduate. In fact, we only recruit people into permanent (non-trainee) positions if they have either a degree or a diploma from a three-year course at a recognised institute of hotel management (IHM). It is in our interests to help you graduate so we can recruit you at the end of the programme. Why this particular degree: the Bachelor of Tourism Studies (BTS)? We have done our research and believe that this is the best available distance learning programme leading to a degree that is relevant to your chosen profession. As a matter of fact, it is more-or-less the same degree that students at many IHMs take, although what they get is called a Bachelor of Hotel and Hospitality Administration. This degree is made up of two parts. First, IGNOU recognises some subjects from the three-year IHM diploma as being worth credits towards the BTS. The rest of the credits are earned by studying and passing certain modules from the self-same BTS that you will be taking.
   
Q: Is there any degree course that we can pursue simultaneously with this course?
A: Why would you need to? IGNOU is the largest university in India. All its degrees are recognised both in India and internationally as qualifying graduates for higher degrees. As a matter of fact, it is unlikely that you will have time to study anything else, especially if you want to do justice to your systematic training programme (to get good grades on your annual transcripts and Certificate of Proficiency) and the distance learning studies, assignments and examinations for your degree.
   
Q: What is the structure of the BTS degree?
A: The degree consists of 96 credits in all. Each year, you can offer 32 credits. You study printed self-instructional materials, supported by audio or video cassettes, and programmes transmitted by Doordarshan or radio. Your progress will partly be assessed through the regular submission of assignments and major projects. You will need to mail something to your assessors every few weeks. Each year, you will have to sit for five or six written papers. These can be taken at centres near your hotel, or if you prefer, near home. The examinations are usually held in June, and possibly December. You will be given special leave to study for and take your annual examinations.
   
Q: Is STEP a stepping stone to OCLD?
A: Well, it could be. But there are no guarantees. Everyone who has a graduate degree or a diploma from a recognised institute is qualified to apply for OCLD. The candidates we interview might be university graduates with no background in hotels; they could be people who are in their final year at an IHM with six months as an industrial trainee to their credit; they could be people who have worked in one of our hotels for a year or two; or they could be people who have completed three years of training under STEP and now have a BTS from IGNOU. Everyone is selected on merit .
   
Q: Will the STEP trainees get any kind of preference in the selection process of OCLD?
A: Not simply because they are STEP trainees or graduates. However, you will have already been with the company for three or four years. You will understand our culture and expectations; you will have acquired skills in three departments; you will be immaculately groomed; you will be a confident communicator. If on top of that you also have that indefinable gene that gives you the potential to become an effective hotel general manager, or perhaps an executive chef or an executive housekeeper, then not only will you get preference, you will get a place. But please understand, that would not simply be because you have been through STEP, but because of who and what you have become.
   
Q: What training inputs can I expect in your hotel after joining as STEP trainee?
A: During the one-week induction that precedes your 45-week schedule each year, you will be taught about 25 skills so that you can be productive and helpful from the very first day. You will then progress through a pre-planned schedule, moving from section to section in the department, or sometimes to a related department. Each day, for five days a week, a Certified Departmental Trainer (CDT) will teach you a new skill using standard materials to ensure that what you are learning in your hotel is the same as another trainee is learning in a different hotel. For each skill, your CDT will cover relevant technical knowledge and coach you in the sort of attitudes we expect from someone performing that skill. Every three weeks you will have a trade test and a short quiz. This is one of the ways we will track your progress. At the end of each year, we will present you with a transcript showing the time you have spent in each section and the standards you have achieved.
   
Q: At the end of the three years do we get a diploma or a degree?
A: First, you will get a degree from IGNOU, your Bachelor of Tourism Studies. Next, you will have a transcript of study for each of the three years, showing the detail of your performance in the hotel. We will award you the Oberoi Certificate of Proficiency in recognition of having completed the programme. This award does not have any academic status, nor should it, since it is presented to mark the completion of a programme of training in technical skills, knowledge and attitudes. However, one day it will have enviable status in the hotel industry as a kind of 'gold standard'.
   
Q: Do the trainees get job assurance in any of the Oberoi properties after the three years of training?
A: Having invested three years developing you as a committed, multi-skilled young person, it is only natural that we would want you to stay with the company for some years. Until you have completed your training, you will not be sure which department to choose for your future career. HOP trainees will have to decide if they want to specialise in F&B, Housekeeping or Front Office. KOP trainees will have to decide between the Indian kitchen, Western kitchen, and one of the specialist kitchens. You do not necessarily have to stay with the hotel where you have trained. We will tell you about the vacancies we have all over India. Because you will have been trained using standard materials, it will be easy for you to fit into any of our properties. You should then spend at least one year consolidating and improving your competence in the department of your choice: taking responsibility for standards, for quality and for guest satisfaction. After a year or two, you might be considered for a supervisory position. You will also be eligible to apply for OCLD. Our advice is not to be in too much of a hurry to move on, as long as there is learning and growth to be had. You might like to plan on being with us for at least five or six years before you even start to consider moving: three years as a STEP trainee, and three years as an Operations Assistant and perhaps as a supervisor or get into OCLD and work as an assistant manager for a couple of years. By then you will be about 24 years old: a good time to consider your future.
   
Q: After the completion of the three years is it necessary to work with the Oberoi group?
A: There is no bond, and no obligation to stay. But we hope you will see that staying on for a few more years will provide worthwhile learning and growth. But it's your life. If you choose to leave, we will be sad, but we will send you off with our blessing. Perhaps you will come back to us one day. Our doors are never closed.
   
Q: Which hotels are hosting STEP this year?
A: The hotels currently hosting this programme are: The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, the Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, The Oberoi Bangalore, The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla, Trident, Agra, Trident, Chennai, Trident, Cochin, Trident, Gurgaon, Trident, Jaipur, Trident, Udaipur.
   
Q: Will the STEP trainees be in the same property for three years?
A: When you join STEP, you will be like a member of the hotel team. All the costs associated with your education, training and welfare will be paid from the hotel's budget. We want you to develop a strong sense of belonging and forge bonds with everyone with whom you interact. Unless there is some compelling reason, we expect you to stay in the same hotel until the end of the programme. Afterwards, you could move to another hotel as an Operations Assistant if you prefer.
   
Q: What arrangements will be made for the boarding and lodging of the student?
A: STEP is not just about getting a degree or picking up hotel-related knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is also a growing experience, a living experience, a cultural experience. It is our normal practice that STEP trainees should not be attached to a hotel in their home town, but rather to move away from the comforts of home and into a hostel, just as if you were going to college or a hotel school. You will have to grow up and mature quite quickly. You will learn how to take care of yourself, your finances, your health, and your living space. You will have to take care of your own cleaning and laundry. You will learn how to get along with other people, and become an independent person. We want you to be self-reliant, and no longer reliant on your parents. The nature of the hostels differs from hotel to hotel. Some of the hostels are small apartments with perhaps three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen where six boys or six girls would share two to a room. Other hostels might be shared bedrooms in small hotels or guest houses. Some might be like dormitories. You will always have your own bed, and somewhere to study, with adequate bathroom and toilet facilities, drinking water, and in some hostels, cooking facilities. You will not really need to cook unless you want to, because even on your rest-day you will be able to eat in the hotel's cafeteria. We will also provide a pick-up before your shift begins, and a drop afterwards, unless your hostel is within safe walking distance of the hotel, or unless there is already good, safe public transport available.
   
Q: What are the facilities provided to the STEP trainees once they are selected?
A: Apart from hostel, food and transport, you will be paid a monthly stipend, up to Rs 200 a month to subsidise a weekly telephone call home, reasonable health benefits and a uniform. You will be guided through a programme of structured training by a qualified Certified Departmental Trainer for five days a week. One day a week you will report to the Training Department and study for a Bachelor of Tourism Studies. We will pay all the fees and provide training materials, books and access to a PC with Internet connectivity. You will also get one rest day every week. You will meet regularly with a mentor in your department and the training manager. At least twice a year, and probably more often, you will meet the General Manager to discuss the programme and your progress within it.