INVESTIGATION
ing partner of spa consultancy Spa Strategy and previously vice-presi- dent of spa operations for Starwood Hotels. “But graduates are not able to hit the ground running. T ere’s no entry into spa… I’ve seen some people get a foot in the door by doing some modality training, or starting on the front desk, but that’s a hard call when you’ve spent that much money on a degree.” Rather than blaming universities, says
Fenard, the industry should work with edu- cators to provide clearer career paths for graduates, as well as ongoing support – possi- bly through a postgraduate follow-up course or coaching or mentoring schemes. Patel agrees the industry could do more: “T ese are students who’ve only just graduated. T ey need a lot of support and guidance.” With this in mind, Six Senses has invested
in a fast-track spa management trainee scheme for up to 10 graduate recruits a year. During the programme, the graduates spend a year shadowing and assisting a spa man- ager for a small stipend. Aſt er this, they join a pre-opening crew, before fi nally moving into an assistant spa manager role within the company. However, in contrast with other sectors of the hospitality industry – such as rooms or F&B – such opportunities for grad- uates in the spa industry remain rare.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Although the lack of a clear career path for graduates is a problem, many spa employ- ers believe that the universities themselves could also do more to prepare graduates for
“Rather than blaming universities, the industry should work with educators to provide clearer career paths for graduates, as well as ongoing support”
the real world of spa operations. As well as better management of expectations, says Bjurstam, there needs to be more voca- tional training. T is means mandatory work placements of at least a month and more emphasis on practical skills, including not only ‘live’ business assignments in partner- ship with spas – something that’s integral to Tabacchi’s spa modules – but also hands-on training in massage and beauty therapy. Raoul Andrews Sudre, founder of
Florida-based consultancy Aspen Spa Management and the International Hotel Spa Academy – a training company help- ing government ministries in Morocco and Nicaragua develop wellness tourism strate- gies – agrees that hospitality degree courses do not provide enough practical training to turn out viable spa managers. “T e academic institutions baulk at the fact that hands-on is a very important part of the business,” he says. “And until they recognise that and off er some training in that direction, the educa- tion they’re off ering is incomplete.” It’s a divisive issue, however. “I don’t think therapy training is needed,” says Fenard.
“How many CEOs know the technical detail of how the people on the ground provide serv-
PART ONE
ices within the business? Success in spa depends on teamwork and that requires drawing on everyone’s core competencies. T erapists pro- vide a service that they train hard, and are qualifi ed, for, whereas the role of a leader is to lead. T e most important quality in a spa manager is the business acumen that comes with a college degree.”
T e ideal solution, believes Tabacchi, is a
degree programme that combines MBA-level business input with vocational skills in mas- sage, beauty, health and healing. While there are certifi cate and diploma courses off ered by colleges in North America that combine therapy with management training, all too oſt en the business education they off er is insubstantial. “They may get an adjunct professor to talk about basic accounting or marketing,” she says. “But that doesn’t get you through in today’s business world.” Across the Atlantic, the landscape is a lit-
tle diff erent, as the last decade has seen the introduction and rise of a number of ded- icated spa management degrees, off ered by UK universities in particular. Yet even within this emerging niche, there are huge variations in the ratio of vocational ver- sus business education on off er. University College Birmingham, for example, off ers a three-year bachelor’s degree in spa man- agement with hospitality that includes no vocational training, in contrast with a number of two-year foundation degrees offered by other UK institutions, which focus predominately on practical skills with some basic business classes thrown in.
Derby has an on-site commercial spa to help students with crucial operational skills
The University of Derby Buxton, UK, launched its international spa management degree in 2001 40 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 2 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
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