HIA: where the hospitality managers of the future are trained

Despite this significant factor, there are no postgraduate courses in Italy that train professionals capable of enhancing the value of tourism and hospitality resources. That’s the rationale behind Hospitality Innovation Academy (HIA), as explained by Giancarlo Carniani, promoter and head of the academy.

“HIA was created in response to a real demand in the hotel industry, which is constantly seeking middle management with comprehensive training, ranging from soft skills such as leadership and decision making to hotel operations, from digital to design and food & beverage operations,”

says Carniani.

“There are currently offerings of this kind overseas, which are very expensive, or specialization or short master’s courses in Italy, which however always adopt a specialized and therefore partial approach.”

He continues:

“HIA was therefore created to train Italian students as ambassadors of the beauty and style of our country through international level hotel and tourism skills and knowledge, paying a focus on technological changes and innovation. The word ‘hospitality’ must once again become central to the post-graduate training of young people from hotel and language schools or any other type of school, who are deeply motivated to work in this sector, which is full of opportunities and is so dynamic, innovative and international.”

The international dimension of the course is guaranteed by two elements. HIA has developed its training process in collaboration with the Swiss Education Group (SEG). Linked to the Swiss hospitality tradition, SEG has 40 years of experience in hospitality business management and culinary arts, during which it has trained professionals with entrepreneurial skills that are in high demand in any job position. Additionally, HIA students will complete their training with a period in Montreux, Switzerland at SEG.

Moreover, the spirit of the academy is to strike a perfect balance between the teaching and internship hours that the students do in selected national and international companies. In this way, the students are prepared for a rapid entry into the world of work, with the possibility of occupying the middle-management positions now required by the best hotel and tourism companies. HIA presents itself as a “career accelerator” for its students.

The duration of the course is three years. The first two years will take place in Florence at the Hotel Mulino in via Villamagna, whose boutique structure acts as the perfect teaching tool to immediately introduce students to the school-work atmosphere. The digital part, which is important on the curriculum, will be carried out in places where students will be able to try their hand at the best technologies and feel stimulated through the use of hubs where start-ups work side by side.

The first year of the course will get underway in October 2022 and will involve around 25 students. The organizers are working on sponsorships and study grants to enable access for a larger intake.

"The institutional and entrepreneurial fabric of Florence is supporting the project because they understand the prestige that an academy like this brings to the city and because we will be a generator of professionalism and jobs in a strategic sector for Florence and for Italy.”