The meeting with the representatives of employers within the framework of the RESPONS project took place on 13.05.2014 in the Foundation for Promotion of Entrepreneurship. The goal of the meeting was to identify the major skills, scope of responsibilities, and requirements vis-à-vis employees for the following jobs:
– manager in a small hotel,
– manager in a small restaurant.
During the first part of the meeting the representatives of the FPE presented information concerning the implementation of the RESPONS project including the results of conducted studies. That was followed by the presentation of the most relevant information on European and Polish qualifications framework. Polish Qualifications Framework is still being worked on. At present, exemplary qualification descriptions are drafted, according to which organisations will be able to describe qualifications in order to register them.
In the course of the panel discussion the skills of the management staff in hotel and catering sector were analysed.
Based on the contributions of the participants, which focused on the experience in running a business in the above area, we can formulate the following conclusions:
• people working as managers in small hotels or in small restaurants can be extremely successful if their job is their passion,
• primary requirements:
– fluency in at least one foreign language, although two foreign languages are recommended,
– professional experience, knowledge on the sector and management techniques,
– staff availability is fundamental in the sector, especially in hotels (which work 24h),
– skilful marketing which helps directly attract clients,
– one of manager’s tasks is taking care of high quality of served food,
• manager’s social competencies seriously impact company’s profit,
• the list of vital qualities of the candidate for the job includes: ability to establish relations with the external world, good communication skills in relations with the staff, independence, creativity, openness, intuition, consistency of action. Loyalty vis-à-vis the company is also an asset.
At the end of the meeting participants exchanged business cards and declared the intention to continue to collaborate.