Professor Una McMahon Beattie and Donald Sloan

Columnist

Professor Una McMahon-Beattie (University Head of Department, Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ulster University Business School) and Donald Sloan (Consultant and Chair, Oxford Cultural Collective).

Unlocking Recovery

Professor Una McMahon-Beattie and Donald Sloan discuss how Ulster University’s new Academy will assist with post-COVID-19 recovery.

Hospitality and tourism in Northern Ireland have been hard-hit by the pandemic. After struggling through a long period of enforced lockdown, the sector is facing a critical shortage of labour. Now, more than ever before, attracting and retaining skilled graduates, who have the potential to become creative and effective leaders, should be key to unlocking sustained recovery.

Ulster University Business School (UUBS) is set to launch Academy: the Centre for Food, Drink and Culture, an educational hub that will further strengthen hospitality and culinary arts management as two of its flagship areas of provision, as well as making a significant contribution to post-COVID recovery.

Located on Ulster University’s new Belfast city centre campus, facing St Anne’s Cathedral, Academy will incorporate a state-of-theart restaurant, culinary school, beverage school and conference and meeting facilities. As well as giving students hands-on experience, it will provide comprehensive practical support to entrepreneurs, be an open-access learning centre for the public and will contribute to the ongoing development of Northern Ireland as a food and drink destination.

This significant investment comes at a time when the hospitality sector has experienced unprecedented challenges. With the COVID pandemic resulting in pubs, restaurants and venues being closed for the majority of the last fifteen months, and Brexit limiting the availability of skilled staff from across Europe, the industry has faced a ‘perfect storm’. Many businesses have stopped trading, whilst others have struggled to survive, and although restrictions are now being lifted, hospitality is confronting severe labour shortages. Throughout this period the sector has shown tremendous creativity and resilience, with many adapting their products and services to suit the new environment, whilst also making altruistic contributions to those facing food poverty and isolation.

Building on its long track record of providing the hospitality sector with skilled graduates who have the potential to progress to management and leadership positions, as well as to become business owners, UUBS is determined that the launch of Academy should have a tangible impact on industry in Northern Ireland and further afield. Pre-pandemic, the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland was booming, contributing approximately £2 billion to the local economy and sustaining thousands of jobs. The sector will be key to Northern Ireland’s recovery and graduates of Ulster University will play a significant role in shaping its future.

For Professor Una McMahon-Beattie, Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UUBS, the launch of Academy reflects Ulster University’s commitment to tackling issues that have local relevance:

“The university takes its civic responsibility very seriously. This requires us to respond to particular challenges and opportunities that exist within Northern Ireland. As we grapple with the consequences of the pandemic and Brexit, our contribution in fields such as entrepreneurial support, tourism development, healthcare and the arts, become ever more important. The launch of Academy should be seen in this context. As well as ensuring our graduates are able to make meaningful contributions to local businesses, it will help us lead conversations about how hospitality must adapt to a new operating environment. It will encourage collaborative effort, involving all stakeholders in hospitality, to ensure the sector is able to flourish in the future.”

Academy restaurant will be a fully commercial enterprise, open six days a week to the public and as a venue for private events. Its menu will showcase the very best local, seasonal ingredients and it will provide a platform for promoting artisan producers from across Northern Ireland. Whilst it will be run as a successful business, its primary purpose will be provision of innovative and immersive education, which will enhance students’ skills and better prepare them for their future careers. They will obtain hands-on experience in a ‘model’ business, supervise others, apply their knowledge of various management disciplines, analyse business performance and build relationships with local suppliers. They will be active participants in a values-based business, committed to enhancing the status of hospitality employment and to supporting local economic, social and cultural development.

Academy will host a new entrepreneurship network, designed to provide meaningful support to SMEs in the food, drink, hospitality and tourism sectors. Adopting an approach that is self-determined by participants, to ensure its fitness for purpose, plans are already emerging for an ongoing series of events at which experienced entrepreneurs from across the island of Ireland, Britain and further afield, will share insights; for bespoke training from specialists at Ulster University; and for peer mentoring.

In addition to ensuring Ulster University better supports local students and industry, Academy will enhance the university’s international presence and reputation. At a time when many other higher education institutions are scaling back their hospitality and culinary arts management provision, Ulster is placing it front and centre. It intends to strengthen its overseas academic partnerships and establish Northern Ireland as an international destination for hospitality education.

Academy will also serve as a venue for international events. As an example, in April next year it will host Gastronomy Summit 2022, a gathering of practitioners and academics, focused on the development of food, drink and hospitality destinations in ways that deliver benefits to local communities. Over three days of keynotes, discussions and social activities, delegates will consider how to achieve lasting community regeneration, particularly in locations that are facing significant economic and social challenges.

Central to Ulster University’s mission is a commitment to helping its local community thrive. The launch of Academy: the Centre for Food, Drink and Culture, is further evidence that it is translating its mission into action.