Ground-breaking hotel school celebrates tenth anniversary

Staff, students, graduates and industry partners have been reflecting on the achievements of Edge Hotel School as it prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

Since welcoming its first students in 2012 Edge Hotel School (EHS) has racked up a string of achievements including a top ranking for student satisfaction; helping a graduate reach the semi-finals of The Apprentice; a hotel of the year award shortlisting; and sending students to The Brits.

This month the School will celebrate in style at a black tie event.

As the first hotel school of its kind in the UK, EHS combines academic learning with practical experience in the fully-commercial 4* Wivenhoe House Hotel. It's this combination of practical and academic learning that makes Edge Hotel School such a unique learning environment.

With two-year fast-track courses allowing students to dive into their careers that much sooner, there's no stopping Edge graduates from getting started on their careers and making an impact in the industry.

Oliver Harris, who graduated in 2016, is now Assistant Operations Manager at Whatley Manor. He said: “My time at Edge Hotel School helped me in so many areas of my continued professional development. Not only did it open the door to the world of 5* luxury hospitality, but it also enabled me to gain fundamental operational, supervisory and management knowledge and understanding to take me to the next level in my career.”

For Emily Nugent, a graduate from the School’s second cohort of students who’s now Events Manager at The Dorchester Collection, choosing Edge was a “no brainer” because of it’s on-site training which has helped her get ahead of the game in the workplace: “It was fantastic to have lots of on-the-job experience from every department. This allowed me to have a real understanding of my colleagues’ roles and what they do on a daily basis so I could understand and predict their requirements.”

The School’s innovative learning style fully prepares students for the hospitality industry, helping it attract praise from partners such as Jurys Inn & Leonardo Hotels, which has been a partner for eight years. Edward R Gallier, Head of Learning and Development at the hotel chain said: “When you visit Wivenhoe House you get a real sense of passion and commitment from the teaching team and students. It’s an energetic place to be.

"From such an environment a particular graduate is developed who is very knowledgeable and genuinely interested in the hospitality sector. They have a high level of competence and operational skill which complements their level of academic success. Students also have higher levels of resilience which today is more important than ever. That’s why we love working with Edge.”

Current principal, Andrew Boer, who joined the School in 2014, explains what makes the tenth anniversary so exciting: “It’s with great pride that we are celebrating ten years of the School. During this time, we have developed a distinctive, cohesive and vibrant educational community that shares a passion for the hospitality and events industry, and it thus seems fitting that we should celebrate with a black-tie event managed by our students and held in Wivenhoe House, home of the Edge Hotel School.

“The Anniversary event not only marks the first ten years but, more significantly, marks the start of our next decade of preparing the next generation of innovative and flexible professionals for an industry which continues to face significant challenges…but which will need the inspired vision and skills that our students can bring.”

But the real cause of Edge Hotel’s ten years of success is the students themselves who continue to work hard in their journey to become the next leaders of the hospitality and events industry.

Here’s to the next ten years!