Guoman and Thistle Hotels is to roll out its new hospitality management graduate scheme every year, following its successful launch this year, according to Christian Armstrong, people & development director at the hotel chain.

The two-year knowledge and training programme has seen 12 graduates join the group this year, following a three-month selection process that covered various interviews, interactive workshops and role-play exercises, devised by the group’s people & development team.

In year one of the programme, graduates experience the groups’ finance, meetings & events, housekeeping, front office, food & beverage and human resources departments.  In year two graduates choose to focus on one particular area: finance, operations, revenue or sales – before graduating from the scheme in 2012.   

Christian Armstrong, people & development director at Guoman & Thistle Hotels, says: “The high quality of graduates that were part of this recruitment process was evident of the requirement of hospitality graduate programmes to offer these bright, young managers of the future a real career opportunity. From the interest and success around our first graduate programme this year, we have committed to opening up our programme to a number of selected graduates on an annual basis.”