Title – Student unions turn to gyms and juice bars in today’s sobering times
Source – The Times
Date – 23rd November 2009
That students habits and spending power are changing will come as no surprise to anyone working in this sector. As this article points out, the reasons are a combination of tuition fees, student debt, increased competition, heavier workloads and more focus on an exit strategy; ie. what they will be able to show for their three / four year to potential employers.
What it fails to point out is the growing sophistication of students as consumers. Where once convenience and price were the only significant factors in decision making (at a time when a degree used to all but guarantee employers would welcome graduates), now students demand more for their money.
They already make these demands from the University itself, which they are now paying up-front for. It used to be the exclusive right of ‘foreign student’ to make demands of the University as their high tuition fees were of such significance to University finances; now every student can demand that same level of service and they do. Universities are competing for students (for the funding they attract) and to do this they have to be more than academically excellent.
This new breed of student demands as much academically as they do from the ‘lifestyle’ they can expect. The University with a diverse and proactive students’ union has an additional selling point and the length of the bar is no longer a sign of prestige, if anything in many cases it has the opposite effect.
What we must not however do is underestimate the importance of a good ‘night life’, good bars, clubs and other social activities will always remain part of the student experience and an important part. It is one of the areas where people can meet new friends, explore different interests and relax after what is an ever more stressful environment. The key is that it is only one element and it has it’s place; generally late night entertainment.
Even 20 years ago when I started working in this sector the image of students sitting round at midday drinking all afternoon was not realistic and not the mainstay of the business of Student Unions. That they have continued to evolve is simply a reflection of society generally. The internet generation are never satisfied and are always looking for the latest thing, exchanging information and trying to set the trend rather than follow it; now it is harder than ever to get ahead of the game and not be seen as playing catch-up. ‘Catch-up’ is not the place to be, because today as soon as you do catch up they have already moved on.
So how do you approach this environment to ensure success?
The solutions involves real engagement. We regularly preach to business that they need to engage with their customers; nowhere is this more important that with students’ unions. The key is to realise that this is not a simple process, it is not something you can set up a committee for because many of the people whose opinions you need, are those not already involved. The age old problem of managers being blinded by familiarity is a real one, it exists in every business and is one of the least recognised problem in business and the most difficult to rectify.
Another area where we find our clients fall down is in not making the most of all the assets they already have at their disposal; engaging with employees at every level provides a real opinions of your business. Just having a staff meeting does not facilitate this resource, it is something which takes time and trust to be effective; you have to be seen to act on suggestions and ideas whatever your personal impressions.
But above all as with every business quality and service standards will define you. The number of University outlets I visit and am served coffee which is fit only for the 1980’s or where the choice of soft drinks varies between J2O and draught coke is striking.
The description in this article of the student who is a member of the debating society and socialises in Starbucks, is probably never going to overwhelmingly attracted by ‘drinks promotions’ and ‘pub crawls’. Universities often overlook their best assets, they have access to a ‘cheap’, educated and enthusiastic labour force. The mistake they make is to limit the training they provide on the assumption that they are ‘transient workforce’ and will only be employed for a short period of time.
How many employers in the hospitality sector would welcome staff loyalty and a guarantee of employees staying for 3 years?
We know training can be expensive in the short term, the pay back is difficult to quantify, but the rewards coupled with effective management of employees will always payback handsomely. A student can easily be trained to make a coffee or fresh juice as well as Starbucks? Provide the right environment, the right product and exceptional service and Students’ Unions will flourish; stand still and you’ll stand alone.
At
Beyond The Blue we offer a Consultancy Service and run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence and the Award in Customer Drinks Service – Licensed Hospitality (ACDS-LH); Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.Source – The Times
Date – 23rd November 2009
That students habits and spending power are changing will come as no surprise to anyone working in this sector. As this article points out, the reasons are a combination of tuition fees, student debt, increased competition, heavier workloads and more focus on an exit strategy; ie. what they will be able to show for their three / four year to potential employers.
What it fails to point out is the growing sophistication of students as consumers. Where once convenience and price were the only significant factors in decision making (at a time when a degree used to all but guarantee employers would welcome graduates), now students demand more for their money.
They already make these demands from the University itself, which they are now paying up-front for. It used to be the exclusive right of ‘foreign student’ to make demands of the University as their high tuition fees were of such significance to University finances; now every student can demand that same level of service and they do. Universities are competing for students (for the funding they attract) and to do this they have to be more than academically excellent.
This new breed of student demands as much academically as they do from the ‘lifestyle’ they can expect. The University with a diverse and proactive students’ union has an additional selling point and the length of the bar is no longer a sign of prestige, if anything in many cases it has the opposite effect.
What we must not however do is underestimate the importance of a good ‘night life’, good bars, clubs and other social activities will always remain part of the student experience and an important part. It is one of the areas where people can meet new friends, explore different interests and relax after what is an ever more stressful environment. The key is that it is only one element and it has it’s place; generally late night entertainment.
Even 20 years ago when I started working in this sector the image of students sitting round at midday drinking all afternoon was not realistic and not the mainstay of the business of Student Unions. That they have continued to evolve is simply a reflection of society generally. The internet generation are never satisfied and are always looking for the latest thing, exchanging information and trying to set the trend rather than follow it; now it is harder than ever to get ahead of the game and not be seen as playing catch-up. ‘Catch-up’ is not the place to be, because today as soon as you do catch up they have already moved on.
So how do you approach this environment to ensure success?
The solutions involves real engagement. We regularly preach to business that they need to engage with their customers; nowhere is this more important that with students’ unions. The key is to realise that this is not a simple process, it is not something you can set up a committee for because many of the people whose opinions you need, are those not already involved. The age old problem of managers being blinded by familiarity is a real one, it exists in every business and is one of the least recognised problem in business and the most difficult to rectify.
Another area where we find our clients fall down is in not making the most of all the assets they already have at their disposal; engaging with employees at every level provides a real opinions of your business. Just having a staff meeting does not facilitate this resource, it is something which takes time and trust to be effective; you have to be seen to act on suggestions and ideas whatever your personal impressions.
But above all as with every business quality and service standards will define you. The number of University outlets I visit and am served coffee which is fit only for the 1980’s or where the choice of soft drinks varies between J2O and draught coke is striking.
The description in this article of the student who is a member of the debating society and socialises in Starbucks, is probably never going to overwhelmingly attracted by ‘drinks promotions’ and ‘pub crawls’. Universities often overlook their best assets, they have access to a ‘cheap’, educated and enthusiastic labour force. The mistake they make is to limit the training they provide on the assumption that they are ‘transient workforce’ and will only be employed for a short period of time.
How many employers in the hospitality sector would welcome staff loyalty and a guarantee of employees staying for 3 years?
We know training can be expensive in the short term, the pay back is difficult to quantify, but the rewards coupled with effective management of employees will always payback handsomely. A student can easily be trained to make a coffee or fresh juice as well as Starbucks? Provide the right environment, the right product and exceptional service and Students’ Unions will flourish; stand still and you’ll stand alone.
At
Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
