St Xavier’s College (Autonomous) Kolkata is offering a certificate course in hospitality management at its Raghabpur campus on the southern fringe of the city.

The six-month course, which starts on November 13, will be a blend of theory and practical lessons. The students will be taught kitchen and service skills.

Students from any stream who have cleared Class XII can apply, the college said.

The college has collaborated with Chowman, a home-grown Chinese restaurant chain, for the course.

While there are private institutes in and around Calcutta offering hospitality management courses, this is the first time a leading mainstream college is offering a professional course in what is one of the most booming segments in the service industry, said teachers involved in the programme.

Many students at the Raghabpur campus, in South 24-Parganas, around 35km from the heart of the city, come from marginalised families. Many of them are first-generation learners.

“This course will increase their employability. The curriculum has been carefully designed to provide a blend of theoretical understanding and practical exposure, ensuring that students are well-prepared to meet the demands of this vibrant field,” Rev. Fr. Dominic Savio, the principal of the college, said at the college’s Park Street campus on Tuesday.

Sudesh Poddar, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India and the owner of Manthan, Songhai and MS Bar and Lounge, was also present at the programme.

“There is a huge demand for skilled people in the hospitality sector. The supply is far from enough,” he said.

Poddar told The Telegraph later: “In Calcutta, around 1,000 fresh graduates join the hospitality sector every year. The demand is for over 2,000.”

Debaditya Chowdhury, managing director and co-founder of Chowman and a former student of the St Xavier’s College, said “quality manpower is the main hurdle” in aggressive expansion of his chain.

Upon completion of the certificate course, the students will be employed by Chowman or other organisations, he said.

The course fee is ₹5000. The first batch will include 40-odd students on a first-come-first-serve basis.