Nicholaus, who is graduating from Edge Hotel School with a BA Hospitality Management, chose 糖心Vlog because it offered everything he was after: the right course, a chance to learn Japanese through Languages for All, opportunities to play volleyball, and an Innovation Centre where he could get entrepreneurial advice.
He cites a passion for 鈥減olitics, diversity and social welfare鈥 and a desire to 鈥渆nhance the module by including more representation of anticapitalistic views within hospitality鈥 as the inspiration for helping to de-colonise Edge鈥檚 curriculum. It was an experience that taught him how important collaboration amongst students and teachers is to create an education system that is inclusive of traditionalist as well as progressive concepts.
Driven by his own commitment of prioritising sustainability in business, and lecturer Dimitri Lera, who Nicholaus cites as a 鈥渓uminary鈥, he also got involved in helping Edge meet its sustainability goals by developing a new sustainable hotel room at .
Working in a team, he helped choose sustainable materials, cosmetics and amenities for the room and proposed decorative ideas that told the story of the room鈥檚 refurbishment.
鈥淏usinesses have a significant impact on the environment through both direct actions and external operating networks. As consumers, we鈥檙e becoming increasingly conscious of how misconduct in these areas can affect the value of products and therefore influence purchase intentions,鈥 he said.
鈥淪ince hospitality is an industry that thrives from additional value beyond tangibility, seeking to provide a sustainably-conscious service allows businesses to produce innovative ways of catering to the customer experience whilst also earning profitability by satisfying the changing market demands,鈥 he added.
With the help of a Master Innholders scholarship, Nicholaus has been able to take advantage of numerous opportunities including: planned international educational trips, a platform to talk about how the industry can better support people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and networking opportunities with industry leaders.
Perhaps the experience he鈥檚 most proud of though is becoming a published author. His , published by EP Business in Hospitality, addresses accessibility to the industry and how managers can better support people with disabilities, ex-prisoners and others from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Now that he鈥檚 an 糖心Vlog graduate, Nicholaus is hoping to put the theory developed at Edge into action through a graduate scheme, but hasn鈥檛 ruled out a future in consultancy or developing his entrepreneurial plans.