The first worldwide study into spa management education, Spa Management Workforce & Education: Addressing Market Gap (see SB12/4 p56), which was conducted by SRI International on behalf of the Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS), not only provides greater insight into the gaps in provision; it’s also a call to arms.

Running through its recommendations is an emphasis on greater collaboration between training providers and the industry, with a view to increasing awareness and utilisation of existing programmes and improving the depth of those offerings. These moves will be a critical step forward, both in making the maze of spa management courses and qualifications easier to navigate and in closing the gaps identified.

One area highlighted for further discussion is the potential for “an industry-level accreditation for spa management training programmes/curricula that meet industry standards for quality and content”. Something similar has already been successfully undertaken in the fitness industry with the creation of the European Register for Exercise Professionals (EREPs) which we’ve outlined on p78. But as Katherine Johnston, the study’s lead author admits, it’s a contentious issue. “Those in favour believe that global standards would raise the bar for spa management training programmes and ensure that key topics and skills are addressed in the curricula, as the industry would have more leverage of what is being taught,” she says. “Those against believe it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to come up with global standards that all training providers could adhere to.”

In the last of this series on spa management education, we ask if the implementation of globally recognised standards for spa management training is, in fact, a realistic goal for the industry – and, if so, how it might be achieved.

Global division
When considering the practicality of developing training standards for spa managers, it makes sense to look at what’s been achieved in other professions. While spa management education is still relatively new, there are well-established standards for massage and beauty therapy, at individual country level (often backed by government) and to some extent internationally, via the worldwide reach of private awarding bodies such as CIDESCO, ITEC and CIBTAC, which accredit member schools to deliver their certifications. There is, however, still a great deal of fragmentation, with certain standards having more currency in some regions than in others.

“The problem with the idea of developing one certification [that everybody will accept] is that there’s always going to be an element of self-interest,” says Susie Ellis, president of media company SpaFinder Wellness and founding board member of the GSWS. “Because who’s creating it? Who’s funding it? And who’s saying it’s the best one? The idea of everybody putting confidence in one organisation globally is just not the way the free world works. That doesn’t mean that a few certifications may not end up dominating, and that can be a positive because it simplifies things for consumers.”

Among concerns highlighted by stakeholders interviewed for the SRI study, says Johnston, was not only that educational approaches and market needs vary widely across geographical regions, but also that the spa industry as a whole is still evolving – meaning training requirements are changing all the time. Vanessa Main, director of spa operations and development for Hilton in the Asia-Pacific (see SB11/3 p28) says: “Problems could arise if you were to create standards for sophisticated markets such as the US and Europe and then ask somewhere like Asia to adopt them. In time there may be an opportunity to get some global standardisation, but it’s a little premature at the moment.”

Indeed, in such a young sector, even developing standards at a grass roots level presents challenges – despite the shortage of well-trained spa managers, the demand to drive initiatives forward is often lacking in individual markets. According to Suki Kalirai, chairman of HABIA, the standards-setting body for the British spa, hair and beauty industry, this is the case in the UK. “Although we have a few national occupational standards for spa management, they probably only cover 20 per cent of the skills needed to be a competent manager,” he says. “There isn’t a comprehensive range because employers haven’t been asking for them.”

University challenge
The question of global accreditation becomes even more challenging when higher education establishments are brought in. Take the closely related hotel industry as an example. There are numerous reputable accreditation schemes for academic institutions, such as quality controls by the Association of Swiss Hotel Schools and the World Tourism Organization’s TedQual. Yet many universities find it difficult to seek industry accreditation.

“Universities in many countries already have to be accredited by a number of regional and national groups,” explains Professor Mary Tabacchi, who teaches spa management modules at Cornell University, in the US (see SB10/1 p52). “Without them, we cannot remain universities. The problem is that the requirements of vocational accreditation schemes can conflict with the academic requirements imposed by these groups – because ultimately we only have so many hours in a day. And even if it were possible to meet the requirements of both academic and industry accreditations, many universities have strict internal statutes or protocols that forbid or discourage vocational training. So while a faculty might be responsive to suggestions, it would be extremely difficult for them to develop a programme to industry specifications.”

Nor is this challenge necessarily limited to universities. Johnston says: “Many of the stakeholders we interviewed, particularly those working in education, resist the idea that the industry should dictate what schools and training providers do, especially since most programmes already have to follow a lot of standards set by their own institutions and governments.”

Individual credentials
A global accreditation scheme targeting training providers is not necessarily the only way to raise spa management standards across the industry, however. The SRI study points to credentialing programmes in other industries, which test and certify working individuals rather than schools, as another model the spa industry could look at. One organisation with such a scheme is the American Hotel and Lodging EducationaI Institute (AHLEI), the training arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which offers management-level certifications and has licence agreements in 45 countries. To achieve certification, candidates must meet certain prerequisites – which may include recognised qualifications from other institutions, successful completion of one of AHLEI’s home-study or online courses and/or on-the-job experience – before sitting an exam.

Over the last five to 10 years, AHLEI has collaborated with the US-based International Spa Association (ISPA) to develop two credentials around spa management: the Certified Spa Supervisor and the Spa Management Area of Specialization. At present, only around 325 people, primarily in the US, have achieved either of these certifications, but Johnston is positive that with more promotion, they could really take off. “AHLEI is highly regarded globally, so the AHLEI/ISPA partnership is a great start in terms of developing some good certification programmes,” she says. “That’s why we recommend greater industry adoption of these programmes. Of course, other spa management certifications could be developed, either regionally or globally, but we think it’s better to expand or improve what’s already out there rather than to start something else from scratch.”

Despite this strong endorsement, not everyone in the industry is convinced that this or indeed any credentialing programme for spa managers can work across borders. The SRI study admits: “When stakeholders were asked whether an international management credentialing programme would be valuable for the spa industry, most felt it would be, but that creating such a programme – with truly international buy-in and participation – would be a highly difficult and complex task.”

However, Johnston adds: “AHLEI’s hospitality industry certifications were launched back in the 1970s and it took several decades for them to take off, but most major hospitality chains around the world have now embraced them. The same thing could happen in the spa industry.”

Raising the bar
Following the SRI study, the GSWS has already set up two task forces aimed at raising the bar in spa management education. The first of these, headed up by GSWS board member Anna Bjurstam, managing director of spa consultancy Raison d’Etre, is in the process of creating a list of core competencies for training providers ranging from universities to those delivering short courses. To support this endeavour, the task force has also set up an advisory committee aimed at bridging the communication gap between the industry and universities in particular. Meanwhile, a second task force, headed up by ISPA president Lynne McNees, is exploring the possibility of setting up a workable global accreditation/certification scheme.

“Definitions and standards in spa management education currently differ so much between countries and regions that it’s difficult to say whether or not this will be achievable,” says Bjurstam. “But we are going to give a it a try.”

There is, however, a lot of detail to finalise. “We still have to work out who or what will deliver the scheme, but the first step is coming up with the content. For that, we’re looking at precedents set by other industries, and we’re hopeful that answers will present themselves along the way. There are a lot of challenges, but if we succeed, the benefits to the industry could be enormous.”