Hilton Worldwide has partnered with Australia-based William Angliss Institute to develop and deliver a graduate certificate in management specialising in spa operations.

The nine-month course has been designed for spa managers and will be initially rolled out across Asia-Pacific to meet Hilton's increased need for qualified spa professionals.

The company has 133 spas in its development pipeline and currently operates 256 properties that offer spa services and operates a further 245 spas in-house.

Vanessa Main, director of spa operations and development for the Asia-Pacific region, told Spa Business that Hilton's expansion plans have resulted in training and education becoming one of the company's top priorities for the next 12 months.

She said: "If you do the maths, we're going to need 58 new spa managers and at least 176 more therapists in the next three to four years.

"During the nine months, spa mangers will complete two full weeks of face-to-face tuition and then set aside aboyt five hours a week to work on assignments that cover six modules.

"These modues include human resources, financial management, innovative business practices, business planning, sales and marketing and risk management."

Main added that although the immediate plans are to introduce the training in Asia-Pacific, the scheme might be rolled out across the group's global portfolio.

For the full interview with Hilton's top team, click here to read the latest issue of Spa Business.