A Powerhouse in hospitality training
The air in Karen, Nairobi, carries the scent of possibility. At the Air Travel and Related Studies Centre(ATRSC), the hum of ambition is louder than the distant traffic. Students in crisp uniforms practice table service, their movements precise. In a nearby classroom, a lecture on aviation hospitality is underway. This is Charles Gakuu’s world—a world he built from a single, stubborn idea.
Gakuu is not a typical founder. He doesn’t have a Silicon Valley pedigree or a tech disruptor’s swagger. He is a product of the Kenya Utalii College, the country’s premier hospitality training institution, and his journey is a masterclass in patience, grit, and the quiet power of specialization.
After graduating from the Kenya Utalii College with a diploma in travel and tourism in 1990, he landed a job at the Kenyan coast where he meticulously laid his foundation. It’s here that he learned the rhythm of travel. The bookings, the pressure, the obsession with detail. But something nagged at him.
“I saw a gap,” Gakuu recalls, his voice calm but firm. “Institutions produced excellent generalists. But the industry was changing. Hotels wanted specialists—people who knew aviation catering, who understood conference management, who could handle niche luxury services. No one was teaching that.”
He spent years observing. He took notes on what the market lacked. He saw young graduates struggle to find jobs because their training was too broad. Meanwhile, specialized roles in airline lounges, private clubs, and boutique hotels went begging. Still working his day job, he could get part time teaching jobs in various colleges, fueling his dream of launching his own specialized institution.
In 1992, Gakuu took the plunge. With a dream and limited resources, he rented a small room in Nairobi’s CBD and enrolled his first batch of four students. Air Travel and Related Studies Center—a name that signaled his focus on aviation-linked hospitality opened its doors.
His maiden course was travel operations. “I was the only employee doing everything. From handling inquiries to teaching to marketing the college,” he shares.
His first cohort did exemplary well and could secure jobs at major international airlines. Buoyed by this new found success, Gakuu decided to go all in, quitting his job to concentrate on building his dream.
Within two years, his small college was growing in numbers. When the student numbers hit an impressive 17, he had to move to a bigger space. By 1997, he had 70 students under his tutorship, prompting him to employ more lecturers and a receptionist to handle inquiries.
Slowly, word spread. ATRSC wasn’t just another college; it was a factory for job-ready talent.
By 1998, his college was serving a total of 180 students from allover East Africa. To keep up with the demand, he introduced more courses that paved the way for the next phase of growth.
The Karen Campus and the International Breakthrough
By 2015, ATRSC had outgrown its city-center roots. Gakuu moved to Karen, a leafy suburb known for its quiet elegance. The new campus was a statement: this was not a backstreet operation. It had a professional kitchen, and a conference hall designed for real-world simulations.
The international breakthrough came when a major Middle Eastern airline approached ATRSC for cabin crew training. Gakuu’s graduates impressed them with their discipline and practical skills. Soon, other airlines followed. Today, ATRS alumni work for Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and leading hotels in Dubai, London, and Singapore.
“We don’t just teach theory,” Gakuu explains. “Our students serve real meals in our mock cabin. They learn the psychology of service. By the time they graduate, they have done the job a hundred times.”
The Philosophy of ‘Small is Beautiful’
Gakuu has deliberately kept ATRSC small. The college admits only about 200 students per year. This allows for intense mentorship. Every student is known by name. The curriculum is updated every six months based on feedback from industry partners.
“I don’t want to be the biggest,” he says. “I want to be the best. When an airline calls me and says, ‘Send me your top five graduates,’ I want to know each one personally. I want to guarantee their quality.”
This philosophy has paid off. ATRSC now has a near-100% job placement rate within six months of graduation. Many students have jobs lined up before they finish their final exams.
“Some of the institutions that have been very supportive in Kenya include The Sarova Group of Hotels, Sankara Hotel, among others. This partnership has largely given us the impetus needed to enable our students to obtain the exposure they require to succeed in this profession,” Mr Gakuu says.
The Legacy
Charles Gakuu is now a respected figure in Kenyan hospitality education. He is frequently invited to speak at international conferences. But he remains grounded. He still teaches a class every week. He still personally interviews every applicant.
His college has trained over 13,000 Professionals in 28 years, including today’s reputable Chefs, Hotel Managers, Cabin Crew, Tour Guides, Ticketing and Airport Check-in staff, and Cargo Agents.
For its outstanding effort in world class training, it has been a recipient of the IATA Premier Circle Member award (worldwide top 10) for a record seven times, reflecting a consistent commitment to excellence and industry leadership.
A bright future
Air Travel and Related Studies Centre has set its standards high enough to compete with the international institutions.
As a successful entrepreneur, Mr Gakuu challenges aspiring entrepreneurs to carry through their dream no matter the startup hurdles. “Every entrepreneur goes through challenges, the only way to success is believing in the vision,” he advises .
Air Travel and Related Studies Centre has a long-standing reputation in providing courses in Travel and Tourism, Cabin Crew, Airport Operations, Hotel Management Food Production and international languages, based on over thirty years of excellence in education.
The next generation of hospitality leaders is being forged. And Charles Gakuu, the quiet revolutionary, is watching over them.
