Owners or managers of 34 small and medium-sized hotels and restaurants in the Assiniboine Community College area were interviewed to acquire information for an entrepreneurial, regional hotel and restaurant (H/R) management training program in Manitoba. A literature review revealed the following: employability, vocational technical, and business knowledge and career skills were required for a successful H/R manager; suitability and prerequisite work experience were areas of concern; a generalist versus sector specialist was preferred; a regional and national emphasis, globalization, language, and gender issues were important; and there were strong arguments in favor of linkages with local or regional industry and the concept of mentorship. The following employability skills were important in decreasing order: personal behavioral, teamwork, and academic. In decreasing order, important vocational technical skills were as follows: cooking, dining room service, front office, housekeeping, bartending, and computer skills. These H/R and business career competencies were important in decreasing order: FoodSafe program, train the trainer, food and beverage control, marketing and sales, accounting, and management. The following recommendations were made: prior work experience in the H/R industry before admittance into a management training program; a national program focus; and a program that equipped students with multiple skills. (Appendixes contain 124 references, interview instrument, and skill profiles.) (YLB)