Around 80 percent of the Macau Institute for Tourism Studies’(IFTM) graduates from last year are working in tourism-related industries, IFTM President Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan told reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s graduation ceremony at Tap Seac Multisports Pavilion.
A total of 416 students from undergraduate, master and diploma programmes graduated from IFTM yesterday.
Vong said that usually the institute surveys its graduates six months after their graduation ceremony to check up on their employment situation, so she did not know the latest graduates’ job prospects. She acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic might impact this year’s graduates in finding a job but she was quick to add that she has faith in her students to be able to find a job eventually.
A mainland graduate from IFTM’s hotel management programme, Qi Xiaotong, told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony that he is going to work at a hotel in Guangzhou. Qi admitted that he will only earn a bit over 5,000 yuan a month, which is a tad lower than his expectation. He said he understood that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and with his lack of experience, a lower salary was expected but he was confident that the tourism industry would improve in the future.
A local graduate from IFTM’s Culinary Art Management, Lei Ka Hei, told reporters that he is preparing for an international culinary competition, so he had not yet started looking for a job. He also acknowledged that during the novel coronavirus pandemic the pay from any job he may get may not be as high as expected but he thinks that the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the development of the culinary industry.
Tourism Education and Training Base for GBA
Meanwhile, Vong told reporters that her institute’s Tourism Education and Training Base for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) has already set up cooperation centres in Zhuhai, Guangdong and the Shunde district of Foshan city. She pointed out that even though cooperation is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic many courses are taking place online. Vong said she hoped that through the centres, IFTM can inject high quality tourism education into the mainland.
During the ceremony Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U said in a speech that since the GBA is determined to develop itself into a world-class tourist destination, the demand for talents who can explore the key fields of “tourism+” and major platforms of “internet plus tourism” is steadily on the increase.
Vong said in her speech during the ceremony that the institute’s revised “Cultural and Heritage Management” programme will take on a new look, combining the traditional teaching characteristics of cultural heritage conservation with the new element of cultural and creative industries, to broaden students’ horizons, outlook and employment options. She underlined that the programme has successfully passed the assessment of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in the United Kingdom. She also added that IFTM is preparing a new postgraduate programme, “Smart Technologies in Hospitality and Tourism”, to keep up with the market demand for professionals with both technology and tourism knowledge.
IFTM President Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan talks to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s graduation ceremony at Tap Seac Multisports Pavilion.
A mainland graduate from IFTM’s hotel management programme, Qi Xiaotong, talks to reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony.
A local graduate from IFTM’s Culinary Art Management, Lei Ka Hei, talks to reporters yesterday. Photos: Prisca Tang
