As a common practice in TAR UMT to ensure its programmes remain industry relevant, the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) recently organised an industry talk session, Building Bridges which was well attended by officials from hotels such as Hilton PJ, Ascott Malaysia, Renaissance KL, Hyatt House KL, Impiana KLCC, Lanson Place, J-Hotel by Dorsett, Ice Holidays and Golden Destinations. The session was held on 22 June 2023 at TAR UMT KL Campus.
Co-organised with industry partner Accater Sdn Bhd, the talk focused on two key points which were:
What is the trend of students’ expectations of the industry when they join the hospitality and tourism programme and how has that changed from before?
Besides internship, what are some other methods FSSH could work with the hotel/industry with regard to talent development?
Dr Karthiyani Shanmugam (shown in photo at lectern), Dean of FSSH started the session by touching on the way forward from existing practices and how the faculty is looking to develop and nurture further collaboration practices with industries such as the 2 years in university and 2 years in industry (2u2i) or international mobility programmes.
Mr Rohizat Baharum (shown in photo at lectern), Deputy Chairman of Malaysia Tourism Talent Development Consortium then addressed the participants with key points such as the existing challenges in the tourism and hospitality industry and what could be the upcoming waves and trends that could hit the industry. He also touched on how the industry and institutions of tertiary education can play a more active and relevant role in the near future.
The session continued with group discussions which lasted for an hour and 30 minutes before each group shared the summary of their discussion. The responses from attendees were very encouraging and indicated the potential of higher industry involvement in developing curriculum content for hospitality and tourism students. In addition, another key takeaway is more activities and practices are required for the industry to relate to the younger generation.
Vital discussions taking place at the session
