The Institute hosted on 19 August its annual Orientation event, to welcome the latest batch of undergraduate and postgraduate students to the ‘IFTM family’. It featured a ceremony marking the official start to academic year 2022/2023, and the whole gathering was held online to counter the risk of COVID-19 infection.
During her speech, IFTM President Dr. Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan highlighted that the Institute’s “unique positioning” meant it provided students with access to “a deep pool of exclusive opportunities”, including exchange and internship programmes outside Macao. Such things, she said, could allow them “to be exposed to new ideas, and to broaden their horizons”.
Those taking part in the ceremony heard from Dr. Vong news of the latest accolade received by IFTM. The Institute became last month the first higher education institution worldwide to secure reaccreditation from the U.K.’s Quality Assurance Agency under the latter’s stringent “International Quality Review” process.
The IFTM President stressed the commitment of all the staff at the Institute to offering the “best-possible educational environment”. In addition, Dr. Vong advised students newly-arrived at IFTM to explore its 2 campuses, as the sites were “teeming with activities” – including student clubs, exhibitions, performances, and community service programmes. “My advice is make the most of it all: the extracurricular experiences around the Institute should be an integral part of your education,” she said.
Eager to start
Among the new students listening to Dr. Vong’s advice was local student Jamie Lau Chon In. He has just enrolled on the Culinary Arts Management Bachelor’s Degree Programme, delivered in English.
“I am interested in culinary matters. I saw that IFTM provides such a programme, so I wanted to give it a try,” Jamie says.
He has already carefully assessed the curriculum of the programme, to understand what is likely to be on the ‘menu’ for his next 4 years of studies. It is more than just cooking classes.
“I see other courses like accounting, nutrition, food safety, etcetera. As the programme’s name suggests, it is geared toward providing us with knowledge on how to manage, instead of merely training us to become chefs.”
Jamie has already set goals regarding his studies at IFTM. “I hope to go out of Macao for exchange and internship,” he says. “I want to improve my self-discipline and acquire better English-language skills”.
The English-language teaching environment at IFTM was also a factor in Lanny Ye Kelan’s decision to come to the Institute. Lanny, from Guilin in Guangxi Province, emphasises that IFTM was her top choice for higher education studies.
“I have liked travelling since I was young,” she says. “My mother works in a tourism education-related institute, so I knew about IFTM for some time already.”
Lanny is a Year 1 student in the Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Bachelor’s Degree Programme. She says observation of retailing practices has long been a passion of hers. “When travelling, I always used to pay attention to the design and patterns of souvenirs and other gifts,” she says.
Lanny hopes to accomplish a wide variety of things at IFTM. “Acquiring solid professional knowledge is a must – knowledge that can be applicable to day-to-day operations,” she says. “Personally, I hope to improve my working efficiency and my capabilities in taking care of myself and getting along with others.”
Kiki Wu Qi, a native of Macao’s neighbouring city Zhuhai, is also part of the latest intake of IFTM undergraduates. The Cultural and Heritage Management student says she was impressed by IFTM’s international standing. According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, the Institute is 23rd worldwide in the field of hospitality and leisure management – a jump of 7 places from 2021 –, being ranked first in Macao, and third in Asia as a whole.
IFTM’s 6-month curricular internship scheme “is great for students, to have more contact with the industry,” Kiki adds.
Living next door to Macao, she was already a regular visitor to the city. Now, Kiki is happy to be calling it home for the next 4 years: “I am already quite excited about learning new, professional techniques and knowledge at IFTM,” she says.
