FT is committed to the continual improvement of the facilities that support the development, personally and academically, of students and staff.
IFT has a strategy of continual investment in its facilities to offer an unmatched physical and technological environment for both teaching and learning. The way the Institute combines modern academic resources, places for social interaction and living accommodation enhances the experience of students, teachers and other staff.
Students at IFT have access to purpose-built facilities. These include state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, demonstration kitchens, a training restaurant and a training hotel. The Institute also offers 2 libraries, electronic information services and computing facilities.
Under development is the new campus on the island of Taipa. The Taipa Campus first came into use in academic year 2015/16 and will eventually house a second training hotel, which the Institute hopes will be as successful as the first – the Pousada de Mong-Há. The complete plan for the new campus is still on the drawing board and the Institute will fully involve stakeholders to craft the blueprint for this important pillar.
The Institute is committed to developing sustainably by following the best possible policies and procedures. Accreditations earned from various institutions around the world are a clear sign of that obligation.
IFT operations have had ISO/IEC 20000 certification since 2013, showing they meet international standards for information technology service management. Institute operations received ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System certification in June 2016.
On the Nam Van Lake waterfront, IFT runs a café designed to train students of the Institute. The IFT Café opened in June 2016 as part of the Macao SAR Government’s efforts to revitalise the area around Nam Van Lake as an attraction for tourists and leisure-seekers. The café’s customers are served distinctive IFT fare and the venue regularly stages exhibitions of work by Macao artists. The IFT Café will remain in business until the premises are let to a private-sector tenant.
Improvements to the IFT Mong-Há Campus in academic year 2016/17 include the renewal of the uninterruptible power supply system and of the capacitors in the power distribution room of the Team Building. These enhancements will ensure a reliable supply of electricity. A new air heat pump was installed to ensure sufficient hot water is on tap at all kitchens. The audiovisual system in the Grand Hall has also been upgraded to meet the demands on a modern multipurpose facility.
On the Taipa Campus, several improvements were made to the East Asia Hall student hostel that will improve the living and studying environment.
IFT set up 2 breastfeeding rooms in academic year 2016/17, one on each campus, to comply with a Government policy of having employers provide suitable breastfeeding facilities.
Health and safety was emphasised by IFT throughout academic year 2016/17. The Institute held fire drills, fire extinguisher training sessions and accident drills. Together with the Labour Affairs Bureau, the Institute put on safety courses and arranged talks on health topics. IFT took part in World Challenge Day 2017, held on 31 May, which promotes the health benefits of regular physical exercise.
GREEN CREDENTIALS
IFT has established clear objectives to further enhance the way it cares for the environment. It has set targets for efficiency in its use of energy, water and other resources.
The Institute adheres to the 5 Rs of sustainability: reducing the consumption of resources; reusing resources whenever possible; repairing damaged resources and maintaining them to extend their life; recycling resources and utilising recycled materials; and rethinking operating procedures to make them more environmentally friendly.
Each academic year IFT takes part in community events intended to increase awareness of the need to protect the environment. These events include the Macao version of the global Earth Hour, when all but essential lights are extinguished for 60 minutes. The Institute observes No Elevator Day, encouraging students and staff to take the stairs instead of using the lifts. These efforts remind the community of the benefits of energy conservation.
Healthy and Green Month has been a feature of the IFT calendar each year since 2012. Healthy and Green Month encourages everyone to protect the environment, save energy, to live a more healthy life and to follow safe working practices. Healthy and Green Month was observed in September in academic year 2016/17. More than 1,700 people took part in the programme.
STACKS OF KNOW-HOW
IFT has 2 libraries that offer a tranquil environment for study, whether for students, staff or visitors. These facilities store a wealth of information on tourism and hospitality.
The Mong-Há Campus boasts one of the IFT libraries and the newer facility is on the Taipa Campus. The IFT Taipa Campus Library opened in August 2016, in a significant boost to the Institute’s resources. The new library spans 700 square metres of floor space, divided into reading areas, a computer zone, nooks where readers can peruse magazines and places for meetings.
Since January 2017, holders of Macau Pass stored-value cards, which are used to pay bus fares and make small purchases, have been able to top-up the value at the library on the Taipa Campus.
The IFT libraries provide access to an expanding collection of electronic resources. In February 2017, the Institute and Google Scholar formed a partnership that enables readers to search academic literature online. Google Scholar delivers access to the information contained in journals the IFT subscribes to, as well as other sources already available to the Institute. The partnership makes it easier for students and researchers to find the information they need.
In academic year 2015/16, IFT became the first seat of learning in Greater China to join the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Depository Library programme. The programme is intended to give the public greater access to reports and other publications produced by UNWTO.
The Institute has belonged to the Macau Academic Library Alliance since it was formed in 2014. The arrangement pools the resources of 9 institutions of higher education in Macao, allowing a student at one institution to borrow from the libraries at any of the other institutions.
As well as serving its students and staff, IFT endeavours to be a source of information for people working in the tourism industry. A special form of corporate membership allows employees of companies to borrow books and other resources from the IFT libraries.
Academics and researchers at institutions other than IFT can apply for permission to use the resources of the libraries at the Institute.
IFT is putting extra effort into making more of its library resources available online, around the clock, for the greater convenience of readers. Making more resources available online also enables operations to become more environmentally friendly, by reducing reliance on printed materials.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
NOVEMBER 2016
– Macao SAR Government Social Affairs and Culture Secretary Alexis Tam Chon Weng visited the IFT Taipa Campus and inspected the library facilities.
– IFT Library Services Head Ms. Carmen Lei and IFT I.T. Team Head Ms. Chammy Tai went on a field trip to Shanghai arranged by the Macau Academic Library Alliance. Their party toured several facilities there, including the Pudong Library and the Fudan University Library, to learn more about the work of academic libraries in Mainland China and the technology they use to preserve cultural relics.
APRIL 2017
– The IFT library staff arranged a visit to St Joseph’s Seminary and the University of Saint Joseph Library in Macao to create interest in the city’s history and built heritage. Among the party were undergraduates studying Heritage Management and 2 academic staff.
– IFT took part in the annual Macao Library Week. The Institute and operators of databases for academic journals jointly put on activities intended to improve the ability of students to search for information, offering them incentive awards.
MAY 2017
– The library on the IFT Taipa Campus held a Book Sharing Night, an event to inspire better reading habits.