e at IFT aim to make the Institute’s international outlook count as a positive differentiator in the educational services sector. We strive to ensure that all our activities – from curriculum development to research – are infused with an international spirit.
Each day, many people from around the world meet at IFT to share ideas and spread knowledge. The Institute offers undergraduates a learning environment with a genuinely international outlook, aimed at enhancing their employability and increasing the quality and relevance of our research.
IFT’s emphasis on building awareness of the Institute’s work internationally complements its dedication to nurturing the next generation of leaders for Macao’s tourism industry, along with other professionals qualified to work in the sector. We recognise in particular that if local students want to be competitive internationally in their chosen field of work, then engaging with overseas students and scholars prior to graduation is important. It is part of an ‘internationalisation at home’ strategy.
The knowledge and experience of our multicultural academic team help broaden the horizons of our students. Additionally, the Institute has access to a vast international network linking it to 101 universities and tourism organisations in 30 countries and regions. Each year, the Institute also welcomes a number of full-time overseas undergraduates and exchange students, further contributing to the creation of a campus with an international atmosphere.
Better to prepare our undergraduates for the challenges of a globalised tourism industry, IFT has taken a number of important steps. Our curricula are benchmarked against international standards and best practices, to provide students with all the tools required to succeed in their careers and pursue further studies either at home or overseas.
In addition, we encourage students to take part in overseas internship and exchange programmes – and provide them with scholarships for that purpose. We also encourage their participation in academic conferences, field trips and cultural immersion programmes overseas.
SUMMER LEARNING
Many IFT undergraduates join short-term programmes outside Macao during the summer break from academic study, getting a chance to broaden their horizons and to learn more about tourism-related topics. A number of these courses are co-organised by IFT in partnership with some of the Institute’s international partners. International exchange programmes attended by students in the summer of 2016 included:
– Tianjin Cultural Exchange Programme for Macao University Students 2016
Tianjin, Mainland China
– Xinjiang Ethnic Cultures
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Mainland China
– Destination Shaping and Experience Design
Breda, the Netherlands
– Eco-awareness and Tourism Sustainability
Chicago, Illinois, United States
– Portugal Tourism: Heritage and Creativity
Peniche, Portugal
– Wine and Gastronomy Summer School 2016
Douro region, Portugal
– 18th Bahrom International Programme
Seoul, Republic of Korea
– 2016 CAU Summer International Programme
Seoul, Republic of Korea
– 2016 Korean Summer Session – “The Second Heart of Korea – Busan”
Busan, Republic of Korea
NEW ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS
IFT signed agreements with several new academic partners in academic year 2015/16, including: the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong, Zambia’s Hotel and Tourism Training Institute and Chung-Ang University in the Republic of Korea.
NEW OVERSEAS ORGANISATIONS THAT BEGAN OFFERING INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO IFT STUDENTS IN 2015/16
These included high-profile hotels in Europe, the United States and New Zealand. Currently, 500 organisations worldwide respectively offer internship placements to IFT students.
COUNTRIES AND REGIONS
Our faculty includes academics from all around the world, who work together with our seasoned team of highly qualified staff from Macao
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
IFT collaborates with some of the world’s leading tourism schools to provide – via its Executive Development Programme – short courses for industry executives. The courses cover the latest trends in hospitality management.
IFT offered 2 courses under the scheme in academic year 2015/16. The Institute hosted in May a course on leadership and motivation led by Dr. J. Bruce Tracey, Professor in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, in the United States. In August, Mr. André Mack, Director at Lausanne Hospitality Consulting, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, in Switzerland, conducted a programme on strategic resilience.
The Executive Development Programme scheme also helps to promote development of the tourism sector in Asia. Some of the courses held recently have welcomed representatives of tourism-related government bodies from Asian countries. The countries concerned were nominated by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to send such study delegates. The initiative follows an agreement signed between IFT and UNWTO in 2012, as well as a memorandum of understanding signed between the Macao SAR Government and UNWTO in 2015, in which the parties involved agreed to collaborate to enhance cooperation and promote regional exchanges of knowledge.
FORGING LINKS ACROSS THE GLOBE
We collaborate on a wide range of things with a great number of tourism-related organisations around the world. These relationships are designed to enhance the Institute’s global achievements and improve its research and training capabilities.
– Founding member
– Holder of the chair of the Executive Committee
– Knowledge management hub
– Focal point of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme
Asia-Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism
– Founding member
– General Council member
– Executive Committee member
– Training-the-trainer centre
– Board member
– Institutional member
– Regional representative
Association for Tourism and Leisure Education
– Member
Association of Universities of Portuguese Language
– Member
Pacific Asia Travel Association
– Associate member
– Industry Council member and Council representative on the PATA Board
PATA Macau Chapter
– Holder of chair
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
– Affiliate member
– Knowledge network member
– Asia Society of Visual Merchandisers
– Burgundy Wine School
– Confederation of International Beauty, Therapy and Cosmetology
– City and Guilds
– Ferrandi Paris School of Culinary Arts
– International Air Transport Association (IATA)
– International Personal Trainers and Fitness Academy
– ITEC
– London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
– Le Cordon Bleu
– Microsoft Office Specialist
– Sake Sommelier Association
– Specialty Coffee Association of Europe
– Sherry Academy (Consejos Reguladores del Marco de Jerez)
– Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) – Educational Testing Service
– Wine and Spirit Education Trust
– Wines of Portugal