he IFT Tourism and Hotel School develops people’s talent to ready them for work in tourism, hospitality and other service industries. For more than 2 decades we have offered courses that lead to qualifications that are recognised internationally and that reflect the needs of the market.
Almost 20,000 people undertake vocational training programmes and occupational assessments each year at the IFT Tourism and Hotel School. Courses are offered at the foundation, intermediate and advanced level.
Some of the programmes are offered in partnership with institutions abroad. These programmes lead to certificates or diplomas that are recognised by tourism and hospitality businesses around the world.
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School collaborates with the Macao Education and Youth Affairs Bureau to deliver 2 courses for high school students, including the Tourism Techniques Course and Graphic Design Course. The 3-year courses involve academic and occupational instruction, and are supplemented by opportunities to complete internships.
IFT also arranges vocational courses that teach high school pupils about the hospitality, food and beverage, and events businesses. These courses teach pupils all they need to know about tourism and hospitality to make informed decisions about further studies and their careers.
To the wider community, IFT offers a range of basic training courses for the service industries. Any resident of Macao can enrol, free of charge, in the IFT Community Education and Development Programme. The courses are presented with the help of community associations and IFT partners.
Throughout the year, special seminars and workshops on the food and beverage business and cultural tourism are arranged by IFT. These sessions help broaden people’s horizons as they are often jointly arranged with partners abroad.
MEET THE COURSE COORDINATORS
IFT Tourism and Hotel School courses are led by highly qualified instructors who are committed to developing people and to helping them succeed in their careers.
VOCATIONAL TRAINEES – ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/17
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DIPLOMA PROGRAMMES
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COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
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CUSTOMISED COURSES
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COURSES LEADING TO INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED QUALIFICATIONS
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MACAO OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS RECOGNITION SYSTEM (MORS)
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OTHER SHORT COURSES
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PRE-SERVICE VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMMES
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TECHNICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
TOTAL
LEARNING FOR LIFE
At the core of the mission of the IFT Tourism and Hotel School is the promotion of lifelong learning. We create and promote training programmes for Macao residents.
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School joined the Continuing Education Subsidy Scheme in 2008. The scheme was created by the Macao Education and Youth Affairs Bureau to promote lifelong learning. In 2011, it was replaced by the Continuing Education Development Plan.
By the end of August last year, IFT had applied to have 1,380 courses subsidised by either initiative and about 13,735 people have benefited from these subsidised courses.
OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT CANDIDATES – ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/17
TOTAL
FOR GOOD MEASURE
The Macao Occupational Skills Recognition System (MORS) is a critically important long-term endeavour by the IFT Tourism and Hotel School. MORS is the outcome of the joint efforts of the Macao tourism industry and IFT to establish a training scheme leading to certification for certain roles.
MORS sets out to improve the performance of workers in the hotel and tourism industries by certifying they have the skill to do front-line jobs. Workers can have their skills assessed and earn the appropriate MORS certificates. The certificates are recognised throughout the tourism industry in Macao.
The system was introduced in 2001 with the support of the European Union. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has granted the scheme a PATA Gold Award in Education and Training.
At least 2 rounds of intensive preparatory courses and skills assessments are offered annually. Longer preparatory courses for the public were first offered in 2010 in an effort to keep up with the rapid development of the tourism and hospitality industries in Macao.
To complement the training scheme, IFT has held the MORS Gold Pin competition every year since 2002. The competition finds outstanding performers in each of the jobs covered by the system. There were 21 competitors who claimed awards in the 2016/17 academic year.
NUMBER OF PEOPLE CERTIFIED BY MORS SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION IN 2001
MORS-CERTIFIABLE OCCUPATIONS
– Assistant cook (Western kitchen)
– Bartender
– Chinese cook – Cantonese cuisine (elementary)
– Chinese cook – Cantonese cuisine (intermediate)
– Chinese cook – Cantonese dim sum (elementary)
– Chinese cook – Cantonese dim sum (intermediate)
– Concierge and bell attendant
– Customer relations officer
– Floral designer
– Front desk agent
– Retail sales officer
– Room attendant
– Security officer for tourism or gaming
– Travel consultant
– Waiter/waitress (Chinese restaurant service)
– Waiter/waitress (Western restaurant service)
– Western pastry and bakery chef
GUANGDONG-HONG KONG-MACAO GREATER BAY AREA COLLABORATION
The National Development and Reform Commission, the Guangdong Provincial Government, the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Macao SAR Government signed on 1 July 2017 the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area. The agreement calls – among other topics – for the development of the Greater Bay Area into a prominent centre of international education, and calls for support for cooperation in developing Macao as a base for tourism education and training.
IFT fully supports the policies of the Macao SAR Government to facilitate and enhance the territory’s thriving tourism and hospitality industries, and the Institute has assumed its role in assisting the development of the Greater Bay Area.
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School has cooperated with educational institutions in Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Nansha, in Guangdong Province, for many years. Under the plan for the Greater Bay Area, that cooperation will intensify and expand to other educational institutions.
IFT and the Guangzhou Vocational School of Tourism and Business have been collaborating since 2014 on promoting academic exchanges. The Guangzhou-based educational institution launched in 2016 a vocational skills festival, and invited IFT to be part of the organising committee. The first edition of the festival took place in March 2016 and was attended by instructors and students from IFT.
IFT and the Zhuhai No.1 Vocational School in Guangdong have worked together since 2009 to introduce to Zhuhai the Macao Occupational Skills Recognition System (MORS). More than 2,600 students have benefitted from MORS training.
The Zhuhai No.1 Vocational School has used MORS to certify skills in 8 different job categories and, under a 2015 agreement, all 17 occupations covered by MORS will be available at the Zhuhai school.
In addition, IFT and the Ling Dong Vocational and Technical School are working to establish MORS in Nansha. Their collaborative effort includes a gauge for measuring skill in bartending.
In December 2016, IFT ran a course in preparation for the examination for the National Occupational Qualification Certificate – Tea Artist (Primary Skill Level). The qualification is awarded by the Central People’s Government Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and IFT offered the course in partnership with the Labour Affairs Bureau of Macao. A certified instructor in Chinese tea culture belonging to the Guangdong Occupational Skill Testing Authority conducted the course. Certificates were awarded to the 28 students who passed the examination.
IFT goes beyond the limits of the Greater Bay Area to cooperate with educational institutions across Mainland China. In July 2016, the IFT Tourism and Hotel School gave teaching staff of 2 tourism schools in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, a training programme on Macao’s tourism products that included an overview of the tourism industry in Macao, demonstrations of how traditional Macanese food is prepared, instruction in Chinese and Western table manners, and visits to cultural heritage attractions in Macao.
LEARNING TOGETHER
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School frequently collaborates with public and private organisations to deliver tailor-made programmes that continually strive to meet the Institute’s purpose of providing high-quality vocational training.
With the cooperation of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao, the IFT Tourism and Hotel School offers 2 programmes each year that lead to qualifications in the cultural and creative industries. The Certificate Programme in Performing Arts Event Management and the Certificate Programme in Arts Administration help build the skills of individuals in those fields and develop the capacity of the cultural and creative industries in Macao.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau and IFT offered a Certificate Programme in Visual Art Marketing and Management for the first time in 2017. The course accommodates the rapid growth of and demand for the visual arts in Macao.
The first cohort of students was taught by lecturers from Macao, Hong Kong and Beijing. The 177-hour programme consists of theoretical and practical study. The classes cover subjects ranging from marketing to art gallery management to art investment.
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School trains Macao front-line police officers in the soft skills that enable them to deal with tourists. The officers are taught etiquette and communication skills, including foreign languages, and how to present information about the city’s cultural heritage.
The training – offered in partnership with the Academy for Public Security Forces – helps officers interact with tourists, improving the service they render on the beat and so taking Macao closer to its goal of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
The arrangement will last for 5 years, with a target of training about 1,000 police officers. Annually, 10 courses are presented for 25 officers in each class. Since the arrangement began in 2015, 439 officers have completed the course.
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School works with industry bodies to assist in training staff, preparing them to develop their careers and seize opportunities for promotion. The School and the Macau Hotel Association frequently join forces to offer courses at the foundation, intermediate and advanced levels on subjects such as languages, food and drink, and management.
The School will also tailor training programmes to suit organisations and meet their specific needs. In 2016/17, about 6,400 employees attended courses custom-designed by IFT for their employers.
The IFT Tourism and Hotel School, the Labour Affairs Bureau of Macao and the History and Culture Association of the Port of Macau organised a Course for Cultural Tours on Macao’s Traditional Fishing Industry in June 2017.
The course for Macao fisherfolk includes basic Macao knowledge, its history and coastal attractions, and sessions on customer service and public speaking. Those that complete the course can become a coastal tour guide.
AMPLIFYING CREATIVITY
Part of the mission of the IFT Tourism and Hotel School is to assist in Macao’s economic diversification. IFT has met that objective by expanding the courses it offers in creative fields.