PETALING JAYA, 21st October 2018 – First City University College (FCUC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with HTMi, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland to continue their very successful education collaboration which started in 2012. The education partnership has enabled Hospitality & Tourism students of FCUC to obtain external awards as well as gain direct entry into the final year of the degree programme at HTMi which will include paid internship training as well as employment opportunities overseas.

Many Hospitality & Tourism students of FCUC have proceeded to complete the final year of their degree programme at HTMi and have been offered employment in many countries overseas, such as Japan, Maldives, and Switzerland.

The MOA was signed by Prof. Dr. Mak Chai, Vice-Chancellor of First City University College and Mr. Ian Larmour, Managing Director of HTMi at One World Hotel in Bandar Utama. The event was witnessed by FCUC Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Yeong Yin Cheng and the Registrar, Mr. Lye Boon Han and attended by the staff members of FCUC.

Given the growing significance and increasing employment opportunities in Malaysia and globally for the Hospitality & Tourism industry, the partnership serves to strengthen and broaden cooperation and collaboration in providing professional education expertise to equip students with the right skills, knowledge, and values to meet the rapidly changing global hospitality and tourism landscape as well as the demands and expectations of the industry.

HTMi, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland is one of the top 5 Swiss hotel schools and ranked 14 in the QS World University Rankings 2018 in the area of Hospitality and Leisure Management. HTMi offers high quality education, training, and work internships to students in the area of hospitality and tourism. HTMi is accredited and recognized as a Higher Education Institution with EduQua, the Swiss association for Quality and Management Systems (SQS) and the British Accreditation Council.

For almost 30 years, First City UC has been leading the way in providing affordable, quality and industry-relevant education for Malaysian and International students. First City UC offers a wide range of industry-relevant programmes that meet the stringent requirements of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) on the quality and delivery of programmes. First City UC also

collaborates with reputable foreign universities. Such collaboration is important for benchmarking First City UC’s standards and quality at an international level.

First City University College is well-equipped with state-of-the-art learning and teaching facilities for Hospitality & Tourism Management studies. For instance, there is a Front Desk Counter where Hospitality & Tourism students will be able to learn the real operations of a front desk in a commercial hotel. The utilization of the Opera System also exposes students to the real environment of the front desk operations.

The Training Kitchen is well-equipped with modern facilities. Students enjoy the privilege of having their own work stations and equipment to inspire creativity and craftsmanship in displaying their talents and skills. The Mock Hotel Room facility provides opportunities for the students to learn through hands-on experience of the roles and functions of hotel housekeeping staff. Students are able to develop an advanced understanding of the daily housekeeping operations of hotels. The Training Restaurant, which is a fully-operational restaurant, serves as an on-site laboratory in which students can acquire the experience of operating a restaurant without having to leave campus.

The Vice-Chancellor of First City University College, Prof. Dr. Mak Chai said, “We are delighted and honoured to sign this Memorandum of Agreement with HTMi, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland. This collaboration will strengthen the existing links between our two institutions and enable both parties to work together to develop various joint initiatives to further raise the bar for professional standards as well as international certification to pave the way for our Hospitality &Tourism students to take up global career opportunities”.

Mr. Ian Larmour, Managing Director of HTMi, said, “I am delighted to renew our partnership for a further 5 years. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to First City University College for providing higher education of international standards. We are always happy to acknowledge their high standards for our certification and accept them directly into our institution. Starting this year, we have also launched the World Hospitality Student Championship in Switzerland. We welcome the participation of the Hospitality and Tourism students from First City University College”.