Learn and earn at Imperia College of Hospitality

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ICH chef instructor Mohd Afiq doing fruit carving which is a culinary skill students will learn.

ICH chef instructor Mohd Afiq doing fruit carving which is a culinary skill students will learn.

KUCHING: Imperia College of Hospitality (ICH) located within the 740-acre Bukit Gambang Resort City, Kuantan is currently the only institution of higher learning in Malaysia that is operating in a resort.

To create professional workforce in the field of hospitality and tourism, ICH trains school leavers so that they can be employed in the up-coming resorts operated by Sentoria Themeparks and Resorts Sdn Bhd.

“Although ICH is also training school leavers in the traditional hospitality programs such as Diploma in Hotel Management, Tourism Management, Culinary Arts, and so forth, we take a different approach in that we bring the classroom to the industry. Even from the first year, our students will undergo hands-on training in our modern and state-of-the-art facilities such as kitchen of 5-star hotel standard, and are able to experience real-life operations of the hotel, theme park and resort where they can practise their knowledge and skills attained from the classrooms,” said ICH chief executive Zahar Ali.

Zahar added: “Another aspect of our innovative education is in the 2-year Diploma in Resort Management (DRM) whereby it is a work-based learning program for students to undergo industry training and management training simultaneously. By doing so, students will get real-life working exposure of the resort which would also prepare them to be gainfully employed. We find this a very effective approach to ensuring that graduates of ICH will find employment in their fields of study; and at the same time, the industry will have qualified and trained workforce to be readily deployed for work.”

He said the Borneo Semariang Resort in Kuching, Sarawak is expected to open next year and will require about 350 employees at all levels who are either diploma or Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) holders for the opening of the resort. Sarawak students who complete the study at ICH will be sent directly to work at the new resort in Samariang, Kuching.

Students who do not possess the pre-requisite for diploma programs can choose to undergo Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) developed by the Department of Skills Development (DSD). The graduates will still have the opportunity to establish their career at Borneo Samariang Resort City. Currently ICH is offering SKM in Food Preparation, Restaurant Management, Guest Service Operations and Tourist Guide.

Enrolment for diploma programs is now open.

Students are encouraged to register early as space is limited. There are also various financial aids available.

For more information, contact ICH Kuching Marketing Office at 082-370075, 012-8096776, or 013-8365563.