Weeklong intensive training in hotel reception skills – to enhance professional competences and competitiveness among would-be WorldSkills contestants – included exchange sessions and simulation of actual competition conditions. Those attending reported significant skill improvements and praised the joint training initiative
The new “WorldSkills Macao Comprehensive Training Base” – on neighbouring Hengqin Island, and established by UTM and other entities – recently welcomed young people from mainland China and Macao preparing to take part in the hotel reception category of the upcoming WorldSkills Competition. The young people from the two places, accompanied by their respective instructors, attended a weeklong joint intensive training and exchange programme.
The scheme was to enhance their professional skills, competitiveness, and mental resilience for the contest.
The WorldSkills Competition, held every two years by the global organisation of that name, is considered the highest-level international vocational skill contest targeting young people. The 47th WorldSkills will take place in Lyon, France, in September; it will feature various competition categories, providing an opportunity for participants drawn from across the world to showcase their skills and exchange insights.
The WorldSkills Macao Comprehensive Training Base is located within the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. The young trainees arrived there on 15 July, and were received by local officials, including Ms. Xu Fengmei, Deputy Director of the Cooperation Zone’s Livelihood Affairs Bureau.
The training programme focused on the latest requirements for the hotel reception category at the WorldSkills contest. It emphasised training in front desk and back-of-house duties, speed of service, and topics related to internal communication. During the initiative, the team from the mainland and the one from Macao experienced simulated competition, to test their technical and professional proficiency.
The participants said they had benefitted greatly from the experience. They added that having more joint training and exchange opportunities in the future would be a positive.
Mr. Hu Xiao, the head of the team from mainland China, highlighted that the programme had provided high-quality, effective learning opportunities for participants. The technical skills, competence, and enthusiasm displayed by the Macao team had left a deep impression on its mainland counterpart, he said. Mr. Hu added that this type of training could, in the future, be enhanced in scope, with a correspondingly greater impact on participants.
Mr. Kurma Mac Seac Kuong, Coordinator for Hospitality Courses at UTM’s Institute of Executive and Professional Development (IEPD) and one of the instructors of the Macao team, said the training base provided trainees with additional room to sharpen their skills. The training base also supplied fresh opportunities for exchange with counterparts from mainland China. This effectively enhanced the competitiveness of Macao participants, he added.
New training vehicle
The WorldSkills Macao Comprehensive Training Base was established in May to promote vocational skills exchange between the mainland and Macao. It is a joint initiative by UTM, Macao’s Labour Affairs Bureau, the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and Angsana Zhuhai Hengqin Hotel. The training base is located at Angsana Hengqin and focuses – in the current pilot stage – on the restaurant service and hotel reception categories of the WorldSkills roster.
Cassie Zhu, a Worldskills contender from mainland China in the hotel reception category, was among those attending the training base in July. She reported the programme had helped her acquire new skills while improving her existing ones. The initiative had also helped her forge strong friendship with members of the Macao team, Cassie said.
Nick Chan, also a hotel reception category contender but from Macao, mentioned the mainland team had shared its own professional expertise with the Macao one during the training sessions, as well as offering valuable feedback about how the Macao trainees were performing. Nick, a student on UTM’s Hotel Management Bachelor’s Degree Programme, stated the training had significantly enhanced his capabilities for the upcoming WorldSkills contest. He looked forward to similar exchanges and training opportunities with the mainland representatives.
Since 2015, UTM and its predecessor institution, the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, have been entrusted by the Macao Labour Affairs Bureau to serve as a supporting organisation for Macao’s participation in WorldSkills competitions. That has involved selection and training of participants in the categories of hotel reception, bakery, pâtisserie and confectionery, restaurant service, and cooking (Western cuisine).
Editor: UTM Public Relations Team
