IFT hosted in November an “Open Day”: the well-attended event offered prospective students and their families an opportunity to explore the Institute’s teaching facilities and to learn more about its bachelor degree programme offering.
“The goal is to share our curriculum with prospective students and their families,” says IFT President Dr. Fanny Vong. “It is important for high-school students to research what options are available out there and what is the right decision [for them]. By visiting our campus, students who are considering our programmes can get a clearer idea of what student life is like at IFT.”
The IFT Open Day takes place annually at the Mong-Há Campus. This year it was held on 25 November. The event seeks to explain to visitors that combining theory and practice is at the heart of the Institute’s educational work.
The Open Day gives high school graduates, would-be mature students and family members of prospective students a chance to speak to staff and current undergraduates to find out more about courses and life at the Institute. Activities at the event include information briefings, sharing sessions with outstanding alumni, tours and drop-in workshops at various specialised learning facilities of IFT.
Dr. Vong says one of the most attractive features of IFT is its international links. “Through our internship and exchange programmes, we offer a lot of invaluable opportunities for students to go abroad and gain experience in the global tourism industry,” she says.
Greater Bay appeal
The 2018 edition of the Open Day not only attracted students from local secondary schools, but also those from cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Among the attendees was Cynthia Hong from Shenzhen, in Guangdong Province. Cynthia and her parents travelled to Macao to learn more about IFT’s Hotel Management Bachelor Degree Programme. “I will be finishing my secondary school studies next summer. After having looked into different higher education options available in Mainland China, I am now particularly interested in the tourism and hospitality programmes at IFT,” said Cynthia.
She added: “Attending the Open Day allows me to interact with the teaching staff and current students. I get to clarify some of my doubts, and the overall experience sheds light on what I can expect from the campus.”
The Hong family planned to take advantage of the Open Day to visit various teaching facilities at the Mong-Há Campus, including those for practicum classes.
Being a regular tourist to Macao, Cynthia’s father stated he was confident about the quality of education at IFT. He noted the programmes at the Institute benefitted from Macao’s positioning as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
Hong Kong student Yuki Fung was attracted to IFT by its Tourism Event Management Bachelor Degree Programme. “My goal is to become an event organiser for exhibitions, so I consider the programme at IFT a good fit for that,” she said, while attending the Open Day activities. “I don’t want to limit my options to Hong Kong.”
Opportunity for learning
A special feature of the Open Day is that students from the Tourism Event Management and Hotel Management programmes help put together the event. They are responsible for planning and delivering many of the activities offered throughout the day.
Kimberley Chung was one of the Year 1 Tourism Event Management students providing support to the 2018 Open Day. “This was my first time contributing to a public event,” she says. “From start to finish, our group spent a considerable amount of time ensuring everything went well. Hands-on [learning] opportunities like this really put our knowledge into practice, and enrich school life,” she says.
The curriculum at IFT emphasises experience-based learning. Arrangements are made for students to experience real situations and confront real challenges by undertaking hands-on projects and taking part in internships. By such routes they have the opportunity to develop pan-curricular skills while collaborating in groups, attributes likely to be of great importance in their future professional careers.
Terry Lam, a Year 1 student from the Hotel Management programme, was also involved in this year’s Open Day. His task was to showcase to visitors how to operate specific computer software used in hotel operations.
“At IFT, we are given the opportunity to receive high-level professional training that aligns with international tourism standards,” he says. “For prospective students interested in becoming a hotel manager in the future, they could experience our hotel counter simulation to get a better idea of the scope of knowledge that we cover over the period of our studies.”
