{"id":4127,"date":"2018-08-23T10:25:57","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T02:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.ift.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/?p=4127"},"modified":"2018-09-11T18:04:22","modified_gmt":"2018-09-11T10:04:22","slug":"ift-attracting-top-students-from-macao-and-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/ift-attracting-top-students-from-macao-and-elsewhere\/","title":{"rendered":"IFT attracting top students from Macao and elsewhere"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-4127 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-herald-lay-c1'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1-187x124.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Edward1.jpg 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4126'>\n\t\t\t\tEdward Leong\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1-187x124.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Fanny1.jpg 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4123'>\n\t\t\t\tFanny Lam\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Rocco2-187x124.jpg 187w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4125'>\n\t\t\t\tRocco Ng\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1-187x124.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Heekeat1.jpg 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4124'>\n\t\t\t\tTan Hee Keat, from Malaysia\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1-187x124.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cecilia1.jpg 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4122'>\n\t\t\t\tCecilia Chung, from Hong Kong\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<span class='pum-trigger  popmake-4129  text-center font-blue' data-do-default=''>\u4e2d\u6587\u6458\u8981 \/ Summary in Chinese<\/span>\n<p>IFT is welcoming this month a new intake of students. A total of 512 undergraduates \u2013 coming from Macao, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia and further afield \u2013 are putting on their IFT uniforms for the first time, preparing for 4 years of intense study, or for a 6-month exchange programme at the Institute.<\/p>\n<p>As a leading institution in the field of tourism and hospitality education in the Asia-Pacific region, IFT each year attracts top-scoring high school graduates from Macao and beyond, all vying for a place at the Institute. Competition for enrolment for academic year 2018\/19 has been as intense as usual, with some of the most talented students in Greater China and beyond seeking to study at IFT.<\/p>\n<p>Year 1 student Edward Leong fits this profile. He achieved one of the highest scores in this year\u2019s edition of the Joint Admission Examination\u00a0(JAE) for Macao Four Higher Education Institutions, which potentially offers access to IFT, the University of Macao, the Macao Polytechnic Institute and the Macau University of Science and Technology.<\/p>\n<p>Upon completing his secondary school studies in the English-language section of Yuet Wah College, Edward chose to enrol on the IFT programme leading to a bachelor degree in Hotel Management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always like to take on new challenges and acquire knowledge in various areas,\u201d he says. \u201cCompared with other higher education institutions in Macao, IFT has the most diversified curriculum, which can equip me with a wide array of knowledge in the next 4 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edward expects the Hotel Management programme will provide him with the tools to craft a successful career in tourism and hospitality; one not only limited to Macao but also with an international scope.<\/p>\n<p>Fanny Lam will be one of Edward\u2019s fellow students, having also enrolled in the Hotel Management programme. She was attracted to IFT because of the Institute\u2019s quality education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to study in Macao about the service industry, there\u2019s no place like IFT,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Fanny graduated from the English-language section of a local secondary school, Col\u00e9gio de Santa Rosa de Lima. She was admitted to IFT via a special scheme. It enables high school principals directly to refer to the Institute individual students judged to have outstanding academic performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIFT has a lot of [teaching and learning] resources, and its programmes offer a balance between theoretical and practical knowledge, which was appealing to me because I don\u2019t just like to spend all my time in a classroom for lectures,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More than just lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fanny says she is excited about spending the next 4 years at IFT. She is looking forward to making the most of the exchange programme options offered by the Institute. In partnership with leading tourism and hospitality institutions around the world, IFT provides a wide range of exchange schemes \u2013 ranging in duration from a few weeks to a whole semester \u2013 in a number of countries and regions around the world, including Mainland China, Portugal and the United States.<\/p>\n<p>All IFT students in a programme leading to a bachelor degree must complete a 6-month internship during Year 3. The aim is to provide a platform \u2013 via practical experience \u2013 for students further to consolidate what they have learnt in the classroom. Internships are available at local companies and organisations, and at overseas ones.<\/p>\n<p>The internship opportunity was key in Rocco Ng\u2019s decision to apply to study at IFT. He graduated from local secondary school Instituto Salesiano and was at first undecided between pursuing a degree related to the health sector \u2013 at a Taiwanese university \u2013 or applying for IFT\u2019s Culinary Arts Management programme.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought the programme offered by the Taiwanese university would not be interesting, while the IFT one would be more engaging and practical, which suits me well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Rocco was accepted by IFT after obtaining one of the highest results in this year\u2019s JAE. He hopes the 4-year programme will prepare him well for a career in the hotel and restaurant sector. \u201cBuilding up a personal network is of paramount importance in career development&#8230; and IFT can provide us with chances to know more people, namely industry professionals,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>International outlook<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to attracting year-by-year many of Macao\u2019s top local students, IFT is also appealing to students from overseas. Each year, the Institute receives a number of applications from beyond Macao\u2019s shores.<\/p>\n<p>Tan Hee Keat, from Malaysia, is one of the international students featured in the 2018\/19 intake. He travelled that distance in order to study in the Culinary Arts Management programme at the Institute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe programme is very well balanced: while we can learn professional cooking skills, it also focuses on management skills, such as how to open a business and run it by ourselves,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<p>Another advantage of studying at IFT is its international outlook, Hee Keat says. \u201cThe courses are taught in English, and I can also learn other languages besides Chinese and English \u2013 for example, Portuguese.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hee Keat was awarded a scholarship sponsored by Macao Foundation. It helps him and his family to cover the costs of studying in Macao.<\/p>\n<p>IFT takes pride in its curriculum and the quality of education it provides; the Institute has already garnered many international recognitions and awards.<\/p>\n<p>Such international repute ranked high among Cecilia Chung\u2019s reasons for studying at IFT. She graduated from Tack Ching Girls\u2019 Secondary Schoolin Hong Kong, and says she had been interested in heritage and in antique objects since she was very young. It was little wonder therefore that she applied \u2013 and was accepted \u2013 into the IFT programme in Heritage Management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeritage conservation is a rather new trend in Hong Kong, but Macao has developed very well in this area over the years,\u201d she says. \u201cAfter my secondary school teacher recommended IFT to me, I started to look for more information about the Institute and found it had won many certifications and recognitions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cecilia hopes that, in 4 years\u2019 time, she can start helping to raise the level of heritage awareness in Hong Kong. \u201cAfter graduation, I want to work in the relevant field in Hong Kong and make my contribution,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IFT is welcoming this month a new intake of students. A total of 512 undergraduates \u2013 coming from Macao, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia and further afield \u2013 are putting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,136],"tags":[862,549,861],"class_list":["post-4127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-degrees-offered-in-english","category-main_headline","tag-enrolment","tag-new-students","tag-student-orientation","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"views":590,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4127"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4165,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127\/revisions\/4165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}