Berjaya UCH ties up with Vietnam tourism school
The deal was cemented with a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was signed by Tan Sri Prof Emeritus Dr Abu Hassan Othman, vice-chancellor and chief executive officer of Berjaya UCH, and Ha Kim Vong, principal of Khoi Viet at a ceremony at the Berjaya UCH campus in Kuala Lumpur. Freddie Pang, executive director of Berjaya Corporation, Mae Ho, chief operating officer of Berjaya UCH, and Mrs Vong from Khoi Viet were present to witness the event.
The collaboration is also a part of Berjaya UCH’s mission to promote excellence in the hospitality industry internationally. This relationship also fosters educational ties and industry-related cooperation between Malaysia and Vietnam.
Earlier in the day, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Berjaya Group of companies presented 30 scholarships to Khoi Viet to be given to their students and other deserving candidates to study at Berjaya UCH.
The MoU with Khoi Viet establishes a framework for collaboration in the form of student articulation (Khoi Viet students will receive academic credit for Berjaya UCH’s programmes) and in the areas of curriculum development, franchise of academic programmes, staff-student exchanges and research opportunities. Students can experience Berjaya UCH’s immersion methodology in hospitality education. This teaching methodology is based on the "Learning by Doing" principle – which allows students to think critically, communicate effectively, work productively and manage professionally.
Local and other foreign Berjaya UCH students will also benefit from this by being exposed to a different culture. Discovering and understanding cultures from around the world is a critical component of the hospitality, tourism and service management industries.
The Berjaya Group of Companies, which also owns Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake Hotel and Sheraton Hanoi Hotel and Towers in Hanoi, Vietnam, has hotels operating under the Berjaya brand around the world in countries such as the UK, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Seychelles as well as the island resorts in Malaysia. "We strongly encourage work placement for our graduates in Berjaya’s many resorts, hotels and residences globally as well as at our various family recreational clubs and food retail outlets such as Starbucks, Kenny Rogers Roasters Restaurants, Krispy Kreme, Wendy’s and Papa John’s Pizza. Berjaya UCH believes in providing quality education that will allow our graduates to perform well in their future careers and in this regard, we will give preference to our own students should there be employment opportunities within the Group after they graduate," said Pang.
Khoi Viet’s principal Vong said, "On behalf of Khoi Viet, we are honoured to have established this collaborative relationship with Berjaya UCH. I agree with Berjaya’s motto, ‘Inspiring Lives, Widening Horizons’ because Khoi Viet believes in giving our students the best opportunity and exposure to discover their career path in life. With this commitment with Berjaya UCH, our students can expand their horizons and studies in hospitality, tourism and services through the leading niche hospitality University College in Malaysia."
Berjaya UCH had its inaugural intake of students in January this year. It offers programmes related to hospitality, tourism, and services management, from foundation to postgraduate levels through the School of Culinary Arts, School of Hospitality Management, School of Tourism, Arts and Culture Management and School of Services Management. The cosmopolitan city campus, situated in the golden triangle on the 11th and 14th floors of Berjaya Times Square, was conceptually designed with a five-star hotel ambience, equipped with the most comprehensive and advanced facilities.
Khoi Viet Junior Vocational School of Tourism and Hospitality (Khoi Viet), previously known as Khoi Viet Tourism and Language School, was established in 1997 and is one of the leading education providers for tourism and hospitality in Vietnam. Khoi Viet established international educational support with institutions in Singapore and Switzerland to enable students to further their studies in degree programmes. In 2008, Khoi Viet submitted their application to upgrade itself as an International Professional College.
