ORLANDO, Fla.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has signed a Global Academic Partner (GAP) agreement with the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts (SHTCA) at KDU University College Penang in Malaysia. SHTCA began offering a diploma in Hotel & Catering Management in 1991, and since 1997, has offered students the opportunity to obtain prestigious Swiss diploma and degree qualifications without having to go abroad, with the IMI Diploma in International Hotel & Tourism Management and 3+0 IMI BA in International Hotel & Tourism Management.
In June 2012, SHTCA introduced the Work-based Learning (WBL) Diploma in Hotel Management program with a comprehensive industrial training practicum, where the students apply what they learn in the classroom for 10 months in a paid internship program. A partnership with a local five-star industry hotel (Equatorial Hotel) ensures students learn on the job in their industrial training program. Currently, SHTCA enrolls 446 students and boasts a 98 percent employment rate among its alumni.
With the GAP agreement with AHLEI, SHTCA will be able to offer its students the opportunity to earn individual course certificates and the 12-course hospitality management diploma awarded by AHLEI.
“AHLEI is an established institution offering a complete range of hospitality related training, education and learning materials. Students will have the opportunity to obtain a global industry-recognized certificate from AHLEI that provides additional credentials, which are imperative for better career prospects,” said Cindy Loh, CHT, CMC, academic department head, SHTCA. “Our partnership with AHLEI reflects our commitment to meet and offer global standards of education in hospitality and hotel management studies.”
Over the years, SHTCA has garnered several accolades such as the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) Recognition of Quality Culinary Education as well as accreditation from the International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE) as an Associate Member. The school is also an Associate Member of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), cluster leader (Northern region) for MyCenthe (Malaysia Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Education) and a member of the International Federation of Ice Cream, Pastry and Chocolate (FIP) and Penang Chef’s Association (PCA).
