Young people worldwide are realising that with the right qualification a hotel management career opens up extraordinary opportunities that can take them anywhere in the world.
Many are choosing to study in Australia at one of the country's top hotel management training schools-the International College of Hotel Management (ICHM). Graduates of the college are in top positions in global hotel chains in places like London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Macau, Shanghai and in numerous cities across the United States and of course all over Australia. We find ourselves reaching for an atlas just to keep up with their progress', says ICHM Marketing Director Daljit Rao.
Established 15 years ago in South Australia, ICHM is the Asia-Pacific campus of the world-famous Swiss Hotel Association, providing the renowned Swiss Hotel Association International Hotel Management Diploma, which is followed by the ICHM Bachelor's degree. For every six months on campus ICHM students spend six months on paid internships in industry, which also take them to exotic locations. 'This taste of the industry before they graduate forms part of the Swiss hands-on rigorous business training', says Daljit.
Since it started educating and training young people for the hospitality industry, ICHM has enrolled students from more than 80 countries. They all live on campus in purpose-built villa-style accommodation. 'It's a secure environment in which students rapidly forge strong friendships which continue throughout their careers', says Daljit.
ICHM has a generous scholarship programme, and awards four scholarships to international students each year. Plus, students from Sri Lanka are eligible to apply for an Australian Government Endeavour Scholarship worth $88,000. Sri Lankan student Imalka Maddumapatabendi was undertaking a hotel management course in Colombo when he found out about the Australian Endeavour Scholarship. 'I always wanted to get a degree in hospitality, and my successful application has taken me to Australia to study and to ICHM'. Imalka says the atmosphere of ICHM is very friendly and open, with a great camaraderie between the lecturers and students.
The ICHM campus is about 15 minutes by car from the central business district of Adelaide, South Australia's capital-a city of about 1.2 million people. ICHM invests heavily in supporting its students, and employs a full-time recreation officer who organizes an interesting year-round programme of activities and events. 'We appreciate that ICHM is quite a costly exercise, but our parents regard it as an investment in their children's futures', says Daljit.
Imalka says after getting his degree he plans to travel and work for a while, 'before settling down to a good position in an international hotel'. The diploma is completed in over three years and the degree is another semester of on-campus study.
Ms Daljit Rao will be available for interviews in Colombo soon and please contact Austrade-Colombo for details.
Website: www.ichm.edu.au CRICOS Provider No.02914G.
Source: David Samuel, Business Development Manager, Australian Trade Commission, Colombo-Sri Lanka. E-mail: David.Samuel@austrade.gov.au |
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