The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) have recently come together to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate and work together in the areas of Executive Education, Internship Programmes and Consultancy Services.
The signing ceremony took place at the SHTM premises was presided over by Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of the SHTM and Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, and Dr Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau. In attendance were representatives from eight universities in Thailand, they were: Chiang Mai University, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Khon Kean University, King Monkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Mahidol University International College, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Siam University and Silpakorn University.
This strategic collaboration is in keeping with the two parties’ common interests in promoting executive education for those already in the MICE industry workforce, internship programmes for students who aspire to join the industry upon graduation, and consultancy services for the advancement of the industry.
In the MOU, the SHTM will provide TCEB associates with executive education either at the SHTM or TCEB headquarters. Both parties shall pursue collaboration of further training on the basis of mutual understanding and agreement. The two institutions will also work together in the area of student internship and training, with the TECB offering internship attachments to SHTM students. The number of student interns will be determined by mutual consent each year. It is also agreed that the School will provide consultancy services on areas of mutual interest to the TCEB. The MOU is signed for a period of three years.
“One of the important roles of the SHTM is to feed research findings and other forms of expertise back to its principle base – the industry we serve,” said Dean Kaye Chon. “The TCEB provides a very good channel for internship which SHTM students will need, and also future employment in the MICE industry for these young and aspiring students.”
