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Raising standards for hospitality and tourism education in Malaysia

Kashif Hussain (Centre for Research and Innovation in Tourism, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia)
Abdul Murad Ahmad (East West International College, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia)
Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan (School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia)
Quee Ling Leong (Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, UCSI University, Kuching, Malaysia)

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

ISSN: 1755-4217

Article publication date: 16 March 2020

Issue publication date: 20 April 2020

885

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a briefing on milestones of Malaysia Centre of Tourism and Hospitality Education (MyCenTHE) regarding its role as a nation-building exercise in developing human capital talent for future sustainable hospitality and tourism in Malaysia. Under a national initiative by the ministry of education, hospitality and tourism educational institutes in the country have set out to better prepare graduates for industry. MyCenTHE aspires to build a hospitality and tourism cluster (threefold) so that Malaysia is able to increase its annual output of hospitality and tourism personnel from 20,000 in 2009 to 50,000 in 2020 and increase the share of graduates with diploma- or degree-level awards from 13% to 50% by 2020. These expectations can only be achieved by creating a sustainable pool of workers for this sector. It was in this context for which “MyCenTHE” was conceived.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study is based on documentary analysis of secondary sources, qualitative in nature, and presents a case study of MyCenTHE with its key accomplishments in promoting hospitality and tourism education in Malaysia.

Findings

The hospitality and tourism industry in Malaysia is set to create 600,000 new job opportunities and in so doing, will need many more skilled, work-ready graduates in the coming decade. This paper highlights the collective efforts of the private higher education sector together with some selected public institutions (polytechnics) under the umbrella of the ministry of education through the MyCenTHE platform in promoting hospitality and tourism education nationwide via national awareness campaigns, conferences, skill competitions, seminars, forums and corporate social responsibility projects.

Originality/value

This paper is of value in its own context and in particular support from ministry and related authorities, 26 institutions of higher education working together, approaches to hundreds of local schools and thousands of audiences/participants in awareness campaigns.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Professor Dr Kashif Hussain was a Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UCSI University from 2016-2019, and during this period, he held the position of a President of the Malaysia Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Education (MyCenTHE). This national initiative to promote hospitality and tourism education in Malaysia is supported and guided by the Ministry of Education (formerly the Ministry of Higher Education) Malaysia. Professor Dr Abdul Murad Ahmad is a CEO of East West International College and has been one of the most active members of MyCenTHE since its inception. Dr Leong Quee Ling from UCSI University has also served MyCenTHE as a Coordinator. The authors would like to recognize the coordinating services provided by Ms Muzira Binti Abdul Rahman, formerly of UCSI University, and Ms Nursyafiqah Binti Ramli, UCSI University, and thank them. The authors would also like to thank the cluster leaders, discipline leaders and members of the respective member institutions. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to Mr Nigel Fong of the Civil Service Delivery Unit, PEMANDU Associates and thank Ms Rozita Binti Rosli, Dr Roszana Binti Tapsir and other senior/associate members of the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, for the annual funding provided to MyCenTHE.

Citation

Hussain, K., Ahmad, A.M., Ragavan, N.A. and Leong, Q.L. (2020), "Raising standards for hospitality and tourism education in Malaysia", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 199-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-12-2019-0083

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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