IFT GRADUATION CEREMONY | Finding a compromise in society to solve human resources issue

Rita Cheong, one of the young graduates

The president of the Institute for Tourism Studies, Ms Fanny Vong, is convinced that the human resources challenge that Macau so often faces should be addressed through a compromise between different society sectors.
On the sidelines of IFT’s graduation ceremony held yesterday at the Tap Seac Multi Sport Pavilion, Fanny Vong acknowledged a common understanding that job vacancies will first be filled by locals, and then open up to international professions when the demand is greater than the number of residents available.
“The common understanding is that first of all we would like to enhance the competitiveness of local talent; second, we would like to ensure that we have good job opportunities for everyone within the local community, and then we will open up positions that cannot be filled by local human resources,” she said.
She recognized that there are vacant positions that sometimes cannot be filled with local talent.
As a next wave of Cotai resorts takes shape, many have voiced concern regarding the lack of human recourses, since at least eight new developments are underway. Vong recognized that there is indeed an increasing demand for manpower, but these resorts – she recalled – will not be opening at the same time, which gives the government “some time to breathe.” “I think there are different ways through which we can work together on this issue,” she added.
700 students have graduated this year from IFT, a higher education institution that is known for supplying employees to many local casino resorts. Undergraduate programs vary from Tourism Business Management, to Hotel Management or Tourism Retail and Marketing Management to Culinary Arts.
This year, IFT has also seen its first batch of evening program graduates.  Vong revealed that these programs are in great demand, and the institution will be assessing whether to expand its evening program offering according to future needs.
“We are thinking of providing evening class programs in other tourism-related fields. If there is a need, we will be very happy to consider offering more opportunities for working professionals to come back to school and get a degree,” she confirmed.
Vong stressed that with an increasing demand for evening program classes it is clear that Macau’s citizens are willing to further their careers and to make an effort to enhance their studies. “The number of applications for our evening degree programs are far higher than for our daytime programs, so this means local people are ready to improve their skills and meet new challenges,” she said.
According to IFT figures a great number of its students easily find a job within their field of expertise. Rita Cheong, a young Tourist and Events Management graduate from IFT, confirmed that students do not face great challenges when trying to find a job in the hospitality industry here.
Already working within the local hotel industry, she recognizes that young graduates often start in junior positions, but that they are given opportunities to advance their careers. “We start in a junior position, but time after time, and acquiring more experience, we can see a clear career ladder that we can pursue in the hotel industry,” she said.
Vanessa Ieong also graduated recently from IFT in Hotel Management. She managed to land a job at MGM Macau, and assures it is not too difficult for young graduates to find a position within this industry. “In my major, we had an internship opportunity and this helps you build up a relationship with the industry,” she said, adding that IFT offers quite practical training allowing graduates to apply what they’ve learned.