Sands, UTM collaborate to launch culinary scholarship to France

Sands China Limited (SCL) and the Macao University of Tourism (UTM) have launched a new culinary program, the “Sands China Western Culinary Elite Programme,” with four spots annually for three years.

Following a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed Tuesday, UTM rector Fanny Vong, speaking on the sidelines, stated, “Students will have this opportunity to work while also receiving scholarships to study culinary arts abroad.”

The initiative is intended to serve as a model of collaboration between the industry and academia to cultivate talent, resulting in students returning to Macau to contribute within the industry.

The program features an eight-week training period at the world-renowned École Ducasse culinary school in France and will adopt the “hire-then-train” method, primarily targeting top graduates from UTM’s Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts Management program.

Vong, speaking to the media, said, “UTM had previously signed a cooperation agreement with this French culinary management institute, the very renowned École Ducasse Institute. This agreement means they recognize a number of our courses and credits. Therefore, students currently enrolled in our culinary management program can go to Ducasse and complete their courses there in a shorter timeframe.”

She continued, “Leveraging this foundation and combined with strong support from the industry, our students will receive financial support through these scholarships. Even better, besides receiving scholarships to study culinary arts abroad, they will have jobs waiting for them upon their return.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of UTM, and the rector said the recruitment of new teachers is currently in progress for the development of the university’s expansion in Hengqin.

“Over the past three years, we have seen a continuous increase in applicants, and the number of students who actually register and enroll has broken our records. This year also hit a new high, close to one thousand,” she said.

UTM is prioritizing meeting local demand for enrollment, which is relatively high at the postgraduate level, for master’s and doctoral programs, reaching over 70-80%.

Remaining spots will go to students from the Greater Bay Area, mainland China, or other regions.

The rector said, “Currently, we have two main segments. For the university, we have degree programs, including undergraduate programs, with over 2,800 students currently. The other segment is continuing education, where we offer further studies, internationally integrated courses, etc. Based on recent data, last year alone saw over 20,000 participants on average.”

She concluded with the results of previously conducted surveys, stating, “In recent years, we have found that among graduates entering employment, over 70% work in fields directly related to their studies – specifically within the broader service industry, meaning areas like travel agencies, airlines, hotels.”

“The alignment rate for our students within the broader service industry is quite high. Of course, we also see a significant number of students in recent years choosing to pursue further studies, continuing their education here in our programs,” she said.

The signing ceremony was followed by an “Innovative Hospitality Management” symposium.

The event showcased industry-academia dialogue on the application of technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics in hospitality, exploring how to drive the sector’s sustainable development.Ricaela Diputado