InterContinental Hotels Group, the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, today announced plans to establish the InterContinental Hotels Group Academy in partnership with Shanghai University’s Advanced Polytechnic College and two leading specialist hospitality education providers in Australia – the William Angliss Institute and Box Hill Institute. The Academy will offer a series of specially-developed learning programmes aimed at addressing the demand for trained talent in the fast-growing hotel industry. It will be launched in Shanghai in September, with plans for further introduction throughout Greater China.
The first course to be offered will be a two-year Advanced Certification programme that combines theoretical sessions by university lecturers covering a broad range of tourism and hotel industry topics, lectures by executives from InterContinental Hotels Group and internship exposure at hotels under the Group’s portfolio. There will also be a series of shorter four to eight-week certification programmes designed to enhance skills in the front office, housekeeping or food and beverage functions. On successful completion of the programmes, students will receive certificates from the William Angliss Institute, which are internationally recognised. They will also be offered employment at an InterContinental Hotels Group property.
A. Patrick Imbardelli, chief executive, InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Pacific, said: “China is one of the most important growth markets for InterContinental Hotels Group worldwide. Since we first established our presence here in the early 1980s, we have been a champion of talent development and have nurtured scores of talented industry professionals and leaders. Establishing the InterContinental Hotels Group Academy is in line with our commitment to offering great career opportunities for local talent so they can take on senior leadership roles in the future. This will also ensure that we will have a steady pool of well-trained talent for our industry in the years to come.”
Tang Sheng Jiang, Dean of the Shanghai University Advanced Polytechnic College, said: “Integrating educational learning with industry exposure is key to successful vocational training and we are honoured to partner with InterContinental Hotels Group and the Australian institutions to conduct this series of innovative training programmes in China. This unique collaboration opens a new chapter in tourism and hospitality education in China and will highlight the importance of quality training and talent development in China’s rapidly-growing hospitality industry.”
Contributing to the content of the programmes from an international perspective and awarding the certifications is the William Angliss Institute of TAFE, the largest specialist centre for hospitality, tourism and culinary arts in Australia. David Riley, the institute’s chief executive officer, added: “Our qualifications are respected worldwide and we are excited to be introducing our world-renowned curriculum to the Chinese market and awarding the certifications. These courses will appeal to hospitality professionals from different levels and will be exceptionally popular given their holistic learning approach and practical exposure opportunities with InterContinental Hotels Group.”
Box Hill Institute of Australia will be working closely with William Angliss Institute to deliver course content. Its chief executive officer John Maddock added: “The introduction of the InterContinental Hotels Group Academy is an important and exciting venture and a significant step towards grooming the next generation of home grown hotel managers. As one of Australia’s premier technical and further education institutions, we are proud to continue our strong association with our educational and industry partners in providing quality specialist training to the Chinese hospitality industry.“
