A Memorandum of Understanding was signed this morning by the Emirates Academy of Hospitality and Management and the Institute of Tourism Studies. This agreement will lead to ITS becoming more of a centre of excellence comparable to other foreign tourism institutions.
The Minister for Tourism, Edward Zammit Lewis, said that this signing is “an important step in the quest for excellence.” He spoke about how important the tourism industry is for Malta adding that, if we want to cultivate the sector even more, “we need to face the reality that we need a larger skilled workforce.”
The minister said he is certain this MoU will not be a cosmetic one, but rather one which will instantly lead to concrete results for ITS and Malta as a whole.
ITS Chairman Paolino Schembri said that this agreement will not only help the students at ITS directly, with opportunities for exchanges, but it will also help the local industry as a whole. “The final objective is to be up there with all the others in the field,” Mr Schembri said. He added that “the MoU is another feather in our cap to achieve excellence.”
Head of Tourism and Hospitality at Dubai Holding, Mr Gerald Lawless said the Academy has been producing a number of executives for the hospitality industry for years. “Tourism will continue to give opportunities to young people”, Mr Lawless said, insisting that the opportunities are at every level of experience and education.
Mr Lawless said with slight contention that the tourism industry doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it has for not treating employees fairly because it has always given opportunities to young people and will continue doing so. “We give young people the opportunity to develop in their careers,” Mr Lawless said illustrating his point by mentioning an example of someone who started at entry level and ended up a hotel manager within a few years.