School D’ Hospitality’s practice-oriented internship prepares students for employability

Country Business Reports interviews and articles by Discovery Reports www.discoveryreports.com

For practice-oriented hotel education institute School D’ Hospitality (SDH Institute), internship is an integral part of the curriculum. In fact, all enrollees of SDH Institute’s short courses, bachelor’s degrees or postgraduate programmes gain work experience at the school’s hotel and resort partners even before they join the workforce.

“Our students get the relevant skill sets required to make a career in the hospitality industry, and the programmes are broad enough for students to be successful in any sector,” says Chia Tuck Keong, managing director. “We always emphasise quality in education, and that boosts employability.”

As the first college in Southeast Asia accredited by Britain’s Institute of Hospitality, SDH Institute has certainly come a long way from an initial class of 11 to an annual enrolment average of 500 students, 95 per cent of whom come from abroad. Home to students representing 26 nationalities, the tourism and hospitality school integrates Asian service knowledge into its programmes. This approach gives its multicultural student base an excellent introduction to cultural diversity.

SDH Institute also provides an MBA and bachelor’s degree in international hotel management through Vatel International Business School. Vatel in Singapore is among 24 centres delivering theoretical and practical knowledge to 5,000 students worldwide, developing the industry’s future managers.

Celebrating its 10th year, SDH Institute was awarded its second EduTrust Certification, and had fostered licensing and joint-venture partnerships in Myanmar and the Philippines. The institute also welcomes suitable partners and proposals to expand regionally and is also preparing to offer online programmes on hospitality and business management.

SDH Institute hopes to offer more employment and internships by building partnerships with five-star hotels, resorts and business establishments such as Shangri-La and Hyatt. “We look for partners with the same philosophy of placing the education of our students first. It is all about giving students better exposure and more options for growth,” says Chia, adding that the school’s values are summarised by the acronym EXQUISITE, for excellence, quality, integrity, service, innovation and teamwork.

www.sdh.edu.sg