Download PDF - ETP - Pemandu

Here and Now in Malaysia
opportunity of a lifetime
Zuel Sammy hails from Long
Lamai, a remote village in
Sarawak, and had dreams of
furthering his studies and attending
college. However, it hung by a thread
when his funds ran dry.
The second of seven siblings, Zuel
came from a humble family who
are not well off. He had enrolled at a
secondary school in Selangor in the
hope of a better future.
“My father is a priest and my mother
is a housewife,” he said.
His plan was to return home quickly
and help out the family.
Zuel then received an opportunity to
read Diploma in Hotel Management
at UCSI University, Sarawak on a
scholarship. This work-based learning
programme under the Malaysian
Centre for Tourism and Hospitality
Education (MyCenTHE), meant that
Zuel will be trained in luxury hotels
and convention centre. As he earned
a monthly allowance, this gave him
the opportunity to alleviate the
financial burdens of his family and
support himself too.
Tourism economist, Dr. Wong
Kong Yew and an independent
management team within UCSI
University are the champions of
MyCenTHE and the driving force
behind this initiative. Designed to
upskill workers in the hospitality
industry, 50 per cent of students
must obtain a diploma-level
qualification by 2020. Additionally,
the effectivesness of the MyCenTHE’s
programme will be gauged through
the industry’s response.
To date, three five-star hotels,
a convention centre and a cultural
village have already signed up as
programme partners in the Sarawak
cluster.
On the national front, MyCenTHE
has been implemented successfully
in Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak, led
by UCSI University. There are also
two other clusters around Malaysia
implementing this programme. In
Penang it is led by KDU College and
in Sabah, by Inti College.
“ The second of seven
siblings, Zuel came
from a humble family
who are not well off.
He enrolled at a
secondary school in
Selangor in the hope
of a better future
”
85