DISTED College Penang and Plenitude Berhad have inked a partnership with the aim of developing and fostering the talent pool for the hospitality industry in the state.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, who was present during the brief signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties, said he was glad to witness such a meaningful event that is solely focused on creating employment opportunities in the tourism industry in Penang.
“I was told that this MoU will have internship and employment arrangements at Plenitude hotels and properties, which I believe, will contribute to a holistic learning experience for students, giving them the opportunity to gain on-the-job exposure and subsequently, their first job.
“This initiative is definitely in line with the state’s vision of creating more employment opportunities for Penang’s arsenal of talents, which ties in well with the 3P (Public-Private-People) partnership that we have always emphasised on.
“This collaborative relationship will help groom young talents to be industry ready and forward looking.
“The MoU signed today between DISTED College Penang and Plenitude Berhad may not necessarily help to resolve the issue of insufficient staff that was recently affecting the tourism industry.
“However, the relationship forged through this MoU augurs well for harnessing and nurturing talents to join the tourism workforce and promoting the educational standards in Penang,” Yeoh said during his speech at the MoU signing ceremony at Mercure Penang Beach Hotel in Tanjung Bungah today.
The DISTED College Penang was represented by its chief executive officer Prof Dr Brian C. Imrie and Plenitude Berhad was represented by its non-executive chairman Chua Elsie during the MoU signing.
Chua said Plenitude is committed to the partnership to deliver industrial familiarity in the form of guest lectures, hotel visitations, workshops, and co-development of academic syllabi.
“Students will benefit from the MoU, through the support of industry-relevant insights, skillsets, and knowledge in a much greater scale in this ever-changing industry.
“And also with the objective of integrating further with the community, Plenitude as a key industrial player in the hospitality industry, strives to implement initiatives that will support and foster the students’ career growth.
“This, in return, will further strengthen Plenitude’s stance in talent development as an act of sustainable community investment by the corporation,” she said.
Plenitude Berhad is a publicly listed company with core interests in property development, property investment and property management.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar