PETALING JAYA, March 22 – Boustead Hotels & Resorts Sdn Bhd has invested almost RM60 million in its sixth Royale Bintang hotel in Penang, which will start operations this November, its Director of Operations Datuk Mokhtar Khir said.
He said this was in line with the company’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UNITAR International University, whereby the hotel would provide specific opportunities for undergraduates and graduates to be seamlessly
integrated into the working world of the hospitality industry.
Currently, the Boustead Holdings Bhd’s subsidiary owns and manages four- to five-star hotels in Peninsular Malaysia, including the Royale Chulan KL, The Royale Bintang Kuala Lumpur, The Royale Bintang The Curve and The Royale Bintang Seremban.
“We hope to get degree and diploma graduates from UNITAR as we are facing a huge shortage of manpower,” he said after signing an MoU with UNITAR here today. Mokhtar added that in two years’ time, the group would have its seventh hotel, in Cherating, and therefore more workers would be required.
He said at present most of the Royale Bintang’s staff are not local, and with this partnership, the group was hoping to have more local people working in its establishments. At the signing ceremony, Unitar Capital Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Wan Ahmad Saifuddin Wan Ahmad Radzi signed on the company’s behalf while Mokhtar represented Boustead Hotels & Resorts.
“We are bringing the industry into the classroom and the classroom to the industry. Our teaching modules in UNITAR will be tailored specifically to the needs of our industry partner,” said Wan Ahmad Saifuddin.
“With Boustead Hotels & Resorts, we will be pairing our Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management with them,” he added. The cooperation between the two companies spans three general agreements. The first is the provision of industrial and practical training for students by the hotel, followed by the opportunity of full-time or part-time temporary employment to diploma or degree students.
Thirdly, the MoU serves the ultimate aim of providing permanent employment to the students. Wan Ahmad Saifuddin said although the contract period is only for three years, the two parties would try to extend it for a longer term period, adding there are 2,000 students enrolled under the faculty. The first intake for the six-month internship is in June this year.
BERNAMA
