Nilai U signs MoU with Malaysian Food and Beverage Executives Association to raise standard of professionalism among hospitality and tourism graduates.
“This MoU will bring about is greater co-operation between academia and industry professionals. It will allow Nilai University and MFBEA to work together to create better graduates who are exposed to current industry trends and practices,” explains Hisham Tan, President of the Malaysian Food and Beverage Executives (MFBEA). He was speaking at a ceremony in which Nilai University (Nilai U) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MFBEA which will bring about a number of benefits to students in Nilai U’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.
According to Hisham, the first major benefit would be the opening of avenues for Nilai U students to do their internship with MFBEA’s foreign counterparts in Germany, Singapore and Cambodia. “At the moment, students will usually do their mandatory six-month internship locally. But we are working with our international counterparts to offer internship opportunities abroad to expose students to unique and different scenarios to gain valuable experience,” he explains. “We are trying to get placements in places such as vineyards where students will get to learn the entire process of planting, cultivation and harvesting of grapes for wine making. These are experiences they cannot get here.”
Another interesting development is that MFBEA along with sponsors Ecciato will be setting up a Barista Laboratory in Nilai U’s campus. This will complement the existing facilities at the School of Hospitality and Tourism which include a formal dining restaurant, a demo kitchen, pastry room, and butchery. “Today’s coffee drinkers are very sophisticated. They are exposed to various international chains and they are aware of the different types of coffee. Having knowledge on how to make different types of coffee-based drinks and how to use the coffee machines is an essential skill in today’s F&B market,” chimes in R Sarthinathan, MFBEA Vice President for Education. “We want to train students to become Baristas who understand the entire process of making coffee, from the roasting of beans to the ideal temperature of the water.” He goes on to say that any hotel or restaurant worth its salt will have a coffee machine and a menu featuring an array of coffee-based drinks, thus making barista skills indispensable.
Both Sarthinathan and Hisham are keen to emphasise the MoU is to help students stay in touch with current industry practices and customer preferences. For instance, they say that most customers today, even when dining in a posh eatery, will want to be served quickly. “Gone are the days when people go to a restaurant and spend the entire evening there. Most diners now want to be served within an hour, as they will have plans for the evening,” says Hisham. He also gave a few examples of how students will be taught on various serving styles which are more efficient. “Once upon a time, the rule was to always serve the ladies first. But these days, when you have a large group, the trend is to serve one lady first and move clockwise from there.” Such updates about industry practices will be transmitted to Nilai U students via workshops, seminars and talks by MFBEA. Hisham says MFBEA members will also constantly drop by the practical sessions to observe the students and advise them accordingly. “But we want to stress that MFBEA are not here to change the syllabus, merely to make students aware of the current industry practices and expectations.”
Other developments in the pipeline also include awarding certificate of proficiency to Nilai U students. This will be awarded to students who meet a certain standard and will be awarded by MFBEA which means it will carry recognition in the hospitality and tourism industry. “Since this MoU is exclusive with Nilai U, these students will be the only ones to have this certificate which will give them an added advantage in the employment market. Employers will know that students have been briefed and trained to meet industry standards,” says Sarthinathan. There are also plans to train Nilai U students for regional competitions where they will represent the country as well as their alma mater.
So why Nilai University? Hisham says that the decision was based on the genuine desire to share the benefits of MFBEA know-how and networking opportunities with an institution that has sincere aspirations to improve the quality of its students. “We are not doing this for the glamour or the publicity. MFBEA wants to provide Nilai U students a platform from which they can go on to carve an exciting and rewarding career in the field of hospitality and tourism,” he concludes. “I believe Nilai U is the ideal choice for this partnership.”
Set up in 1988, The Malaysian Food & Beverage Executives Association (MFBEA) represents the interest of F&B professionals in the Malaysian hospitality field. Its prime objective is to upgrade the standards and raise the image of the industry and the professionals. Part of the association programmes include charity events, seminars, mocktail competitions, etiquette workshops, education trips and F&B fests which are organized annually. Nilai U School of Hospitality and Tourism was set up in 2004 and offers diploma programmes in culinary arts, tourism management and hotel management as well as a BA (Hons) in Business and Hospitality Management.
