IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has launched its 12th IHG Academy, this time in Shenzhen. The partnership with the Shenzhen Tourism College of Jinan University marks the Academy’s entry into its sixth Chinese city.
IHG said this is also the first IHG Academy to partner with an undergraduate university, and the first to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree programme in tourism and hotel management.
“A sustainable and qualified talent pool is a crucial factor of IHG’s future success and the development of the entire hospitality industry in China,” said Peter Gowers, chief executive, IHG Asia Pacific. He said the rapid growth of the hotel industry in China has been challenged by “a war for talent”.
Since its launch in 2006, the IHG Academy has established 12 centres in six Chinese cities – Shanghai and Jinan in eastern China, Chongqing in the southwest, Zhengzhou in central China, and Shunde and Shenzhen in southern China.
Each IHG Academy has a partnership with a local tourism college or vocational institution. Courses offered combine theoretical sessions by university faculty members, industry lectures by senior IHG executives and hands-on experience. Each year, approximately 2,000 IHG Academy graduates secure placement at an IHG hotel.
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