SEGi College offers three new courses

Putit (Vice president of SEG International Group) beating the 'Gong' symbolically launching the new courses while Lau (left) and Amelia (right) look on.

10th December 2006 Kuching: SEGi College Sarawak yesterday launched three more new courses in their long list of courses offered namely, Diploma in Tourism Management, Diploma in Hotel management and Ticketing and Reservation Programme. According to Vice president of SEG International Group Datu Haji Putit Matzen who was given the honour to launch the courses yesterday, the introduction of the new courses are very timely especially when the growth of the tourism industry over the years has very exponential. The launching ceremony was held at the SEGi College Sarawak premise at Jalan Bukit Mata here yesterday. Putit said that it is acknowledged that tourism is one of the key drivers of growth in the Malaysian economy with tourists arrivals to increase by 6.7% to reach 17.5 million by the ended of this year, generating an estimated revenue of RM34.6 billion for the country.

Next year's Visit Malaysia 2007, he said, will see some 20.1 million tourist arrivals with a target revenue of RM44.5 billion.

“With the tourism industry growing so rapidly, it makes perfect sense for students to take up a career in this industry,” Putit said adding that a similar situation is also occurring in the services sector, which is expected to remain strong at 5.7%.

The government's move to continue to focus on enhancing the services industry, he pointed out, will mean that this sector is poised to be a significant contributor to the nation's economy.

“And since the hospitality industry is a major part of the services industry, it is logical that there will be a sharp increase in demand of workers in this sector,” he explained adding that any industry that is linked to these two industries will also see growth.

He said companies such as tour operators, ticketing agencies and even airlines will also witness an expansion of services as additional flights and destinations open up to cater to the greater influx of tourist arrivals.

“We are SEG International Bhd believe that the education sector also needs to be attuned to the growth of such industries so that the next generation of workers will be in high demand.”

“This is why SEGi College Sarawak is launching these three programmes, so that school leavers and those who are interested in the tourism and hospitality industries can gain qualifications that will make them more desirable to potential employers,” he said.

The college, he further said, has invested time, effort and money in the development of these programmes that are recognized by Lembaga Akreditasi National (LAN), the Ministry of Higher Education and internationally recognized universities in the UK and Australia .

This he explained, has given the students an opportunity to have the option of completing a bachelor's degree once they have completed their diplomas.

The shift from the industrial economy to one that is based on knowledge places SEGi College Sarawak in an even more critical position for creating knowledge, nurturing talent and spearheading innovation in the state.

“In this I sincerely hope that the new programmes will serve as inspirations to those seeking to enter the careers that are linked to the tourism and hospitality industries,” Putit said.