BY AMANDA MABUZA
MBABANE– Good news for LUCT hospitality students
The Hilton Garden Inn has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoU) with Limkokwing University of Creative University (LUCT) to provide students with an internship program which assures them employment in the future.
Before this partnership, Hilton and LUCT had an active relationship that dates back to three years ago. The Hotel’s General Manager, Christian Ndlovu reveals that the purposeful partnership was formed in 2020 whereby both parties signed an official partnership. ‘’ Hilton is still in its goal of equipping the youth with skills and creating job opportunities’’ said Ndlovu.
This partnership guarantees permanent employment of students in the 7 215 hotels once they finish their practicals. ‘’ When the agreement was signed, the hotel assured that they already offered 51 students pursuing hospitality courses in the university with an internship programme and 14 of them have been employed’’ she added.
The Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati said ‘’ what you learn in school changes once you are in the industry, therefore, a university qualification is nothing without experience’’. The Minister went on to commend the work that has been done by the Hotel in providing the students with an internship and mentioned that the students will be provided with the best training.
Tfobile Gumede LUCT Director showed gratitude to the hotel for its existence of this hotel and said that ever since it opened students from the university had been provided with employment opportunities. ‘’ we have no doubt that with formalizing our more than three years relationship today, we will open more opportunities for collaboration beyond the internship programme for our students’’ Gumede said.
In closing, Student representative Takangwane Dlamini appreciated the hotel for granting them such an opportunity stating that when they were enrolled on the Hotel Management course, they thought it was just only theory-based.
