IFT strives to offer students various practical experiences in the Bachelor degree programmes, enabling students to master the requirements of the industry and be prepared for the challenges in the job market. All Bachelor degree programme students are required to complete a 6-month internship programme at tourism organisations in Macao or overseas in their 3rd year of study. Since the establishment of internship programme, performances of the students are excellent and feedbacks from the industry are very positive. There is an increase of participating corporations every year. In the previous academic year, over 50 organisations and corporations offer internship opportunities to IFT students, including the Public Administration and Civil Services Bureau, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Cultural Affair Bureau, Four Seasons Hotel, MGM Grand, Wynn Macau, Crown Tower, StarWorld Hotel, The Venetian Resort and Hotel, Wing On Travel, Hong Tai Travel, Sunflower Travel, Macao Tower and Convention Center, Shun Tak Hospitality Services Ltd., AirMacau, Viva Air and other tourism organisations. To broaden the horizons of the students, IFT aggressively explore more opportunities of overseas internship. Students can choose to join the internship programme in large corporations in the USA, Europe, South East Asia, Hong Kong and mainland China to experience the local cultures. In the past, students have worked for UNESCO Asian Headquarter in Bangkok, British National Trust, Anantara Resort Maldives, Hyatt Dubai and other international well-known corporations. Since the academic year 2006/07, 35 students have completed various internship programmes at Disney World, Florida, USA. Currently, IFT and Disney World offer different internship programmes to students, including, 6 months Internship programme of Food & Beverage Service at Disney World China Pavilion for year 3 students.
· 1 Year trainee programme of Merchandise and Food & Beverage Services for graduates. · “International College Programme” offered by Florida State University and Disney World. Participating students will attend a 1-week extensive hospitality programme, followed by internships at the theme parks, water parks and resorts. Upon completion of the entire programme, a certificate from Florida State University will be issued. On 9 March, Disney World International Recruitment Team was invited to IFT for a talk on the internship programme, as well as a preliminary interview to the students. The recruitment team consists of Ms. Sue Sharpe - International Recruitment Recruiter, Disney Worldwide Services Inc., Ms. Maria Esthela Martinez, Guest Services Manager for Housing Operations and Ms. Cindy Yu, Chief Administration Officer of China Pavilion. This is the 5th consecutive year for Disney World to visit IFT for internship recruitment. Successful candidates will go to Disney World in Florida, USA to experience the operations of the theme parks, customer service and management culture, as well as chances to have cultural exchange with students around the globe. Students completed their internship at Disney World commented that the internship experience in Disney is unforgettable. They experienced the culture of hospitality of Disney, appreciated the lives and working environment there, and got the chance to visit the places nearby. They believed that the experience will be beneficial in their future career in related areas. Disney International Recruitment Recruiter Ms. Sue Sharpe expressed that Disney is satisfied with the performance of IFT students in the past. She further stated that there will not be any quota for the recruitment and she hoped to receive more IFT students for this cultural exchange programme.
