IFT is selected as 2012 Top 10 Asia Pacific IATA Authorised Training Center (ATC) by International Air Transport Association (IATA). The Association strongly recognises IFT's role in developing the human capital to the hospitality and service industry in Macao. IFT has been an IATA Authorised Training Center since 1990s and it has been the only center in Macao providing IATA/UFTAA International Travel Agent Foundation Course which is an international benchmark programme for the travel industry. Macao residents can gain the fundamental knowledge for being a travel agent by taking this course. Tourism and Hotel School (THS) is one of the academic units under the governance of IFT. It provides diversified courses to the general public and has been working closely with local industries and organisations, offering tailor-made training to their staff or members. There is a variety of courses and training of fundamental, intermediate or advanced levels provided by THS. 19,202 participants completed their courses or training in THS last academic year. THS also provides a variety of international qualifications programmes of other international organisations. These organisations are The American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AH&LEI), CIBTAC, Master Sommeliers, IATA, The International Bartenders Association (I.B.A.), LCCI, Le Cordon Bleu, Servsafe® and The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). By offering the international qualifications programmes, IFT offers opportunities for those who are eager to further studies and acquire international qualifications, as well as enhancing the service quality of local talents. Institute for Tourism Studies hopes to provide the public with a wide range of choices for continuous studies. It offers a variety of international qualifications programmes and students are winning awards from many internationally qualified assessments. Leong Lai Iong, student of THS, was awarded the LCCI World Gold Medallion for Level 2 Business Administration. She was presented the award at the 2011 Medallion Presentation Ceremony - Medallion Award Winners - Macau on 8 May. Ieong Lai Iong was also awarded the LCCI World Silver Medallion for the Certificate in Level 3 Marketing. Since 2009, Institute for Tourism Studies has been offering individual and diploma courses under LCCI, in the areas of business administration, marketing, accounting, public relations, advertising, retail sales, customer service, business English and information technology. In the academic year of 2011/12 (up till April 2012), passing rate of students is around 85% and the rate of students passed with distinction is 47%. LCCI International Qualifications are among the best recognised and most highly regarded business-related qualifications in the world. There are more than 5,000 training units among 120 countries in the world which provide LCCI courses and over 250,000 students take LCCI qualifications each year. Student who gets the highest mark will be awarded the Gold Medallion and the second one will get the Silver Medallion. Since there are a large number of students around the world taking the examinations and there may be students getting the same mark, so more than one student may get the same award. Leong Lai Iong is terrific about receiving the award and she expressed her gratitude to IFT instructor and also to IFT for providing a platform for the LCCI examinations. Leong Lai Iong has worked and been working as Secretary to General Manager in some organizations for which she experienced different ways of management in different departments. She thinks that these LCCI courses would be helpful for her career development in the future.