The hotel industry is booming and technology deployment within the hospitality industry is at an all time high. But, there is a major missing ingredient � a steady and consistent supply of qualified personnel that will maximize and manage the increasingly sophisticated IT systems.

�For a long while we have observed an escalating global requirement for the supply of competent IT personnel within the industry. Seeing how this was not being suitably addressed, we decided to take up the challenge,� says Terence Ronson � Managing Director � Pertlink Limited.

In this connection, �CHIP� (Certified Hospitality IT Professionals) has been developed by Pertlink with a view to enhancing the IT knowledge of hotel personnel and allowing them to advance their careers. 

Needing suitable visionary host educational establishments, SCS and CUTW were selected. The programme will be integrated into SCS�s course offerings, and delivered at the purpose-built teaching blocks of CUTW in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

�We share the vision of nurturing next generation hoteliers who are well-versed in IT. We support Pertlink on this initiative as it can complement our objectives and add value to our comprehensive educational offerings,� says Dr. Victor Lee � Director of School of Continuing Studies of CUHK.

The programme has been engineered so as to take existing Hotel operational staff from such departments as Front Office, Administration, Accounting or F&B and leverage off their background knowledge. Over a four-week period, the comprehensive curriculum will expand their personal horizons into the fascinating and dynamic world of (hospitality) technology. The curriculum will impart the required knowledge and at the same time hone their interpersonal skill-set, to become the next generation Hospitality IT professionals.

Jurgen Meyer � Senior Associate of Pertlink adds: �The first graduates of this course will be fortunate. They will have access to knowledge that is much needed in the industry.  It could also help kick-start careers as they gain competence in a field that employers will value in years to come.�

�As a junior university offering Associate Degree programmes in Hotel and Tourism Management, we would concentrate our efforts not only on delivering operational and management staff, but also on catering to this niche demand by raising the bar of IS Management in hospitality industry through this collaboration� added Dr. Anthony Ko, Director of School of Business Administration and Tourism Management, CUTW.

In designing the courses, a Board of Advisors comprising representatives of leading hotel groups would be formed to ensure the curriculum not only meets, but exceeds its expected deliverables. Furthermore, the programme will encompass proven best practices harvested from a pool of existing educators, hospitality industry professionals, and technology vendors. It is anticipated that student intake will have a global reach, with hotel groups and individual properties viewing this as the ideal vehicle to create a succession plan, and a qualified team utilizing an outsourced resource, thereby un-encumbering the existing operation.

Ronson adds, �During the pre-announcement phase, vendor support has been extremely forthcoming, and as we formally announce this initiative, we expect this to grow exponentially, thereby allowing us to offer an even more comprehensive curriculum.�

Courses are planned to start in the 4th Quarter of 2005 and further details will be available from: http://www.pertlink.net/CHIP/intro.html  email: [email protected]

About Pertlink:
Pertlink Limited commenced operations on October 23rd 2000, and as IT Consultants exclusively caters to clients connected with the hospitality industry, helping them work through the maze of new technologies. (http://www.pertlink.net/)

About SCS of CUHK
Founded in 1965, the School of Continuing Studies of The Chinese University of Hong Kong offers the broadest range of general courses in Hong Kong. SCS also offers award-bearing programmes at Certificate, Diploma, Professional Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Higher Diploma, Undergraduate, and Post-graduate levels that aim to foster whole-person development to meet changing local and global learning needs. The wide variety of quality programmes span across the disciplines of Art, Music & The Humanities, Business & Management, Computer Science & Information Technology, Traditional Chinese Medicine & Health Care, Languages & Translation, Social Sciences, Disciplinary Forces & Security Studies. Over 1,500 general courses and over 160 award-bearing programmes account for student enrolment in excess of 38,000 each year. The growth in enrolment figures over recent years accentuates the responsiveness of SCS to the changing needs of society towards continuing studies and life-long learning. SCS celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. As the School enters its fifth decade, it will continue to play a vital role and contribute significantly to the continued development and progress of Hong Kong and beyond. More information about SCS is available at http://www.scs.cuhk.edu.hk/.

About CUTW
Created to serve our community through innovations in tertiary education, CUTW, aspiring to be a leading junior university in Hong Kong, aims to provide high-quality tertiary education for local and non-local students, to prepare them for transfer to the senior years of university education and for careers to satisfy societal needs. The College offers close to thirty full-time and part-time pre-associate degree and associate degree programmes. These programmes are offered through four schools; Business Administration and Tourism Management, Chinese Medicine and Health Care, Humanities and General Education, and Information Technology and Digital Design. Three programmes in the hospitality management area are offered in the coming September; Associate of Business in Hotel and Catering Management, Associate of Business in Tourism Management, and Associate of Business in Recreation and Leisure Management. CUTW has its campuses at Wylie Road in Ho Man Tin and at Shantung Street in Mong Kok, together accommodating around 2,500 full-time and 2,000 part-time students. It admits its first cohort of students in September this year. More information about the College is available at http://www.cutw.edu.hk.

Pertlink Limited
Terence Ronson
[email protected]
T: 9468 0848

Jurgen Meyer
[email protected]
T: 9641 8265

School of Continuing Studies (SCS)
of The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Victor Lee
[email protected]
T: 2209 0200

C W Lee
[email protected]
T: 2209 0260

The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Tung
Wah Group of Hospitals Community College
Anthony Ko
[email protected]
T: 3190 6666

Joyce Yu
[email protected]
T: 3190 6655