KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) led by its Head of Ecotourism for the Kuching Region, Mr. Suhaili Mokhtar with his three member entourage were recently invited to deliver an educational talk entitled “Commitment of Sarawak Forestry Corporation to the State; Ecotourism Management” at the Learning Haus, UCSI University Isthmus Campus. Approximately 60 participants including the students and staff of both UCSI University Isthmus Campus and SATT College participated in this educational talk. The mentioned talk was jointly organized by the Malaysian Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Education (MyCENTHE) and UCSI University Isthmus Campus. In a nutshell, “MyCENTHE” is the government’s initiative under the National Transformation Programme (NTP) that was previously launched with the aim towards providing excellent quality human capital for Malaysia’s ever growing tourism and hospitality industries. Moreover, UCSI University Isthmus Campus was appointed as a cluster leader in the Sarawak region and has been collaborating with MyCENTHE since 28 November 2011. 

The main objective of this talk was to expose students to the roles as well as the commitment of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation towards the Ecotourism industry of Sarawak under the initiative of MyCENTHE. The event began with a welcoming lunch for the guests of honour from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. Mr. Suhaili Mokhtar, the head of Ecotourism Kuching Region, was the main speaker for this educational talk. Additionally, Mdm. Mukvinder Kaur Sandhu, Chief Operating Officer of UCSI University Isthmus Campus, as well as Mr. Bernard Jussem, Cluster Leader of MyCENTHE were also among the attendees of the talk. 

“As a University, we are committed to engage with the industry as well as corporations such as the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) to deliver well-rounded graduates who are not only knowledgeable in their own respective fields, but also are sensitive to their natural surroundings and are able to actively contribute to sustainably maintaining our flora and fauna even after they graduate.”, stated Chief Operating Officer of UCSI University Isthmus Campus, Mdm. Mukvinder Kaur Sandhu. 

MyCENTHE Cluster Leader Mr. Bernard Stephen Jussem explained, “Seminars or educational talks remain as one of the pivotal tools to develop as well as enhance students’ knowledge on certain areas of study and in this case Ecotourism.” He also thanked Mr. Suhaili Mokhtar, Head of Ecotourism of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation for delivering his insightful talk. 

Mr. Bernard was very pleased with the talk and he is looking forward to collaborating further with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. “Rest assured that this will not be the last educational talk organized by MyCENTHE and UCSI University Isthmus Campus. This talk on Ecotourism has definitely opened the eyes of the students and made them realize how critical sustainable ecotourism is not only to Sarawak but also our nation, Malaysia.” 

Last but not least, among the few main topics covered by Mr. Suhaili Mokhtar in this talk were Ecotourism in Sarawak, Core Functions of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Global Ecotourism Trends, Totally Protected Areas (TPA) and their roles, The Uniqueness of Biodiversity as well as Conservation Ecotourism Products. 

For enquiries about the courses and events offered at UCSI University Sarawak Campus, please call 082-455255 or logon to www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my. 

UCSI University Sarawak Campus houses the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management (FHTM), Faculty of Business and Information Systems (FOBIS) and Centre for Pre U Studies (CPU). 

FHTM offers three degree programmes – BA (Hons) in Commerce, BA (Hons) in Event and Tourism Management, and BA (Hons) in Hospitality Management. Diploma programmes are also available such as Diploma in Hotel Management, Diploma in Culinary Arts and Diploma in Leisure Management. 

FOBIS offers the following programmes: Diploma in International Business, BCom (Hons) in Accounting & Finance, and BCom (Hons) in Marketing. 

CPU offers Foundation Studies in both Arts and Science, an excellent pathway to furthering ones studies in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Architecture, Engineering, Social Sciences and Applied Science programmes.