The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin Yassin, looking on at UCSI University’s booth during the government event

Assoc. Prof. Dr Wong Kong-Yew ,UCSI University’s Vice President of Industry and Strategic Projects explaining the University’s plans to YB Dato' Sri Idris Jala, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department while UCSI Group Chairman, Dato’ Peter Ng looks on

Kuala Lumpur, 5^th July, 2011 - UCSI University is well on its away to achieving Entry Point Project 10 – Hospitality and Tourism Education Cluster (EPP10). The project, within the government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020, was recognised Tuesday during a progress update hosted by the prime minister’s office in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Located within the Education National Key Economic Area, the project aims to improve Malaysia’s tourism industry by increasing and standardising tourism education programmes and increasing the quantity and quality of workers in the field. 

Several hundred people attended the event, including ETP leader PEMANDU Chief YB Dato’ Idris Jala, YB Tan Sri Koh Soo Koon, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Education, Minister of Human Resources YB Datuk S. Subramanian, Minister of Health Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai and Minister of Tourism YB Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen and YB Dato’ Sri Dr Rais Yatim, Minister of Information, Communications and Culture. 

“We're well under way and need to keep the momentum going,” said YB Dato' Sri Idris Jala, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, adding that something was happening to the economy with the stock market reaching an all-time high recently. 

UCSI University is leading a team of hospitality and tourism experts from throughout Malaysia to accomplish the project, headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr Wong Kong-Yew, UCSI University’s Vice President of Industry and Strategic Projects. 

“We’re honoured to have been selected to participate in today’s event,” Dr Wong said. “EPP10 has been progressing steadily, and we’re proud to share what we’ve accomplished.” 

Under EPP10, UCSI University is updating its current Diploma in Hotel Management to incorporate work-based learning into the programme with strategic hospitality and tourism partners throughout Malaysia. The programme had its first intake in May and plans to steadily spread throughout the rest of the country to help set a high, consistent standard of tourism and hospitality workers throughout the country and attract more people to the field.