Sri Ganesh (third left) exchanging the memorandum with Prof Rosli during the signing at the Skudai campus.
A COLLABORATION between Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) will facilitate students to gain hands-on hospitality experience.
Association president Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel said the collaboration was timely as it aligned with key national tourism initiatives such as Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and Visit Johor Year 2026, focused on enhancing the country’s appeal as a prime holiday destination.
“We hope to contribute to these tourism initiatives by building a skilled workforce that can deliver optimal hospitality experiences and solidify Malaysia’s reputation as a top tourist destination.
“Besides research, UTM students can also participate in internship programmes at properties owned by MyBHA’s 2,700 members nationwide,” he said at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony held at UTM Skudai.
He said the hospitality industry involved a lot of technical knowledge such as marketing and supply chain management.
A dedicated satellite lab would also be set up off-campus at one of the MyBHA hotels in Nusa Bestari, Iskandar Puteri, as a hub for research and development to find solutions to contemporary challenges faced by the hospitality sector, said Sri Ganesh.
UTM deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) Prof Dr Rosli Md Illias said the collaboration opened up opportunities for joint research endeavours, particularly in collecting and analysing consumer trends in the hospitality industry.
“The data and insights gathered will be instrumental in advising the government on incentive schemes and policymaking, to ensure that initiatives are well-informed and targeted to meet the evolving needs of the industry and its consumers,” said Prof Rosli.
He said the initiative was spearheaded by Assoc Prof Dr Thoo Ai Chin, the research manager of UTM’s Faculty of Management.
MyBHA deputy president and Johor chapter chairman Jarod Chia said he believed students would be able to gain valuable knowledge through this collaboration.
“As budget hotel owners, we must have entrepreneurial skills as we have to handle things from top to bottom, such as location scouting, property acquisition, staff recruitment and marketing.
“We hope to create an environment where we can nurture passion for the hospitality industry, apart from the required skills, so we can find ways to address critical issues such as talent retention and overcoming manpower shortages in the industry,” Chia added.
