2013 is a very important year for Our Lady of Fatima University’s College of Hospitality and Institutional Management (OLFU-CHIM). It marks the 18th year since the college was founded, which has since then gone on to do bigger things. Now offering Bachelor of Science programs in not just Hotel and Restaurant Management but also in Tourism and Travel Management as well as Nutrition and Dietetics, CHIM expanded and continues to do so. It has also ventured into offering three specialized tracks in the field of hospitality, namely the HOSCLO (Hospitality in Cruise Line Operations), CUFSE (Culinary and Food Service Entrepreneurship) and LAGO (Leisure, Amusement and Gaming Operations) tracks on top of the BS Degree programs. CHIM continues to not only react but rather launch pre-emptive moves to not only stay competitive but be trailblazers as it continues to realize its dream to be a preferred resource hub of future hospitality, tourism and health and wealth professionals in Asia-Pacific.
March 13 was a particularly important day this 2013 because CHIM’s horizons officially expand beyond Philippine borders. It has partnered with USA firm, The American Hospitality Academy, more known as AHA, to start offering CHIM students who will undergo their Practicum or Supervised Work Experience Programs with online-based soft-skills and cultural learning developmental programs.
Under the Professional Development online course of AHA, CHIM students will be made aware and supported by presentations online made available only to them on how to stay motivated, act professional and be a part of a responsible, multi-cultural hospitality work environment. Students enrolled in their Practicum 1 and Practicum 2 subjects will not only get to immerse themselves in an internationally recognized mode of customer-service training but also gain access to AHA’s Online World Campus where international peers also enrolled in the program share cultural information, recipes and even build professional relationships and personal friendships. Recognized and respected international hospitality organizations such as the Hilton, Marriot, Westin and Holiday Inn Hotel Groups, the AHA-OLFU partnership expands CHIMs network for its students hundredfold. In addition to being qualified, students who do exceptionally well with the program get certification noted With Honors, giving them an added advantage.
OLFU, together with CHIM continues to expand not only its geographical boundaries with the opening of its Pampanga Campus, but broaden its ability to offer relevant, affordable and quality education to its students. Indeed, the AHA partnership and the online Professional Development program continue to ensure the growth of the college and its alumni’s prospects.
