East Asia Institute of Management

IT was no small feat.

But Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Tourism Management graduates Joie Chan and Kang Pei Yi did it.

The East Asia Institute of Management (EASB) graduates beat three other participating teams to win third place in the local category of the International Marketing Competition last year.

Participants presented marketing pitches in the competition, organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, an international body for marketing and business development based in the UK.

Ms Kang, 21, said: "Our business plan was to coordinate tourist bookings for bed-and-breakfasts here while training staff to provide a uniquely Singaporean experience.

"We wanted to let tourists live like Singaporeans, down to things like the kind of breakfast provided, and provide an experience they wouldn't get if they'd stayed in a hotel.

"We would also try and help the less fortunate by hiring and training them as workers."

Their inspiration came from their interaction with the foreign classmates they met while studying for their degrees, awarded by Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Miss Chan, 23, said: "We thought of what our foreign classmates were looking for when they came here to study and tried to implement that."

The pair graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with Diplomas in Hospitality and Tourism Management and decided to further their studies as they were passionate about the industry.

Miss Chan said: "I love interacting with people from all walks of life, and there is a great sense of satisfaction from enriching people's lives."

Their polytechnic qualifications meant they were admitted directly to the final year of the three-year QMU programme, which aims to impart theoretical and practical skills in all aspects of hospitality management.

Miss Chan said: "I searched the Ministry of Education web site for schools offering degrees in hospitality and tourism management. Local universities didn't offer it so I chose EASB."

EASB was voted Singapore's best institution in Hospitality and Tourism Management, according to the 2008/9 Edupoll survey.

Miss Kang was all praise for their lecturers.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

"They are nice and approachable. They're always willing to go the extra mile to help students, especially the foreign ones who needed help to overcome the language barrier."

Miss Chan said: "They would give us concrete, detailed examples from their real-world experience, which help us understand the course much easier.

"They also get us to think. During tutorials, they give us questions loosely related to the topic being taught so we have to do a lot of research and thinking before we can answer the questions."

Miss Chan said they also learnt how to work in a group, "just like in actual working scenarios", and honed their presentation skills.

As the vast majority of their classmates were foreign students, working successfully as a group was challenging.

Miss Chan added: "The language barrier also posed a problem. We had to act as the translators for our group in our last module, because the the Vietnamese group mate couldn't understand our Chinese group mate, and vice-versa. So it was a bit difficult."

Ms Kang said: "It took time. It was tough to adapt to working with them. Over time, with more contact during lessons and group work, we managed to gain an understanding of each other and our problems."

Students also went on a three-day, two-night field-trip to Genting Highlands.

Miss Chan said she found it "enriching" to be able to observe first-hand how a casino operates.

"We saw how the dealers and croupiers handled the table games, and if we had any questions we could ask our teacher on the spot. If we hadn't been to the casino, we would never have thought of these practical questions."

Fired up by the experience, Miss Chan has since applied to the Marina Bay Sands integrated resorts for a position as a VIP services coordinator.

With tourism management being one of the fastest growing industry in the world, their dedication to customer service will surely pay off.