During a graduation ceremony held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, 17 Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) lecturers successfully graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality Management from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland.

Starting from an agreement between ITS and the Finnish university back in 2015, ITS lecturers would not only achieve a Bachelor’s degree but would also move on to a Master’s degree with the same university.

All costs are paid for by the ITS, with an investment of over €350,000 for the institute’s academic staff. The lecturers started their Bachelor’s degree studies at the beginning of 2016, which ended in the summer of this year. They will start their Master’s in January and finish their studies by the end of 2020. All these advancements were discussed with the Malta Union of Teachers.

All costs are paid for by the ITS

ITS CEO Pierre Fenech said: “It is not only good that we invest in our infrastructure, but even more important that we invest in our human resources, namely our academic staff. This is the way forward for ITS, as we will not only offer a state-of-the-art institute but also top academic staff who will train students to become reputable workers in the hospitality tourism industry, which is consistently growing.”

President and CEO of Haaga-Helia University, Dr Teemu Kokko, said: “On behalf of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences I’m extremely pleased and happy that 17 ITS teachers will receive their Bachelor of International Hospitality Management degree certificates. They have been working very hard according to the high Finnish educational standards. There are many other ongoing projects between Haaga-Helia and ITS. The world needs more handshakes like this.”

Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said: “Investment in the institute’s academic staff is necessary to be able to reach the government’s aim of developing the ITS into a world-class international educational institution in the field of hospitality and tourism studies.

The institute aims to expand its operations from a locally focused campus that caters for around 700 students to an international campus.”

Dr Mizzi announced that plans for the Smart City campus would be unveiled in the coming weeks.