Members are advised that the Tourism Program Advisory Committee (TPAC) (Nadi and Suva branches) sits regularly to provide industry feedback recommendations and advice to USP’s School of Tourism & Hospitality Management (STHM).
The brief below has been provided by the STHM and they encourage members to join the committee meetings whenever possible.
Aims
To develop links between the Tourism Management Programme and the Region’s tourism industry, thus increasing mutual understanding and cooperation among those involved in academic studies oriented to the industry and those involved in the business side of the industry.
Objectives
- To bring together members of the USP Tourism Management Programmes and the Region’s tourism industry in a forum for discussion of domestic and international tourism, with a specific focus on its changing structure and emerging needs vis-à-vis tourism education.
- To disseminate to key participants in the Region’s tourism industry information about the Tourism Management Programmes at the University of the South Pacific.
- To work collaboratively with industry to increase students’ exposure to and understanding of the tourism industry through activities such as: fieldtrips; work experience placements; guest lectures etc.
- To enable industry to draw upon, when possible/appropriate, the resources and expertise in the Tourism Management Programmes through activities such as research, consulting etc.
- To meet regularly on an annual basis (or more frequently as needs arise) to pursue the objectives, above.
The main reasons are:
to have industry-relevant programmes (they employ the graduates after all…); to foster learning opportunities for students (industry placements, research, scholarships etc.); to keep abreast of regional needs, trends and developments; to look for reciprocal opportunities (USP/STHM could reciprocate through research, guest speaking etc, we sought to do so).
Benefits for the Industry
The opportunity to ‘pay it forward’ for the next generation, to contribute their industry knowledge and experience to academic programme development, the opportunity to give USP/STHM feedback on how well we were meeting the educational needs of the industry, the opportunity to let us know how we might help them.
For more information, contact;
Ms. Ella K Bennion
Student Industry Liaison Coordinator
School of Tourism & Hospitality Management
The University of the South Pacific
Suva
Ph: (+679)3232434
Email: Bennion_e@usp.ac.fj
Skype: ella.bennion1
