“The great thing about Niagara College is that there are so many people with completely different but nonetheless amazing talents,” said Nurir Rohmah, State Polytechnic of Madura professor, in her valedictorian speech.
Rohmah spoke at the graduation celebrations of one of the two customized NC Travel Management programs hosted over the past six months. “Every little encounter and experience gained here at Niagara has been enriching and will remain with us forever…. NC became a home away from home.”
Rohmah was one of 28 educators across two program intakes from Indonesia who enhanced their travel management and tourism expertise through a customized program offered by NC’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport and supported by the International Division.
“The six-week program was one of the richest learning experiences we have ever had,” said Rohmah. “NC is the finest example of expanding educational horizons… ‘applied dreams’ as a place where you can experience extensive learning, offering a wealth of learning opportunities. I believe NC provides the best that Canada’s higher education can offer to a student, and to the international student, a sense of the uniquely warm set of Canadian values and culture.”
Having completed her graduate studies at the University of Missouri in the United States, Rohmah was familiar with North American learning institutions. She recommended that other educators in Indonesia advance their technical vocational and education training through NC. “I believe our students and the local community will benefit… we want to be an institution that is not only offering academics but also improving the local community and economy,” said Rohmah.
As part of second 6-week intake of the program, the educators from Indonesia were invited to participate in the 2019 Grape and Wine Festival and pictured are some of the participants with Niagara College President Dan Patterson, PhD.
“The School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport, sharing its best practices with the College’s educational partners from Indonesia, presented a mutually beneficial professional and personal development experience. When delivering Technical and Vocational Education and Training, NC staff and faculty learn as much from our partners as they hope to learn from us,” said Damian Goulbourne, associate dean of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport. “Through the relationships built during the customized training program, we hope to expand our partnerships in Indonesia to explore further two-way learning opportunities.”
This opportunity was made possible through a Retooling Scholarship program for lecturers of vocational higher education which was offered at the time by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (MORTHE) for the Republic of Indonesia and has since merged with the Ministry of Education and Culture under Indonesia’s new cabinets. The six-week program was designed to provide lecturers with innovative and practical learning that will help build their existing competency in the area of hospitality innovation. The Retooling Scholarship program also engaged service and local tourism partners of the College and allowed the lecturers to apply learning concepts and other skills by developing practical and relevant industry solutions which deepened their understanding of NC’s best practices in the tourism industry.
Bandung State Polytechnic professor, Marcella Suryana, also graduated from the customized Travel Management program. “I am an educator so I have to learn more and share,” she said, explaining that the learning outcomes from the program will help her find new ways to engage with her students in the classroom. Suryana also enjoyed the homestay experience, explaining that she feels as if she has family in Canada looks forward to visiting again in the future.
Nono Wibisono from Bandung State Polytechnic said of the program, “I hope it will lead to continued partnerships between NC and our university in the polytechnic field but also create new partnerships with the rest of the university to enhance new curriculum with industry practices.”
One of the program’s participants is pictured sharing an Indonesian cultural dance at the graduation ceremony.
According to Justin Williams, the benefits to the Indonesian educators and NC staff and faculty were mutual.
“This is a stellar example of how the global reach of NC can enrich the experience of students and faculty both internationally and here in Niagara,” said Global Education and Partnerships director, Justin Williams, PhD. “This program highlights how international education positively enhances educators from overseas and at the same time enhances our own global competencies. I am deeply appreciative of Damian and his team and the exceptional sharing and learning experience they provided the visiting faculty.”
More information regarding NC’s Global Education and Partnerships team can be found at ncglobal.ca/getinvolved/.
