TUT Students to Participate in Future Leaders Challenge. During the 23-26 January 2024 Middle East and Africa Future Leaders Challenge, two students from the Tshwane University of Technology’s Department of Hospitality Management and two students from the Department of Tourism Management will take part. Dubai’s Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts will host the event, which will be hosted by the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.
TUT Students to Participate in Future Leaders Challenge
Khomotso Mohuba, Shaun Thole, Kabelo Modikwe, and Witness Mphogo are delighted to be participating in the challenge and agree that their leadership skills will likely improve. Furthermore, it will provide them with the opportunity to work abroad, demonstrating that TUT produces graduates who are up for the challenges of the modern workplace.
In order to be considered for the competition, students had to write a motivation explaining how they believe they will be future leaders in the tourism and hospitality industry.
NGap Academic Sharon Mukhola, from the Department of Hospitality, described the competition as an opportunity for students to develop solutions to real-life challenges that will also guide them toward becoming future industry leaders.
“It is important for our students to be part of the broader tourism industry, and they must recognize that education is not only about what they learn in the classroom, but also about how they interact with other stakeholders locally and internationally,” she said.
With the help of Dr Portia Sifolo, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Tourism Management, Sharon guides students in completing the challenge successfully. This challenge is equally exciting to us as an institution, because our students will be working with companies that are giants in their fields, such as Hilton Hotels and Raddison Hotel Group. The opportunity for internships with large institutions around the world will be endless if they do well in the challenge,” she said.
“TUT enjoys the benefits of participating in this initiative because it demonstrates our commitment to working with industry as part of the National Skills Development Plan Strategy,” she said.
We hope that this will encourage more students to participate in such competitions, despite the fact that we will be participating in this challenge for the first time. In our sector, especially, it is crucial that students understand that involvement in industry does not only happen after graduation, even while still studying, your network needs to be established and you need to work with others.
The challenge will be participated in by six South African institutions and about 20 Middle Eastern institutions. Students selected for the program will complete a four-month online program that teaches pitch skills and multicultural work practices. There will be topics such as personal habits, leadership training, blue ocean strategies, design thinking, and public speaking covered.
We will be accompanied by Dr Sifolo (Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences and Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management), who will serve on the judging panel during the Dubai finals.
Pictured are Shaun Thole, Witness Mphogo, Kabelo Modikwe and Khomotso Mohuba who will be taking part in the Middle East and Africa Future Leaders Challenge.
For more information on the Tshwane University of Technology, please contact Phaphama Tshisikhawe, Corporate Affairs and Marketing.
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