One hundred and seventy hospitality educators from more than 60 vocational?schools and universities across 18 provinces in China gathered at the Ningbo Marriott Hotel to attend the second Marriott China Hospitality Education Initiative (CHEI) Teaching Conference.
CHEI, a project of The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, is funded with a commitment of 40.5 million RMB (US$6.5 million) over five years.
It engages educators and industry leaders in enhancing hospitality education, leading to life-changing careers for youth in China?s booming travel and tourism industry.
Since CHEI’s?implementation two years ago, nearly 19,000 Chinese students and their teachers have attended hotel field trips and guest lectures by industry leaders.
More than 160 teachers have completed faculty internships at local hotels and hospitality fellowships at US universities.
CHEI estimates its programmes overall, are having an impact on 28,000 hospitality students, as teachers incorporate knowledge gained through real-world experiences, new teaching techniques and CHEI learning resources into their classrooms.