Industry Training Leads to Meriton Suites Employment for ICMS student

Practise makes perfect for International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) student Jeremy Chen, whose work ethic and passion for the hospitality industry secured him casual work at Meriton Suites Sydney while he continues his studies.

Bachelor of Hospitality Management student Chen completed his industry training at Meriton Suites in the Sydney CBD as part of his industry training, a 600 hour internship that is part of every degree offered at ICMS. Meriton Suites have become Australia’s largest owner of hotel rooms and are among the country’s largest hotel operators. They deliver first class, professional services in conjunction with sophisticated and modern facilities.

Once Chen had completed his industry training, he was retained on a casual basis as Guest Service Agent at Meriton Suites. Chen is currently in his third year of studies at ICMS.

“If you are thinking of studying management, ICMS would be a great place for you to choose. As we know, practise is as important as theory, and at ICMS you can find a really good balance between them,” he said.

ICMS is an award-winning higher education management college located in Northern Beaches, NSW, Sydney. The career-focused approach of ICMS gives students an edge on other graduates thanks to extensive experience gained before graduation. This is a factor Chen values highly.

“The Industry Training program is a real highlight of ICMS… the experience gave me a good head’s up of what exactly I would be doing in the future. It was wonderful, great fun. I may have made mistakes (during Industry Training) but what is important is that you can always learn something from your mistakes.”

He counts Hotel Management Cost Control as his favourite subject of his ICMS hospitality management degree because of the practical component.

“This subject is about hotel revenue management and you get the chance to run a real function with your team, which is a different experience compared to other theory learning. I gained a lot of experience from that; it was great,” he said.

During Chen’s industry training, his name was personally mentioned on international travel website Trip Advisor; this is a tangible endorsement of his skills in hospitality.

“Something I am really proud of is when I get a Trip Advisor name mention from the guest. It is a big ‘yes’ to what you’ve done. The second thing that I am proud of is that after the (industry training) ended, I was retained and am working now as a casual.”

Chen’s student experience at ICMS is not all work and no play. While living on campus, he enjoyed the weekly social activities, such as cocktail parties, organised by the college, and the fact that Manly beach was just a few steps away. He now lives off-campus, but is fully embracing his fledgling career in his chosen industry.

“In hospitality, you get the chance to meet different people every day, which is really interesting and funny as well,” he said.

For more information on the ICMS Bachelor of Hospitality Management, click here.

To view the video of Jeremy Chen’s interview, click here.