A Guide to Hospitality and Tourism Education in Maldives

Hospitality and Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, with a USD 9,170 billion global contribution in 2019. It is a great field to pursue a career in with a variety of options, especially in countries like the Maldives where tourism and hospitality is the highest contributor to the economy’s GDP.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), total travel and tourism jobs created in 2019 in Maldives were 149,100, which was 53.5 per cent of total employment. Despite this, industry leaders have recognized a notable shortage in supply of skilled locals in the industry and it is one of the biggest challenges we currently face.

This guide provides an insight into Maldives' institutions that are offering hospitality and tourism courses and training, along with their available programmes.

Institutions

There are thirteen colleges and universities in the Maldives offering higher education programmes, according to the Ministry of Higher Education (2021).

There are two public universities – Maldives National University (MNU) and Islamic University of Maldives. Public colleges include Institute for Security and Law Investment Studies and College of Defence and Security Studies. Private colleges include Villa College, Maps College, Mandhu College, Cyryx College, Clique College, Avid College, Male’ Business School, MI College and Zikura International College.

From these thirteen institutions, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies (FHTS) in MNU, Villa College, Clique College and Maps College are the main university and colleges offering higher education in hospitality and tourism.  Maldives Polytechnic and Maldives Institute of technology (MIT) are other two institutes offering certain programmes in the industry.  While Male’ City is the main location for education and training, MNU; Villa College and Maldives Polytechnic also offer courses at Regional Campuses/Outreach Centers on other inhabited islands.

Looking at enrollment statistics from 2019, MNU holds the highest percentage with 26 per cent, followed by Villa College and MI College with 15 per cent each. The statistics also reveal that there were 14,586 students enrolled in higher education programmes in 2019, from which 554 were enrolled in services programmes.

Programmes

Education and career options in the Hospitality and Tourism industry can be pursued in a variety of sectors such as hotel management, F&B, Travel & Tourism and others.

Hotel Management

If you’re looking to seek a career in hotel management, one way is to start in an area like Reception, Guest Relations or Rooms Division and then work your way up to a management job such as a director, hotel manager or general manager. However, you can also directly pursue an education in hospitality and tourism management. Hotel management local programmes include:

• Certificate III in Guest House Management - Maldives Polytechnic
• Advance Certificate in Business Administration and Tourism Management - Maps College
• Advanced Certificate in Tourism Management - Maps College
• CTH Level 4 in Hospitality Management - Clique College
• Diploma in hospitality management and Diploma in tourism management - FHTS, MNU
• Diploma in Tourism and Hotel Management - Villa College
• CTH Level 5 Diploma in Hospitality Management - Clique College
• BA in Tourism and Hotel Management - Villa College
• Bachelor of International Hospitality Management - FHTS, MNU
• Bachelor of International Tourism Management - FHTS, MNU
• Bachelor of Tourism Management - Maps College
• Bachelor of Hospitality Management - Maldives Business School
• Bachelor of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management - Clique College
• Master’s in Hospitality and Tourism Management - FHTS, MNU

Food & Beverage

F&B is one of the areas with high demand and lack of supply of local workers in Maldives. It is a core area of the industry and offers jobs in restaurants and cafes, catering, bakeries and sweets, recipe design, and etc. Local programmes in F&B include:

• Certificate 3 in Culinary Arts - FHTS, MNU
• Certificate 3 in Food & Beverage Operations - FHTS, MNU
• Certificate 3 in Patisserie - FHTS, MNU
• Certificate 3 in Food & Beverage Services - MIT
• Certificate 3 in Pastry and Bakery - MIT
• Certificate 3 in Commercial Cookery - MIT
• National Certificate III in Food and Beverage Services Personnel - Maldives Polytechnic
• National Certificate II in Food Preparation - Maldives Polytechnic
• National Certificate III in Pastry and Bakery Commis - Maldives Polytechnic
• Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts Management - FHTS, MNU

Travel & Tourism

The travel & tourism industry has a variety of components and it offers jobs in transportation, accommodation, planning and marketing excursions, travel media, tour packages, destination management and tourism planning and more. Some local programmes include:

• Certificate 3 in Tour Guiding - FHTS, MNU
• National Certificate III in Tour Guide - MIT
• Certificate III in Accommodation Service - MIT
• Certificate III in Reception Service - MIT
• National Certificate III in Tour Guide - Maldives Polytechnic
• National Certificate III in Room Attendant - Maldives Polytechnic
• National Certificate III In Airport Representative - Maldives Polytechnic
• Certificate III in Tourism and Hospitality - MI College
• Bachelor of Arts in Business and Aviation Management - Villa College

Events, Sports, Wellness & Leisure

You can pursue a career in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) sector and closely related sectors such as sports, diving, spas and wellness, and various leisure activities. Some local programmes include:

• Certificate 3 in Marine Science - Villa College
• Certificate 3 in Aquatic Recreation - Villa College
• National Certificate III in Fitness Instructor - Maldives Polytechnic
• National Certificate III in Life Guard - Maldives Polytechnic
• Certificate III in Hair & Beauty Therapy - Maldives Polytechnic
• Certificate 3 in Snorkel Guiding - MIT
• Certificate 3 in Surf Guiding - MIT
• Certificate 3 in Sports Fishing Guiding - MIT
• Certificate 3 in Water Sports - MIT
• Certificate 4 in Marine Science - Villa College
• Spa Manager Training Course - Spa Consulting Maldives
• PADI certified diving courses are available in local dive schools such as Dive Desk Maldives in Male’, Ocean Junkies in Hulhumale’, Maldives Passions in Maafushi and more.
• Surf Instructor Course - Maldives Surf Association

Others

MNU and colleges offer common programmes in Marketing, HR, Administration, Finance, Engineering and IT; ranging from certificates to Degrees to Masters. Lack of courses are identified in sectors such as gardening, logistics, real estate and communications.

Furthermore, programmes in event management, wellness, tour guiding and guesthouse management also lack availability.

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