Magsaysay unveils world-class hospitality and culinary arts training center

The Magsaysay Group of Companies has unveiled the Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts (MIHCA), a world-class training facility that aims to produce job-ready students in the fields of hospitality, culinary arts and tourism.

US-based Johnson and Wales, America’s Career University, developed the curriculum and oversees the training delivery for MIHCA which offers in-depth short certificate courses that equip students with basic, intermediate and advanced skills in culinary arts and hospitality services. MIHCA also offers Tourism Courses certified by the International Air Transport Association or IATA.

"The investment in MIHCA symbolizes the Magsaysay Group’s commitment to prepare an individual for fulfilling careers in the hotel, restaurant, cruise, tourism and travel companies both here and abroad," said Doris Magsaysay-Ho, chief executive officer of Magsaysay Maritime Corp.

"Magsaysay as a company has always been about people…about providing them with opportunities to improve the quality of their lives, about equipping them with the right skills and attitude to succeed in their chosen profession," adds Magsaysay Training Group Chief Operating Officer Marlon R. Roño.

"We invest a significant portion of our income in training and MIHCA is the venue through which we can provide the hospitality industry with the kind of people that would live up or exceed its increasingly high standards of service and professionalism," Rono said.

MIHCA is backed-up with decades of experience, being affiliated with Magsaysay Maritime Corp., the leading human resource provider of the world’s biggest cruise lines, among them Carnival Cruises, Princess Cruises, Costa Crociere and Star Cruises. All these hard-earned experiences are passed on to the students of MIHCA, like a priceless heirloom being passed on from generations to generations.

"It is said that "experience is a mighty good teacher." Our years of training and providing human resources for our customers and principals are more than a testament to our experience," said MIHCA Institute Director Jay Fernando.

"It is also for this reason that our programs are designed for trainees to be immersed in hands-on, practical, interactive and experiential training, 80 percent of the time. They will be spending classroom time on important understanding of the theory and principle behind why they must do things a certain way to achieve excellence in the workplace but most of their time will be spent on laboratories because ‘doing is learning’."

The school facilities are designed to provide that experience. Three fully equipped kitchen laboratories, a baking and pastry lab, a butchery lab and a demonstration kitchen provided by Allied Metals are dedicated for the use of culinary and baking and pastry trainees.

Housekeeping training facilities include cleaning labs, a simulated hotel guest room, and a fully functional cruise ship cabin provided by AIDA Cruises from Germany among other lab facilities. Two restaurant outlets will be open to the public and will serve as the training laboratories for the trainees. Front office training will be conducted in a simulated front office lab and in computer labs.

Located on the third floor of Times Plaza at the corner of United Nations Avenue and Taft Avenue, MIHCA is easily accessible to commuters, having its own entrance from the UN LRT station.

MIHCA is part of the Magsaysay Learning organization that offers certificate and upgrading courses for the Maritime profession through the Magsaysay Training Center and the Magsaysay Institute of Shipping in Cavite. It also offers training for healthcare certifications through Magsaysay Global Services in Manila and Star of Asia in Bacolod, including languages and multicultural training, all the qualities and skills needed to become excellent service professionals here and abroad.

For inquiries on MIHCA’s course offerings, call 02-5249996 or 02-5261721 or email them at [email protected]