Oxford Cultural Collective strengthens links in Thailand
1st September 2018
The Oxford Cultural Collective is strengthening its working partnerships in Thailand through projects that enhance opportunities for those who work in the food, drink and hospitality sectors.
In partnership with the Asean Professional Beverage Academy (APBA), OCC is offering a range of educational master-classes in Bangkok focused on the history and culture of wine, whisky, sake and other drink products. The current schedule includes master-classes on Bordeaux; Tuscany: Tradition and Innovation; and Premium Japanese Sake. Created for beginners and seasoned professionals, the master-classes are informal and collaborative, and are delivered by recognised authorities in specialist fields.
For more information on masterclasses, follow link.
On 12th July 2018, the Oxford Cultural Collective and APBA co-hosted an industry seminar in Bangkok which addressed Creative Solutions to Tackling the Skills Crisis in Thai Hospitality. A core aim of the event was to establish a community of senior representatives of hospitality companies who are committed to providing learning and development opportunities to their employees, and to being employers of choice for high-calibre recruits.
The introductory speaker was Nikhom Jensiriaratanakorn, Director of Horwath HTL (Thailand). who addressed country-wide labour trends and challenges. In addition to identifying reasons for the skills deficit in Thailand, Nikhom urged hospitality organisations to focus on improving staff productivity, which lags behind some other South-East Asian nations.
Angela Maher, Acting Head of the Oxford School of Hospitality Management, highlighted the need for effective leadership, underpinned by trust and integrity, to create positive organisational cultures that aid staff retention.
Terri Fynch, Head of HR Operations for InterContinental Hotels (South East Asia and Korea), gave a comprehensive overview of her organisation’s tactics for getting the best from employees, embedding collective pride across the company, and providing exciting opportunities for professional development.
Speakers were joined by others for a lively panel discussion then enabled open and honest discussion about how to address the skills deficit facing the Thai hospitality sector. The additional panelists were Siradej Donavanik, Managing Director of Asia Holdings; Steven Greenwood, Area GM for Thailand of InterContinental Hotels; and Chris Martin, International Development Adviser for Asia for the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.
The seminar closed with an interactive session on wine and food pairing, delivered by Chris Martin, which served as a powerful example of the value of staff development.