In the recent past, the College has embarked on strengthening collaborations and linkages for alumni job placement and as a branding strategy
By | BENARD AMAYA Benard Amaya is a lecturer and the Alumni Coordinator at Kenya Utalii College.
The world has entered the era of sharing economy, with training institutions embracing partnerships to enhance the quality of training. This has seen globally reputed institutions of higher learning engage in linkages and collaborations to raise their presence in the international space. The practice is very popular among educational institutions in developed countries. Collaborations and linkages have gained significance and they are now used as criteria for global rankings in matters competitiveness. In the modern world where training has been internationalized, training institutions collaborate and exchange knowledge and ideas. It is important to note that linkages and collaborations also enhance the employability of graduates of institutions in the international job market.
Branding strategy
For a long time, Kenya Utalii College (KUC) has been affiliated to international and regional bodies. The College is a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, EUHOFA, the leading association for hotel school directors and principals. It is also part of the global hospitality network HOSCO – the world’s leading hospitality network, as well as Association of Hospitality and Tourism Schools of Africa (AHTSA). These global network and linkages have continued to position the institution strategically in the global market, hence, giving the College brand a global appeal and reach.
In the recent past, the College has embarked on strengthening  collaborations and linkages as a branding strategy. The College is using this strategy to enter into partnerships with global recruiters to get jobs for KUC graduates. One such partnership is with the GR8 Limited, a recruitment company based in the United Kingdom. The firm recruits hospitality graduates for the Channel Islands, that is Jersey and Guernsey. Under the arrangement, more than 100 KUC alumni have landed lucrative jobs in the British Islands.
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The College has also made great gains in securing cruise jobs for it’s graduates. The first lot was employed by Mediterranean Shipping Company, a Swiss Based cruise firm. A number of KUC alumni are working for the shipping company after the two institutions entered into a Memorandum of Understanding. Royal Caribbean Cruises is currently recruiting the KUC graduates to various roles ranging from cooks, chefs, housekeepers and waitresses. More than twenty graduates have been selected to join the cruise company. Other cruises are Celebrity and Delta cruises
Emerging employment opportunities
Besides the hospitality and tourism industry, the college is working with the leading mega stores to exploit the emerging employment opportunities in the sector. Carrefour and Naivas hypermarkets have close working relationships with KUC. Most retail stores have ventured into hospitality services and are keen on professionals who offer quality services to their clients. With the hospitality professionals on board, retail stores are keen to transform customers’ shopping experience similar to what is offered in Dubai.
The future of globally reputed institutions is collaborations and linkages. Institutions must strengthen departments tasked with external liaison to boost their standing in the international market. Colleges and universities that ignore the external linkages and collaborations will diminish in stature and lose their competitiveness. Kenya Utalii College is doing well on this, but a lot needs to be done to harness the potential of partnerships for the benefit of the institution, its alumni and the industry in general.
Benard Amaya is a lecturer and the Alumni Coordinator at Kenya Utalii College.
Mr Bernard Amaya is doing a very good job