Our youth is full of entrepreneurial flair: Secretary Tourism Ehsan Bhutta
Secretary Tourism Ehsan Bhutta visited the New Garden Town Campus of College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) and had a tour of state of the art facility of the college.
The visit was also attended by other dignitaries and officers including Women Chamber of Commerce Founder President Dr Shehla Javed, senior journalist Iftekhar Ahmad and PSDF Chief Operating Officer Ali Akbar Bosan.
After talking to the students and having a question-answer session with them, Ehsan Bhutta said, “It feels great to visit COTHM and talking to the students. Our youth is curious, creative and full of aspiration and entrepreneurial flair.”

The students showed much interest in his talk and got the answers of some very important questions from him.
COTHM CEO Ahmad Shafiq said, “COTHM trains the students for technical and professional education that helps them in finding jobs and opportunities soon.”

Kashif Rabbani appreciates COTHM’s industry-oriented curriculum
Nishat Hotel GM Kashif Mueed Rabbani visited COTHM to talk to the students on ‘how to follow careers in the hospitality industry’.

COTHM CEO Ahmad Shafiq welcomed the guest and took him to a short visit of the campus.
Talking to the students about pursuing careers in the field of hospitality and tourism, Kashif said, “If you work hard, people will take notice.”
He also said that being a GM he endeavors to hire the smartest people who have great work ethics too.
While appreciating COTHM’s initiatives, the GM said that COTHM was playing an important role in imparting quality education and it was great to see the innovative learning methods being used at the college.
He also appreciated the industry-oriented curriculum and internationally recognized certifications.

Mughees Pirzada appreciates COTHM’s contribution towards industry
K&Ns Central North and Multinational Sales Chief Syed Mughees Ahamd Pirzada talked to the COTHM’s students about how to be a leader in today’s changing society.
COTHM CEO Ahmad Shafiq said brief welcome remarks for the guest and shared some of COTHM’s contributions towards the industry.

He said that COTHM’s collaboration with industry leaders is just to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, leaders, and to support and empower them to transform the world for good.
After Mughees Pirzada’s talk, the students asked some pointed questions about the food and hospitality industries.
They asked about the possible outcomes of the collaborations between the corporate and educational sectors.
Mughees also told them about how to keep going after failure, and how to be motivated each day.

Salman Abid lectures students on ‘how to excel in right direction’
Senior journalist Salman Abid paid a visit to COTHM where he delivered an informative lecture to the students while telling them how to excel in the right direction.
Salman has been working for different major Pakistani newspapers. Currently, he is managing the editorial page of Daily Express putting his pen acumen not only for the commentary on current affairs but also for solution based analyses for the public sector executives as well as politicians.

On electronic media, he is usually seen talking about the technicalities of democracy, good governance, terrorism, regional politics, local government reforms and development & social issues.
He has authored six books: Pakistan Me Naya Siyasi Nizam aur Muqami Hakoomaton ka Kirdar, Muqami Hakoomatain or Ikhtiyarat ki Taqseem, Pakistan me Jamhoriyat kay Tazadaat, Abdul Kareem Abid, Ek Shakhsiat Ek Ehad, Dehshat Gardi-Ek Fikri Mutaliya, and Democracy and Local Government.
Salman Abid teaches media studies at different Pakistani universities where he shares his knowledge on conflict management and advocacy & lobbying through his specialized training programs.
After touring around the campus along with CEO Ahmad Shafiq, he appreciated the state of the art facility of the new campus of COTHM.

Khem Lakai talks on ‘soft skills in hospitality industry’
COTHM hosted a webinar on ‘Importance of soft skills in hospitality industry’ in collaboration with a notable hospitality expert Khem Lakai.

Whilst sharing his personal experiences, Mr Lakhai said, “A hospitality workplace demands skills like problem solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, maintaining professional and ethical standards, and leadership”.
He further said, “If there was any specific tech skill people were motivated to learn, they could learn that very quickly,” he said, pointing out that softer skills are harder to learn and are often not included in courses.
Khem Lakai also said that softer skills such as leadership and the ability to draw people together are definitely harder to develop.

Chef Majed Al Sabagh advises students to be persistent
COTHM arranged a webcast for its students with Chef Majed Al Sabagh who provided the students with insights regarding their career paths.
He shared his own experiences in the market while discussing each of his positions. He talked about his initial struggle in the field and his roles in Syrian Culinary Guild, Saudi Arabian Chefs Table Circle and Emirates. He also inspired the students by talking about his current role as Director at Chef International Hospitality Education and Training Centre, Sharjah.

The students, after having an overview of his professional career, asked him questions that covered a range of topics.
Sabagh’s parting advice for the students included an encouraging reminder to work hard because the demand for hospitality jobs in the market would always exceed the supply.
He further advised the students to be persistent, take on internships whenever possible, and make sure they love whatever they end up doing because passion for the work is critical for success in the industry.
Chef Majed has authored various books on cookery. He also writes blogs on cooking and innovative recipes.