Students from Indonesia came to Tomsk to study under the IISMA program supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. 29 students will study tourism organization, hotel and restaurant business, halal tourism, and digital content creation at TSU as part of the Vocational Path. Tomsk State University is the first higher education institution in Russia to offer this track.
The training includes lectures by industry experts, practical training at manufacturing companies, and solving cases offered by employers. Students will be provided with practical education and will be prepared for working in the real sector of the economy.
TSU Institute of Distance Education has developed two special programs for students from Indonesia. One of them is Hospitality and Tourism Industry, which will provide students with knowledge and practical skills in hotel management, restaurant business, halal tourism and other fields. Students will also have the opportunity to work at industry partner companies such as Kukhterin Restaurant, Lampochka Food Court, Xander Hotel and other companies.
There will be a lot of master classes for students, including at the Russian cuisine restaurant “Slavyansky Bazar”. As part of their studies in halal tourism, students will not only learn about different cuisines, but also will visit holy places for Muslims and other cultural sites.
The language of instruction is English, but before their trip to Russia, students were offered online classes with instructors from TSU Pre-University Training Center. In just three months, students have already mastered popular words and phrases that will be useful for their studies and daily life. Learning Russian will also give Indonesian students a better understanding of the country's culture.
“The IISMA program is very prestigious program and there is a limited number of universities participating in it. Furthermore, most of these universities are high ranking,” said Artyom Rykun, TSU Vice-Rector for International Affairs. “For example, there are such universities as Yale University, Cornell University, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and National Taiwan University participating in the bachelor track. In Russia, only Moscow State University, Higher School of Economics, RUDN University, and ITMO University are participating in this program, with TSU being the only Russian university in the vocational track. If we succeed, we will be able to increase the number of programs and attract even more talented students from Indonesia to study at TSU.”
The programs offered by TSU align with Indonesia's national project for Tourism and Hospitality Industry, which aims to develop professionals in the industry, improve service standards, and enhance the industry's image.