A Cooperation Agreement between Al-Ahliyya Amman University and Rotana Group of Hotels in Jordan

Al-Ahliyya Amman University signed a cooperation agreement with Rotana Group of Hotels in Jordan (Amman Rotana, Boulevard Arjaan and Centro Mada Amman by Rotana) with the aim of developing the specialty of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts of the University's Business School and facilitating the training and qualification of students to enter the labor market and replace expat workers.The University has created a dedicated hospitality and culinary arts department to meet the needs of the tourism sector by availing leaders capable of upgrading hospitality and culinary standards and services, exceeding the expectations of tourists and the local community, as well as seeking to provide job opportunities for the youth at the local, regional and international levels. The agreement was signed by The President of Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Prof. Dr. Sari Hamdan, General Manager of Rotana Hotels Jordan and General Manager of Amman Rotana Hotel, Mr. Attia Hamarneh, Ms. Hala Massad Nahas, General Manager of The Boulevard Arjaan Hotel, and Mr. Emad Aqeel, General Manager of Centro Mada Amman Hotel.The agreement aims to strengthen the bonds of cooperation in promoting the specialization of hospitality management and culinary arts and working to develop it, improve the level of professionalism in this specialty and spread tourism awareness about the importance of working in this vital sector, as well as train and qualify Jordanian students and workers to replace expat workers. The agreement stipulated that university students would complete a training period of up to 3 months (12 weeks - 400 hours) for each trainee in one of the three hotels of Rotana Group, where the trainees will work 8-hour shifts, 5 days per week in culinary arts, F&B management and procedures, and hotel management.The university is to supervise its trainee students and conduct frequent unannounced visits to the hotels during the training period.On this occasion, The President of Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Prof. Dr. Sari Hamdan, stressed the importance of this agreement signed with Rotana Group of Hotels in Jordan, which are of the leading hotels in the region, explaining that the agreement aims to strengthen the practical knowledge of the university students majoring in hospitality management and culinary arts.Dr. Hamdan pointed out that this agreement is the first cooperation initiative between the University and Jordanian hotels in a move that reflects the interest of Al-Ahliyya Amman University in building bridges of cooperation with national institutions and companies and activating real partnerships with them.Hala Massad Nahas, General Manager of Rotana Boulevard Arjaan Hotel, praised the university's efforts in strengthening the hotel sector with the competent and qualified expertise of graduates of this major, which will have a positive impact on raising the competitiveness of this sector at the regional and international levels.Attia Hamarneh, General Manager of Amman Rotana Hotel, stressed the importance of this agreement because of its multiple positive implications for students and the hotel sector and Jordan’s bright image and reputation in this field, pointing out that Amman Rotana Hotel will spare no effort to harness the expertise of its employees and their professional and practical knowledge to put it in the hands of trainee students.Imad Aqeel, General Manager of Centro Mada Amman, praised the efforts of Al-Ahliyya Amman University as one of the kingdom's distinguished academic institutions, expressing the hope that cooperation and exchange of experiences will be strengthened to serve the interests of the hospitality and hotel sector and benefit the students by enabling them to obtain future jobs with the help of the practical experiences they will receive during training.It is worth mentioning that the specialization of hospitality and culinary arts at Al-Ahliyya Amman University is one of the unique disciplines in Jordan and the Arab region and contributes to building a promising career for students and meets the needs of the tourism sector, which provides high employment opportunities, in addition to giving students practical training opportunities in hotels inside and outside Jordan in addition to availing laboratories and kitchens that simulate real life work scenarios and setting.