SPEECH BY YAB DATUK SERI PANGLIMA MUSA HAJI AMAN THE HONOURABLE CHIEF MINISTER OF SABAH, AT THE ATIC 15TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY, 1BORNEO PACIFIC BALLROOM, LEVEL 3 1BORNEO HYPERMALL, JALAN SULAMAN, KOTA KINABALU, ON 21ST JUNE 2012

SPEECH BY YAB DATUK SERI PANGLIMA MUSA HAJI AMAN THE HONOURABLE CHIEF MINISTER OF SABAH, AT THE ATIC 15^TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY, 1BORNEO PACIFIC BALLROOM, LEVEL 3 1BORNEO HYPERMALL, JALAN SULAMAN, KOTA KINABALU, ON 21^ST JUNE 2012

To all who are graduating today, one of the proudest moments in your life has arrived. After a lot of hard work, sweat and tears, you are here today and deserve to feel proud of what you have accomplished at ATI College. Finally, you have your qualification and are now ready to face the world and contribute to the development of our country in the field of hospitality and tourism. However, I hope that you will continue to practice life-long learning as we need highly qualified experts to raise the industry to the highest possible level.

The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the primary income generating sectors for Sabah. The State Government has done and continues to provide the best economic stimuli to boost the industry in order for it to remain sustainable in the long run. However, we cannot do this alone and graduates like you play a critical role in supporting the State Government in meeting Sabah’s need for skilled and knowledgeable people in this field.

The State Government will continue its major commitment to the hospitality and tourism sector by allocating substantial funds through the State budget. In addition, the Sabah Tourism Master Plan aims to improve infrastructure for accessibility to all tourism spots in the state, among a host of other goals. The tourist arrival figure to Sabah is expected to increase to 2.93 million with receipts of RM5.12 billion this year compared to 2.83 million and RM4.98 billion respectively last year. The state is continuously working towards achieving its tourism strategies to increase tourist receipts for the state and national economies.

The Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) will bring tourism to greater heights through a range of identified entry point projects. This move will not only boost economic development in Sabah, but will also create abundant job opportunities for those who are keen to pursue a career in this sector. Apart from Sabah’s world renowned natural attractions, we will also pursue the vision of turning Kota Kinabalu into a centre for international meetings and conferences, further growing our tourism industry.

I am pleased to learn that your College has obtained a five-star rating from the Ministry of Higher Education. This goes to show that Sabah has quality private colleges and I encourage school leavers to look for higher education opportunities that are available within the State. I have also been informed that ATI College has expanded its programmes into the business faculty offering Diploma courses in areas of study such as Business Management and Accountancy. While your core business should be maintained, expanding your academic programmes is a wise move especially when you are working towards becoming a university college in the near future. It will be a proud moment for the people of Sabah to witness a homegrown educational institution turn into a university college.

ATI College is well-established and I am happy to see you venturing confidently into the international market. I applaud this, as we want to be world class, offering world class products and services with only the best facilities. We can only achieve world class competence if we develop world class thinking and skills. ATI College is taking the right steps by bonding with other educational institutions to develop programmes for potential foreign and local students, and this move can also be of great benefit to the development of educational tourism in Sabah.

ATI College continues to raise the bar, and this is evident through its quest to constantly offer the best education. For their unrelenting effort, I would like to congratulate the Board of Directors, the Board of Governors, the Management Team and all staff for playing a part in this achievement. As your international recognition increases, your students and their quality will be a strong foundation for the hospitality and tourism industry, both in Sabah and Malaysia.

To graduates, my congratulations on your success. Go forth and walk your pathway, and be successful.

Thank you.