Zubair Qureshi
Serena Hotels on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with National University of Science and Technology to train and induct female graduates from the NUST Business School (NBS) through the Serena Management Trainee Programme.
Engr. Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector of NUST, along with the Pro-Rectors and the Dean of NBS, and representatives of the business and hospitality sectors participated in the signing ceremony.
The MoA aims to bring together the expertise of Pakistan’s leading business school at NUST, and Serena Hotels as a leading hospitality brand, to offer women graduates of NBS a valuable training opportunity for hands-on experiential learning and training in the field of hospitality management in a structured and professional setting.
The one-year programme will provide the Management Trainees with immersive learning to equip them with a holistic view of the business, as well as understanding the inter-relationships between different functional departments.
While commending the Serena Hotel’s initiative and lead role in fostering gender equality, Rector NUST Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari said Pakistan had immense potential in tourism.
Aziz Boolani, CEO Serena Hotels South and Central Asia, said since the number of female professionals in the hospitality sector is traditionally low the training envisaged an accelerated pathway that will help unlock their advancement to higher-level management positions in the industry.
As a leading hotel chain, Serena Hotels makes every effort to encourage women in their professional development for assuming higher positions, including the leadership role.
Boolani added that Serena Hotels was the recipient of the Employer of Choice for Gender Balance and Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) Certification by International Finance Corporation, World Bank.
Aziz Boolani expressed his gratitude to the Rector NUST, the Dean of NUST Business School Dr. Naukhez Sarwar and the Serena team for making the collaboration possible.
