Wigan and Leigh College

University Centre Wigan & Leigh College alumni, Ryan Murphy is making strides in Desaru, Malaysia, teaching English to hotel staff at Sand & Sandals Desaru Beach Resort and Spa.

Ryan’s role is to equip resort staff with valuable English language skills, enabling them to interact with an international customer base — a significant asset in the modern hospitality sector. The resort is the first in the state to employ a native English speaker for such training.

The resort’s director of operations and revenue, Lily Lim, told Apa Khabar TV: “Without strong language skills, staff may be limited in their ability to meet guest expectations.”

Alumni Professional Cookery student, Luke Johnson is now Head Chef at 5* restaurant with rooms, Quite Simply French.

The Lancaster based restaurant specialises in French and British cuisine and has rave reviews on TripAdvisor.

Luke learnt the classical French way of cooking at the college which set him up for a variety of local roles within the industry where he worked his way up to Sous Chef at Standish’s Ashfield House.

Looking back at his time as a student at college Luke said: “I enjoyed every aspect of my three years training at the college. I met some really good friends and we are still friends to this day.