UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has opened its sixth Chinese IHG Academy.

The academy, in Shenzhen, has been established in partnership with the Shenzhen Tourism College of Jinan University, marking the first time an IHG Academy has joined with an undergraduate university. It is also the first to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree in tourism and hotel management.

“A sustainable and qualified talent pool is a crucial factor of IHG's future success and the development of the entire hospitality industry in China,” said Peter Gowers, chief executive, IHG Asia Pacific.

“At IHG, we think the most valuable asset we have in our hotels is the people. The rapid growth of the hotel industry in key and emerging cities in China is challenged by a war for talent. With the ongoing expansion of the IHG Academy, we are doing our part to address the demand for trained talent across China.”

Since its launch in 2006, the IHG Academy has established 12 centres in six Chinese cities – Shanghai and Jinan in eastern China, Chongqing in the southwest, Zhengzhou in central China, and Shunde and Shenzhen in southern China.