On July 21, 2025, Siam Business Administration Technological College (SBAC) and Siam Business Administration Nonthaburi Technological College (SBAC Nonthaburi) marked a historic milestone by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Marriott International Inc., a world-renowned five-star hotel chain. The official signing ceremony was held at Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok Sukhumvit 22. With this agreement, SBAC becomes the first vocational college in Thailand to form an academic partnership with Marriott International.

The MOU was signed by Dr. Prasai Prawatrungruang, Director of SBAC Nonthaburi, Dr. Issariya Woraphiphat, Director of SBAC, and Mrs. Priya Panjikar, Senior Director of Human Resources – Thailand, Cambodia & Myanmar, Marriott International. The signing was witnessed by Mr. Peter Feran, General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok Sukhumvit 22, along with executives from both institutions and student representatives from the Tourism and Hospitality Program.

This partnership aims to enhance vocational education and provide SBAC students with hands-on internship opportunities at Marriott’s properties both in Thailand where the group operates more than 60 hotels and abroad. The collaboration will also involve curriculum development to ensure alignment with international hospitality standards, equipping students with the essential skills demanded by the global industry.

In her speech during the ceremony, Mrs. Priya Panjikar emphasized Marriott’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of hoteliers:

“We have 69 properties already either operating or pre-opening, so it’s a lot of opportunity for anyone joining us. But other than joining Marriott, we are very committed to the next generation of hoteliers being trained to add value to the tourism industry for the country. Because Thailand is a synonym for hospitality, with warm hearts. We want them to have the best experience, in line with our core value of ‘People First’, making sure they are excellent and ready to be hoteliers.

This collaboration means a lot to us. I think this is the first time that we are tying up with a vocational college, so it’s a very exciting time for us and hopefully for you as well. We are the biggest operator currently in Thailand, and I’m really hopeful that this collaboration will bring really positive results for your students and also for our hotels. We look forward to welcoming your students so that we can train them and hopefully give them a really good experience to be hoteliers — the best version of themselves.”

Dr. Issariya Woraphiphat also shared her thoughts on the importance of this collaboration:

“I think we both share the same value  to produce excellent professionals. Today is our great honor to be your partner. The MOU signing is not just a paper. I believe it is a signal toward more extended collaboration in the future. There are a lot of angles where we can partner building skills not only for students, but also for teachers and curriculum development. So I hope that this will be a fruitful signing for our long-term collaboration.”

Through this groundbreaking partnership, SBAC reaffirms its mission to empower Thai vocational students with world-class education, real-world experience, and international career pathways in the global hospitality industry.