TOURISM
LEADERS IN PERSPECTIVE
FEATURES WSQ Framework: The Adoption Journey Harry’s International Delta Air Lines Park Hotel Group Sentosa Leisure Group Select Group Wildlife Reserves Singapore Marina Bay Sands
INTRODUCTION The Tourism and Food and Beverage (F&B) Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) are national Continuing Education and Training (CET) frameworks designed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) for adult learners. The Tourism and F&B WSQ offer national accreditation for workers looking to improve and upgrade their professional skills and knowledge. WSQ not only boosts workers’ career opportunities, it also helps increase the productivity and competitiveness of the Tourism and F&B industries. In this booklet, employers and employees from various Tourism and F&B companies share their views and experiences of WSQ training. The articles here were first published in The Straits Times in 2012. Tourism WSQ Leaders in Perspective showcases why these companies and industry leaders decided to embrace WDA’s training initiatives.
Source: Tourism WSQ Leaders in Perspective © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
Ms Jennie Chua Chairman Action Group for Tourism Skills Training
Mr Muhammad Irdwan Abdulrahman Team Manager (Lost World and Ancient Egypt) Universal Studios Singapore
OVERVIEW
I / WSQ FRAMEWORK: The Adoption Journey
Mr Lim Herh Kim Director Asia Pacific Tourism and Cultural Council
II / HARRY’S INTERNATIONAL
Mr Mohan Mulani / Ms Parmjit Kaur Executive Chairman / Chief Operating Officer Harry’s International
Mr Mohammad Noraidhil Bin Abdul Rahman Assistant Manager Harry’s International
III / DELTA AIR LINES
Mr Vinay Dube Senior Vice-President (Asia-Pacific) Delta Air Lines
Ms Serene Ho Lead Reserve Delta Air Lines
Mr Mohamed Ramadan Mohamed Rashidi Performance Manager Delta Air Lines
IV / PARK HOTEL GROUP
Mr Allen Law Chief Executive Officer Park Hotel Group
Mr Chia Tze Wei Training Manager Park Hotel Group
Mr Matthew Emmanuel / Mr Johari Bin Abu Hotel Operations Specialist / Bell Captain Park Hotel Clarke Quay / Grand Park Orchard
V / SENTOSA LEISURE GROUP
Mr Mike Barclay Chief Executive Officer Sentosa Leisure Group
Mr David Goh Senior Divisional Director (Leisure Management) Sentosa Leisure Group
Mr Mohammad Shahril Bin Saine Supervisor (Attractions Management) Sentosa Leisure Group
Ms Lisa Loi Assistant Relationship Manager Sentosa Leisure Group
VII / WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE .......................28
VIII / MARINA BAY SANDS..............................................32
CET CENTRES ................................................................36
IV / PARK HOTEL GROUP ..............................................16
V / SENTOSA LEISURE GROUP ......................................20
VI / SELECT GROUP........................................................24
VI / SELECT GROUP
Mr Vincent Tan Managing Director Select Group
Mdm Png Mui Leng Service Crew Sheng Kee Dessert, Raffles City
VII / WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
Mr Lee Meng Tat Chief Executive Officer Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Mr Abdul Halim Bin Mohd Ali Assistant Curator River Safari
III / DELTA AIR LINES ....................................................12
II / HARRY’S INTERNATIONAL .....................................08
Ms Julia Chow Operations Executive Singapore Zoo
VIII / MARINA BAY SANDS
Mr George Tanasijevich Chief Executive Officer Marina Bay Sands
Ms Vany Ramakrishnan Senior Executive Marina Bay Sands
CET CENTRES Visit any of our Tourism or F&B Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centres listed here to enhance the skills and expand the knowledge of your workforce today.
I / WSQ FRAMEWORK: The Adoption Journey ..................03
Mdm Mariani Bte Ahmad Manager Texas Chicken, CWP
Mr Muhamad Fazly Bin Sri Sunjoyo Captain, Poolside Bar Marina Bay Sands
I/ WSQ FRAMEWORK: The Adoption Journey This eight-part series aims to showcase Tourism and F&B industry leaders’ perspectives on training initiatives. In this first instalment, Esther Teo speaks with Jennie Chua on how the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications system has supported key milestones in the tourism industry.
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WSQ FRAMEWORK: THE Adoption Journey
BRINGING THE TOURISM SECTOR UP TO SCRATCH Training and recognising staff efforts important to ensure high standards THE unveiling of plans for two glitzy integrated resorts (IRs) back in 2006 might have set the nation’s pulse racing, but for some, the excitement was of a slightly different, more nervous kind. The IRs and their ripple effects were expected to create a whopping 100,000 new tourism jobs – a gigantic economic boost but a daunting challenge for those involved in readying the workforce. The IRs themselves would create about 20,000 new jobs and some were unsure if
thousands of workers could even be found – and trained – in time for the debut of the gaming industry here. Concerns were also raised that the lure of the glamorous IRs might spark an exodus of workers from other tourism businesses. Ms Jennie Chua, chairman of the Action Group for Tourism Skills Training, said jokingly, “I just looked at Sio Hoon (former tourism division director at the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA)) and said ‘how?’” “I think we knew that we had a job ahead of us... But the next question is literally an extension of the word, how? We needed to find answers,” she added. The Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework – a national credentialling system set up in 2005 to train and recognise employees in various competencies – gave the team a head start. Under WSQ, workers are trained at accredited centres such as At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy and the Ascott Centre for Excellence
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MORE WORK AHEAD
In the next two to three years, I’d not be surprised if we added another 100 competencies.While the basics have been done, the industry is not so simple. – Ms Jennie Chua, chairman of Action Group for Tourism Skills Training
“Professionalism in training also improves the image of the industry. If training is haphazard and there is no standardisation, it tends to speak of an industry that is not so buzzy,” she added. But then the global economic crisis hit and visitor numbers dipped. In response, the Tourism Talent Plan was rolled out to mitigate the downturn’s impact and keep talent in the industry. It also aimed to build up a pipeline of specialised skilled workers such as chefs, tour hosts and ride technicians and train even non-tourism workers in service skills so that the pool of potential tourism workers can be enlarged. This, together with the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience, held down retrenchment in the tourism industry to just 2 per cent, compared with 12 per cent for the larger economy, Ms Chua said. Ms Chua said the key advantages of the WSQ certificate are that it is transferable and sets a benchmark in quality service. ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJAN
(ACE) or even through in-house modules such as culinary skills, making a bed and cleaning a bathroom. The certification ranges from basic to diploma. The courses are practical and skillsbased rather than book-based. But while there were existing hospitality sector frameworks relating to hotels and spa services in 2006, there was none yet for casino gaming, which involves specialist skill sets like chip handling. This became an urgent priority for the WDA, which worked with the IR operators to develop a casino gaming WSQ framework to recruit and train Singaporeans and permanent residents for the jobs. Within six months of the IRs starting to hire, about 2,000 staff were trained, with about 15,000 statements of attainment – nationally recognised certificates. Ms Chua said that the key advantages of the WSQ certificate are that it is transferable and sets a benchmark in quality service.
“Through this lucky break, out of a negative situation, within that period of two years we actually saw an upscaling of skills and training,” the former chief corporate officer of CapitaLand added. About 400 competency standards under the Tourism WSQ have been developed to assess and nationally certify workers. The entire butler team at the Istana, for instance, is trained by ACE under the WSQ, while international patient liaison officers are also being trained to cater to the growth in medical tourism. This is set to grow as tourism here becomes more sophisticated. Theme park operations are some of the new modules. Lifting skills in areas like coffeemaking and understanding wine and spirits are also on the rise. The entire cabin crew of Singapore Airlines’ new low-cost, long-haul carrier, Scoot Airlines, was also trained under the WSQ. “In the next two to three years, I’d not be surprised if we added another 100 competencies. While the basics have been done, the industry is not so simple,” she said. “Maybe what might be on the horizon tomorrow, we don’t even realise today. Five years ago, did we think we would train coffee baristas? I don’t think so. Three years ago,
would we be training Scoot staff? But they are nevertheless here today.” Still, despite the flurry of changes, certain things never change, Ms Chua said. A good smile, for instance, remains a hallmark of good service to this day.
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ACQUIRING AN EASY CONFIDENCE, PEOPLE SKILLS
Mr Irdwan (centre), team manager at Universal Studios’ Ancient Egypt and Lost World zones, checking a young visitor’s height at a ride entrance. He has been promoted three times in less than three years. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
ALTHOUGH less than three years on the job at Universal Studios Singapore, Mr Muhammad Irdwan Abdulrahman has already been promoted three times.
him quickly climb up the ranks from crew to team manager in less than three years. He has been at the park since its soft opening in March 2010.
He is now team manager at the theme park’s Ancient Egypt and Lost World zones, overseeing rides like Revenge of the Mummy and Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure.
Learning to engage tourists in banter beyond the usual “hi and good morning”, for example, and providing safety and security for guests are just some of the skills he has picked up.
The 23-year-old is even helping to train others on how to interact with the thousands of tourists who flock to the park at Resorts World Sentosa every day.
He has even taken courses where he has learnt to be a better trainer and assessor.
But Mr Irdwan, who helps ensure the smooth operation of the park’s rides, was once on the other side of the fence: a trainee taking various modules under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) system. The WSQ has been developed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. And it is to this that he credits his easy confidence and people skills that have seen
Mr Irdwan recalls an incident where he had to convince a tourist who had just undergone an operation not to get on the Treasure Hunters ride as it might pose a danger to him. The skills he learnt in the module on interacting with guests came into play on that occasion as he tried to find other interests the guest had, finally convincing him to visit the other rides instead. Even though he has already completed seven WSQ courses, Mr Irdwan is looking to hone his skills further.
He is keen on attending courses on security as he works closely with the security staff in his line of work. This would broaden his skills set beyond just hospitality and frontline work. For now, he also plans to continue his work at Universal Studios, the human aspect of which he enjoys the most. “I like the interaction with people. Everyone has different needs and it’s a challenge to meet their needs.” “Every need you meet, you will feel satisfied even though it does not benefit you,” he added.
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WSQ FRAMEWORK: THE Adoption Journey
MAKING A CAREER SWITCH AT 54, WITH HELP mainly deals with services, I thought I could be a stronger person in this line,” he added. He pursued a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Diploma in Tourism through the Professional Conversion Programme (Attractions), a year-long course targeted at mid-career professionals. This allowed him to have apprenticeships in Sentosa, covering key tourism business areas like retail and attractions, and not just classroom-based training. His cohort was also given opportunities to help out at events like the Barclays Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club and the year-end party at Siloso Beach.
Mr Lim Herh Kim made the switch from the manufacturing sector to tourism in 2009. He pursued a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Diploma in Tourism which allowed him to have apprenticeships in Sentosa. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
MAKING a career switch between industries is a bold move for anyone, let alone a 57-year-old, but Mr Lim Herh Kim managed to pull it off. Mr Lim had spent more than half his life in the manufacturing sector before making the leap into the unfamiliar world of tourism three years ago. His move was made after he was retrenched from a big machine manufacturer in 2009. In contrast to the slowing manufacturing sector, he saw tourism as a sunrise industry and decided to take the plunge into something new and promising. “I also think that I am good with human relationships and people, and since tourism
Despite being the third oldest in his class, age has not been a hindrance for Mr Lim. “A lot of my classmates tell me to go slow. But I cannot, I still feel I’m young,” he said. “Older people also have the advantage of being more patient and diplomatic. Younger people might be more blunt but we have a tactful way of handling situations because of our age.” Once he graduated, Mr Lim kicked off his tourism career with Dorison Travel as a business development manager and then with Konsortium Express Travel. In April, he joined China-based Asia Pacific Tourism and Cultural Council as a working director. The firm, with one other employee here, specialises in international student exchanges to Singapore. “I’m glad I made the switch. It has been quite good as this is still a sunrise industry... There are a lot of opportunities here and the more I get involved, the more I see potential,” he added.
ESTHER TEO ESTHERT@SPH.COM.SG
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II / HARRY’S INTERNATIONAL Jonathan Kwok finds out how bar chain Harry’s has worked with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to support its staff development and business plans.
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HARRY’S INTERNATIONAL
The commitment to staff training and upgrading by Harry’s executive chairman Mohan Mulani and COO Parmjit Kaur has helped them attract and retain talent in a competitive industry known for high turnover rates, especially among Singaporeans. PHOTO: MIKE LEE FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
CAREER PATH FOR EVERY EMPLOYEE AT HARRY’S CHIEF operating officers (COOs) are typically promoted from a firm’s operations divisions or hired from outside, but local bar chain Harry’s bucks the trend. COO Parmjit Kaur, 44, took on the role in March after heading the human resources division for almost four years. The promotion of Ms Kaur – who is also president of the company – underlines the focus on training and human resource development at Harry’s, which runs about 30 bars across the island as well as other businesses. “We pretty much thought that any growth now in terms of new venues would be outside Singapore, and the company was more about its day-to-day operations and not so much about new venues opening in Singapore,” said executive chairman Mohan Mulani. “We wanted somebody who had the combination of a human resource background, with some business knowledge and some operational ability.” The commitment to training is not just about the promotion of Ms Kaur, but an ethos that runs through the entire organisation.
All staff members go through various training programmes, including in-house ones and those by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), which offers its Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ). In-house programmes include an induction course for new staff and twice-weekly training programmes organised for full-timers, parttimers and even trainees. Harry’s has about 500 employees and it is no mean feat ensuring that they all get training, but Mr Mulani, 52, sticks to his ethos. “It’s very easy in our industry to go about treating people as digits,” he said. “But people are not digits. Every human being has got desires, whether he or she is rankand-file or the executive chairman.” “People need to feel that they have got a career path. To me, human resource development is very important.” The aim is to attract and retain talent in a competitive industry known for high turnover rates, especially among Singaporeans. The approach has already reaped benefits, with some staff members staying for many years at Harry’s. Another big reason for training is to ensure that service standards remain top-notch, which is crucial in the highly competitive food and beverage industry. Ms Kaur said: “Service standards have to be there. It doesn’t matter if the person is there continued on next page
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HARRY’S INTERNATIONAL KEEPING SERVICE STANDARDS HIGH
Service standards have to be there. It doesn’t matter if the person is there for one day or one week or one month.The branding is very important. – COO Parmjit Kaur
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for one day or one week or one month.” “The branding is very important,” she added, explaining why resources are committed to training part-timers as well. The company provides a career path for staff as part of retention strategies, a policy that also helps attract younger staff. Harry’s is on the WDA’s Train And Promote scheme, which helps it give 70 per cent of the staff pay raises and the remaining 30 per cent a promotion. The scheme aims to train promising locals and provide them with career advancement opportunities.
Not only does it operate bars, it has also opened outlets selling Indian and Moroccan food and a hospitality arm to run hotels. The company’s focus on training helped it to win the WSQ Most Supportive Employer award for the Food and Beverage (F&B) category at this year’s Tourism and F&B WSQ Awards. The WDA presented the awards. The Most Supportive Employer award is for companies that support WSQ by hiring WSQ graduates, sending staff for training and adopting its schemes.
The focus on training, retention and promotion has given Harry’s the manpower to expand its business.
RECOGNISING STAFF ASPIRATIONS
It’s very easy in our industry to go about treating people as digits. But people are not digits. Every human being has got desires, whether he or she is rank-and-file or the executive chairman. People need to feel that they have got a career path. To me, human resource development is very important. – Harry’s executive chairman Mohan Mulani
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SKILLS TRAINING LEADS TO QUICK PROMOTION
Mr Mohammad Noraidhil was promoted after attending the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications in Food & Beverage Service courses, where he learnt the finer points of working in an F&B outlet. PHOTO: MIKE LEE FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
COMPLETING a training course has helped Harry’s employee Mohammad Noraidhil rapidly scale the career ladder. Mr Noraidhil, 30, was recently promoted to assistant outlet manager at The Sail @ Marina Bay branch of Harry’s bar, less than two years after joining the company. His new job position can be considered a reward for spending the best part of last year attending courses under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Certificate in Food & Beverage Service on a part-time basis. While holding down their full-time jobs, Mr Noraidhil and his colleagues attended classes a few times a month, studying topics such as food hygiene and customer service. “For instance, I’ve learnt to be more particular about hygiene now. A small mistake can lead to problems,” said Mr Noraidhil. He also
learnt how to professionally set the table when serving different types of cuisines. He added: “The most beneficial part of the course was learning from staff from other outlets, when we shared our experiences.” Mr Noraidhil joined Harry’s early last year as a bar supervisor. This month, he was promoted to assistant outlet manager, after completing the nearly year-long WSQ course. He is also part of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency’s Train And Promote scheme, which aims to train Singaporeans with high potential and provide them with career advancement opportunities. Training does not benefit only managers and supervisors. Mr Noraidhil shares what he learnt in the course with his staff and colleagues at the bar. “Now we’re on the same page when we work. My staff know my next step and, as a result, we can cut customers’ waiting times and deliver their orders to them quickly.”
JONATHAN KWOK JONKWOK@SPH.COM.SG
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III / DELTA AIR LINES Yasmine Yahya talks to Delta Air Lines and learns how its comprehensive training programme has not only led to higher-quality work but also happier employees.
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DELTA AIR LINES
Taking Delta staff to new heights with training MANY of us have endured that infuriating experience of calling an airline’s customer service hotline. Horror stories abound of hour-long calls punctuated by long waits and being passed around from one clueless customer service representative to another. Indeed, such calls can be as frustrating for the customer service representative as they are for the customer. The managers at Delta Air Lines saw that this was a problem that led not only to unhappy customers but also to unhappy staff, and they decided to do something about it. After all, Delta was keen to retain the talent at its call centre. There, the staff have to work in shifts and handle thousands of calls a day. Training has paid off, said Mr Vinay Dube (above). Delta’s senior vicepresident for Asia Pacific, with productivity at the call centre having surged by 54 percent since the training. ST PHOTO: DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
Sometimes, in the event of natural disasters, for example, everyone has to double their efforts and take a seemingly endless barrage of calls from frustrated customers.
They aim to come up with the best possible solutions in a tough situation, keeping families together even as they reassign passengers to different aircraft on different routes. Adding to the challenge, Delta had merged with Northwest Airlines in October 2008. In the consolidation process, the new entity decided to adopt Delta’s reservation system, which meant that everyone in the Singapore call centre, who had previously been Northwest employees, would have to be retrained. The firm thus undertook a comprehensive training programme that started in 2009 for all its Singapore staff. It was no easy task. Singapore is the base of Delta’s largest international call centre in the world, with staff here handling about 2,500 calls on a slow day. Two courses were provided under the training programme. The first involved all the call centre employees, most of whom have now completed training. They underwent a nine-module programme, at the end of which they each received the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Certificate in Tour & Travel Services. This is one of the certificates offered by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. In this programme, they learnt technical knowledge such as how to make a reservation
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DELTA AIR LINES
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as well as “soft” skills such as how to handle customers and clinch sales. A second programme is for selected employees in leadership positions. These employees learn how to manage a diverse team and how to promote employee engagement as leaders. The 365 staff were divided into teams and took turns attending classes for the WSQ certificate. There was a lot of “creative scheduling” involved, said call centre director David Clayton, with more classes scheduled during slow periods and training hours scaled back during busy seasons. But the massive effort has paid off, said the airline’s senior vice-president for Asia Pacific, Mr Vinay Dube, with productivity at the call centre having surged by 54 per cent since the training. “We’re talking about our ability to handle calls in a certain amount of time with an appropriate amount of quality,” he said. “The amount of revenue we’re generating in Singapore also continues to rise dramatically.”
For example, the Singapore call centre beat its revenue goal for 2011 by 34 per cent, Mr Clayton said. The staff here has also shown that they can handle new challenges better, said Mr Dube. Delta introduced its “economy comfort” class last year, and the Singapore call centre has done a “fantastic” job in selling seats in the class, he noted. “So they are not just more productive with the old stuff, so to speak, but when you throw new challenges at them, as a result of their training, they are able to do better.” Delta has also been successful at retaining its call centre employees, with attrition at very low rates. This is something remarkable for a job that involves shift work, which tends to be unpopular with Singaporeans. Mr Dube attributes this not only to the fact that the company has invested in its employees’ career development, but also to the way Delta has engaged its staff, going so far as to incorporate employee feedback into the design of its flight schedules.
feel connected to Delta and don’t have the information to allow them to put their calls in context, then you’re not going to get any benefit from training them,” he said. The amount of time, money and effort that Delta has spent on training its staff here is even more remarkable considering the fact that it could have easily saved all the hassle by outsourcing the call centre to a cheaper location. However, Mr Dube said the move to retain and upgrade the staff in Singapore was a calculated strategy. “First, it’s the recognition that our reservation staff is really among the most important keepers of the Delta brand. They’re the ones who talk to the customers and are often the first point of contact,” he said. “Second, once you get to a certain scale, it’s not necessarily cheaper to outsource. We’re large enough that we can do it pretty well in terms of cost as well.”
“You can teach people skills, but if they’re not happy coming to work and they don’t
INTERACTING WITH CLIENTS BETTER NOW MS SERENE Ho, 32, works as lead reserve, or supervisor at Delta Air Lines’ call centre. She has completed the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Certificate in Tour and Travel Services and is now undergoing a second course in leadership skills. “It’s very useful. We’re so busy day to day but this course pulls us out of that routine and reminds us of the things that are most important,” she said. Among other things, the certification programme taught her skills such as how to sell products and services effectively and how best to interact with customers. As a result, she said, she has become more focused when talking to customers.
The Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Certificate in Tour and Travel Services has helped Delta Air Lines’ call centre supervisor Serene Ho, 32, communicate with staff and customers better. ST PHOTO: DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
“We learn to spot certain things customers say, which then alerts us about how to react and handle the situation,” she said. “I’ve become more conscious about the way I speak and react. Sometimes what the customer really needs is just some empathy,” she added. continued overleaf
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DELTA AIR LINES
Managing people and situations more effectively MR MOHAMED Ramadan Mohamed Rashidi, 25, started his career at Delta Air Lines four years ago as a reservation agent. Since then, he has been promoted several times, most recently two months ago, when he was made a performance manager. He now oversees about 60 employees, making sure they attain their performance targets. He also travels frequently for his job, usually to Atlanta, where Delta’s headquarters is based. After completing the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications certificate in tour and travel services, he is now undergoing leadership training.
The leadership training course has been especially helpful in teaching Mr Mohamed Ramadan who now oversees about 60 employees, how to deliver difficult messages to his team members. ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
This has ultimately made her more efficient at handling calls. Before the certification programme, she spent an average of 10 minutes per call. She now takes an average of about six minutes to complete each call. As lead reserve, Ms Ho supervises a team of customer service representatives at the call centre. The leadership programme she is now undergoing has helped her communicate better with her team, she said. Interacting with other lead reserves during the course has also benefited her. “Because our teams work in shifts around the clock, I don’t actually get to see what all my team members are doing all the time. So when I meet with the other leads, they give me feedback about my team,” she said.
“I’ve learnt a lot, about how to manage people more effectively and how to handle different situations,” he said. The course has been especially helpful at teaching him how to deliver difficult messages to his team members. “I used to have difficulty doing this. I was always worried about how they would react,” he said. “The course has taught me how to prepare myself for such situations and build up my confidence. I used to think I was already prepared but now I know there’s more I can do to be even better prepared.” With four more modules to go in his leadership training course, he hopes to learn more about how to manage different personalities within his team. “In my role, I handle quite a lot of employees and there are times when I have to adjust my management style to effectively manage different people,” he said about his work. After having gone through over two years of training at Delta, Mr Ramadan said he feels appreciated by the company. “The company is always giving me opportunities to enhance myself and my career, and making sure that I’m equipped with the skills I need in my job now as well as in the future development of my career,” he said.
YASMINE YAHYA YASMINEY@SPH.COM.SG
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IV / PARK HOTEL GROUP Jessica Lim talks to Allen Law from the Park Hotel Group to learn how training gives the group its competitive edge. The group has its own training academy that customises courses for its staff.
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PARK HOTEL GROUP
Park Hotel Group chief executive officer Allen Law believes training employees allows them to better meet customers’ expectations. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
Staff tailor service to different hotel guests Focus on training pays off, with staff turnover lower than industry average
STEP into one of Park Hotel Group’s three hotels here and you may be served by chief executive officer Allen Law. Mr Law, 32, spends 70 per cent of his time walking the hotel grounds and, if need be, helping guests lug their bags up stairs, pressing lift buttons for visitors and picking up litter. He also makes a point of having one-on-one discussions with employees to tease out any difficulties they face and to help them chart career paths. “This way, they feel valued and recognised,” said Mr Law, adding that rank-and-file employees at some hotel chains have low self-esteem. “But these staff actually form the backbone of the business.” “They are the ones providing the service to the guests, not me. We support them to do a good job. I am actually not important, I tell them.” continued on next page
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PARK HOTEL GROUP
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“I say, so long as you do well, I do well.” Mr Law, who is from Hong Kong but is a permanent resident here, backs up his words with action. The Park Hotel Group, which is owned by Mr Law’s family, has provided training for all its 650 Singapore staff, from how to interact with guests to making up a room in 30 minutes, flat. The programme began in 2005 when the hotel chain adopted the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, a system set up by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to train and accredit workers in various competencies. Almost all the hotel group’s employees now take at least three WSQ courses each, with some taking as many as 12. The company also sent 26 of its employees to get accredited as trainers, who in turn teach WSQ-certified courses at the group’s training academy at the Grand Park City Hall hotel in Coleman Street. These trainers also tailor in-house courses.
More than half of the guests at the group’s Singapore hotels come from the Asia-Pacific region and staff are trained specifically to serve Japanese tourists differently from Chinese tourists. For example, staff are taught to speak to Chinese tourists in Mandarin and greet the oldest person in the group first, while Japanese guests are greeted in Japanese, with a bow. The group has a total of eight hotels – three in Singapore, one in Hong Kong, three in China and one in Japan – with plans to expand to 20 hotels over the next three years. It hopes to make inroads in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. Calling training a “necessary investment”, Mr Law said it helps to give the group an edge in a competitive industry. “We can pump as much money as we want to operate the building, no problem. You see many hotels, they look beautiful but their service may not meet guests’ expectations,” said Mr Law.
“People pay for both the product and the service,” he said, adding that tourists have become more sophisticated. For hotels, it used to be just location, location, location. But now, there are many more factors determining which hotel tourists choose to stay in. “Location is one, service is another and maybe there are certain needs of a certain segment of the clientele you need to cater to,” Mr Law said. Training, he added, also helps the group retain staff, a boon in the hospitality industry where high turnover is common. The hotel group’s annual resignation rate stands at an average of 4 per cent, below the industry standard of 4.2 per cent. Its Singapore hotels are short of between 8 per cent and 10 per cent of the total staff it requires. “Yes, we may be spending more time to groom and train our workers,” said Mr Law. “We would rather take in someone with potential and give him opportunities and let him see even more potential in himself.”
Trainer soaks up information and passes it on to colleagues WHEN cleaners dust and clean rooms at the Park Hotel Group’s three establishments here, they work in a circle – either clockwise or anticlockwise. The idea was devised by Mr Chia Tze Wei, one of the company’s 26 certified trainers. “This is so that cleaners will not miss out one area of the room. We try to make things more efficient,” he said. Mr Chia, who has been a trainer since 2010, has an Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment and a Diploma in Adult Continuing Education, both under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework. He trains about 20 employees a day at the hotel’s facility. Mr Chia Tze Wei (centre), one of the company’s 26 accredited trainers who teach WSQ-certified courses, conducts a class for fellow employees at the training facility at Grand Park City Hall hotel. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
Employees are taught WSQ modules or they sit in on the hotel chain’s own in-house courses, designed by trainers like Mr Chia, 33. The courses are free and can last from two days to five days, covering everything continued overleaf
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Employees acquire empathy, confidence HOTEL worker Matthew Emmanuel reckons he has a three-in-one job – receptionist, waiter and housekeeping attendant. Mr Emmanuel, 29, is one of 24 hotel operations specialists (hosts) at the Park Hotel Group, a position created for top performers to enhance the group’s productivity. “There are many slow periods and busy periods in the hotel industry. I rotate between departments to help out during their peak times,” he said. A typical day at the Park Hotel Clarke Quay starts with setting and clearing tables at the hotel’s restaurant. Then its off to the housekeeping department to get rooms ready for peak check-in time at about noon. “This way, no one is sitting around doing nothing,” Mr Emmanuel said, adding that he was promoted from a receptionist to a host position last October after just seven months on the job. His basic pay went up in tandem, from $1,200 a month to $1,800. He is up for another promotion at the start of next year, one he hopes to get. Mr Emmanuel, who has an N-level certificate, credits the promotion to the seven modules he took under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) system. He said the training equipped him with technical skills that gave him the confidence and enthusiasm to do well. Mr Emmanuel (left) of Park Hotel Clarke Quay and Mr Johari of Grand Park Orchard attended training under the WSQ system. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
from how to greet customers from different countries to how to set a table in 15 minutes. “My role was to soak up as much information as I could and pass it to my colleagues,” said Mr Chia, adding that it would be expensive to send every employee to an official training centre. “This way, the company sends some people to get certified and they come back and teach others.” He said it costs $2,000 to $2,500 for an employee to be certified as a trainer, which includes taking six different modules over three months at centres such as the Institute for Adult Learning Singapore in Kay Siang Road. “By having your own trainers, you can also come up with your own modules tailored to what your company needs,” he said. “We get a lot of guests from around the region at our hotel, so our staff are taught how to greet them in Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin and English.”
Making up a room now takes 30 minutes, down from the one hour he used to take. And he can read the facial expressions of guests better and keeps a book of about 100 restaurants and attractions to recommend to them. “I used to watch my colleagues when we were cleaning rooms, and they would have finished cleaning three and I would have done one. My confidence was very low then,” Mr Emmanuel said, adding that he asked Park Hotel Group for training. “Training also helped me to think differently. The mantra I follow is to always give more than what the customers ask for and to anticipate their needs.” Training has also benefitted Grand Park Orchard bell captain Johari Abu, who reckons the biggest lesson he took away from the seven modules he took under the WSQ system was empathy. Mr Johari, 26, recalled a time when a wine bottle that a guest had placed on a luggage cart fell to the ground and smashed into smithereens. The customer was livid. “In that situation, I reminded myself to feel what he feels. It’s what I learnt in the course.” “This helped me to stay calm and not get angry.”
JESSICA LIM LIMJESS@SPH.COM.SG
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V/ SENTOSA LEISURE GROUP Ng Kai Ling talks to Sentosa Leisure Group to find out how it focuses on the all-round development of its staff.
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SENTOSA LEISURE GROUP
Mr Mike Barclay (left), chief executive officer of the Sentosa Leisure Group, says Sentosa island is a “living classroom”. This view is echoed by Mr David Goh (next page), senior divisional director of leisure management, who says the company is proud of its ability to retain talent. PHOTOS: BERITA HARIAN, JOYCE FANG
ISLAND IS ‘A LIVING CLASSROOM’ Company focuses on the all-round development of its 1,300 workers TO VISITORS, Sentosa is an island playground with loads of activities and entertainment to choose from. But for those working on the island, Sentosa is a “living classroom”, said Mr Mike Barclay, chief executive officer of Sentosa Leisure Group. Employees can start out working in any one of the 200 attractions, retail or food and beverage outlets, and progress to others as they gain experience and new skills. “As our employees hone their skills in their areas of interest, we want to provide them with further growth opportunities that enable them to harness best industry practices and develop their professional competencies,” he said. This, coupled with the philosophy of employing people with the right attitude for the job, helped the leisure company combat the current labour crunch. For example, when recruiting front-line workers for the recently opened children’s water playground, Port of Lost Wonder, interviewees were put in a room with children to see how they interacted with the young ones.
Mr David Goh, senior divisional director of leisure management, said the company’s approach has kept attrition among the 1,300-strong staff at about 15 per cent, down from 20 per cent in 2008. The attrition rate in other service-oriented industries – such as food and beverage, and tourism – is between 30 and 60 per cent.
batch of 27 graduates went through classes where they learnt things such as budgeting and how to draw up a business plan using real-life examples applicable to the island’s daily operation.
More than 90 per cent of Sentosa’s employees are locals.
Mr Goh said the programmes focus on the long-term, all-round development of employees instead of just training them to perform specific tasks.
“We are quite proud of our abilities to retain talent,” said Mr Goh. He added that following the opening of the two integrated resorts in 2010, a rethink of the company’s recruitment and retention strategy was necessary as there was an increased demand for frontline service workers. Sentosa worked closely with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to develop the in-house training programmes and customised courses for employees. One example is the STAR programme, which stands for Sentosa Train and Raise, a one-year diploma programme with modules picked out to suit the needs of the company. The first
One in three who completed the programme was promoted.
“We realised we needed to map out some qualification for them that is recognised and transferable wherever they go in the future,” said Mr Goh. “If we don’t do this they will leave you anyway, but by doing so, we probably enhanced their loyalty by showing that this is a company that cares for them.” A second batch of 18 employees are enrolled in this year’s STAR programme. Sentosa is currently working on making its staff members happier. It recently kicked off Project Happy People to look into providing facilities for workers so continued on next page
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SENTOSA LEISURE GROUP continued from previous page
they can do their job better. This could include sprucing up rest areas, and providing wireless Internet access and even massage chairs for workers to use during their breaks. “Then people would stay not for the pay but because the company cares for their welfare,” said Mr Goh.
Groomed to do more as employer recognises his love for animals The course cost about $8,000, 90 per cent of which was subsidised by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, with the company paying the rest. Mr Shahril is now a supervisor overseeing the daily operations at six attractions on the island, including Animal Encounters and Fort Siloso. His salary has also steadily increased, from $1,300 a month in 2005 to more than $2,000. “The company has given me an opportunity to grow and is grooming me to do more,” he said. In the five months since graduating with a diploma in tourism and hospitality, he has put his new knowledge to good use. Once an animal handler in Sentosa, Mr Mohammad Shahril is now a supervisor overseeing the daily operations at six attractions on the island, including Animal Encounters and Fort Siloso. ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
A PASSION for animals did not seem like much of a winning hand in the job market but Mr Mohammad Shahril has turned it into a trump card. Mr Shahril, 31, loved his job as an animal handler on Sentosa but had just an ITE certificate, not regarded as enough to take him further. Yet that love for the job was recognised by his employer, Sentosa Leisure Group, which sent him on a diploma programme.
He made 12 suggestions to his bosses on how to improve operations. One was a schedule showing how staff members could clock in 44 hours of work over five days instead of six. The proposal was taken up and now he and his colleagues get two days off a week. Mr Shahril said this was possible because the course not only taught him how to draw up documents but also provided him with an overview of the operations of a company like Sentosa. “Now I can even do presentations in PowerPoint,” he said.
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Her office is an island after mid-career switch
Ms Lisa Loi, an assistant relationship manager at Sentosa Leisure Group’s island partner unit, is now the go-to person for Sentosa’s tenants whenever major events such as Zoukout are held on the island. ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
AFTER 15 years as a building management executive, Ms Lisa Loi was longing for a change but couldn’t see a way until a job conversion programme presented itself. Ms Loi, 40, enrolled three years ago and found a path into the tourism industry. “I had thought about switching for 15 years but I didn’t know how,” said Ms Loi, now an assistant relationship manager at Sentosa Leisure Group’s island partner unit. In 2009, she found the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for tourism, a collaboration between Sentosa, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency and the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore.
“Through the course, I learnt more about the various departments and their roles in the entire operation,” said Ms Loi, who earned a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Diploma in Tourism. Ms Loi is now the go-to person for Sentosa’s tenants whenever major events such as Zoukout are held on the island. Her job is to keep them informed and address their concerns about issues such as transportation and crowd management. While she admitted that the job is similar to her previous one, work is now more fun. “I’m no longer stuck in an office; my office is an island surrounded by the sun, sand and sea.”
The PCP for tourism is a year-long programme targeted at mid-career professionals. The programme also helped Ms Loi gain work experience through apprenticeships in Sentosa’s key departments, including admission and attractions, retail and events management.
NG KAILING KAILING@SPH.COM.SG
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VI / SELECT GROUP Magdalen Ng talks to Select Group managing director Vincent Tan on having a system in place to fit in training, which he says has created tangible results.
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SELECT GROUP
Training is part of the job for Select’s staff MANY companies in the food and beverage industry blame a lack of spare staff for failing to send employees for training. But Select Group managing director Vincent Tan dismisses this as a mere excuse. He admits that there is tension between keeping the business running day to day and sending employees on upgrading courses. But he is adamant that this is not an insurmountable problem. “At Select, we have inculcated a training mentality from top management to the employees. Everyone adopts a buy-in attitude, and sees that training should be an important part of our day-to-day operations,” he says. And this boss has put his money where his mouth is. Mr Vincent Tan (above) says that the morale of his staff as a whole is much higher, with a greater sense of belonging, especially when they learn more about the company through their colleagues from other departments during training. ST PHOTOS: KUA CHEE SIONG
“We have this system whereby if the operations side is short of manpower, we allow them to engage two to three parttimers to cover routine jobs, which were supposed to be done by the employees going for training, providing them with support directly.”
When the operations side sees the benefit of having more skilled staff with greater job efficiency, it will increasingly want to schedule the work in a more flexible way to allow employees to go for training courses. Select Group’s portfolio comprises 14 brands, including Peach Garden, Lerk Thai and Texas Chicken. It became an in-house approved training organisation for the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programmes in 2006, and won the WSQ Training Excellence Award for the F&B category this year. Last November, it adopted the Integrated Manpower Plan for Aggregated Company Training, which aims to encourage companies to integrate WSQ into their in-house training systems. The Singapore Workforce Development Agency also provided Select with grants to further develop its human resources and training programmes. “We now have a more structured programme, and have hired a training manager. We are also starting to track the results of training, to see where we can enhance the courses,” says Mr Tan. To date, Select provides a total of 14 modules, such as work safety and basic hygiene courses, that lead to a full WSQ Certificate in F&B Service. Last year, Select employees underwent more than 50,000 hours of training altogether, and to Mr Tan, the results are tangible. continued on next page
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SELECT GROUP BUY-IN ATTITUDE
At Select, we have inculcated a training mentality from top management to the employees. Everyone adopts a buy-in attitude, and sees that training should be an important part of our day-to-day operations. – Select Group managing director Vincent Tan
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Through mystery shopper exercises that the company conducts, he has seen an improvement of more than 20 per cent in customer satisfaction. He adds that the morale of his staff as a whole is much higher. “There is a greater sense of belonging, especially when they learn more about the company through their colleagues from other departments during training,” says Mr Tan. “With the technical know-how, many of the staff also do well at their work and are
promoted. I think this is a very important part of the journey, to have career progression, and the staff can see that we take care of their training needs.” While some employers might be hesitant about spending resources on training because there is a high chance that their employees may just up and leave, or worse, join a competitor, Mr Tan believes in having a more open mindset. He explains that if he trains 100 people, and out of that, 30 leave to join other F&B organisations, he would have done something good for the industry.
He says: “Hopefully the other F&B operators also share this thinking, and eventually, the industry will be taken to a higher standard. It is not what I lose, but (what) the industry gains.” “Another thing is, if we know how to train them, and don’t know how to retain them, then there is something wrong with our own system. I think as good management, we need a comprehensive system to track our hires, identify their potential and motivate them to take them forward.”
Customers ‘like 58-year-old’s smiley face’ A TRAINING course has helped Madam Png Mui Leng rejoin the workforce more confidently, after a long break. The 58-year-old started as a part-time service staff member at Select Group’s Sheng Kee Dessert. After about a year, she was asked if she would like to join full-time. She attended training, to learn about work safety, hygiene, process payments and how to interact with guests, and received a certificate in food and beverage (F&B) service. “During the course, I learnt to be more tactful when speaking with guests, and how to deal with the situation if the customers would like to return a dish, so I’m definitely able to do my job better,” she recalled, speaking in Mandarin. Madam Png Mui Leng enjoys learning new things and feels that age should not be an obstacle to the learning journey.
Madam Png said she is happiest when the customers enjoy her service, and her work experience has been good so far. “The customers have given me good feedback so far, they say I have a ‘smiley face’.” continued overleaf
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With grounding in basics, crew member now a manager MADAM Mariani Ahmad joined Texas Chicken two years ago as a regular crew member. Her duties involved manning the cashier counter, helping with kitchen preparation, and cooking. She faced many problems which she did not know how to handle, such as dealing with customer complaints, and had to ask her manager for help. So when she was nominated to undergo training, she jumped at the chance. Some of the things she learnt were basic but important in her line of work, such as how to operate certain machines, and how to handle a knife.
Training has also given Madam Mariani Ahmad, a Texas Chicken manager, a sense of belonging to the company.
“There were so many areas that I was not aware of. The dos and don’ts. How do we do service recovery.” “I learnt that there are things I can handle myself but, of course, we always have to inform our manager,” she said. Now, the 47-year-old has been promoted to the position of manager, and she bears in mind the lessons she has learnt about staff, and those she learnt during training. “Communication is very important. At the outlet, we work as a team. It is ‘we’ and not ‘I’.”
When her manager asked if she wanted to be a cashier, Madam Png was hesitant because she did not know how to use a computer. But she was assured that they would teach her slowly, and now she helps out as a cashier in the afternoons when the outlet is less crowded. Madam Png also shares her training knowledge with her colleagues, especially the newer hires who have yet to go for training. She is also a strong proponent of attending courses, and often encourages her colleagues to grab the opportunity should it arise. “From what I understand, many aunties do not want to go for training because they feel that they are already old.” “But the learning journey shouldn’t stop. We should always learn new things and strive for improvement,” she said.
“I try to make sure that everyone is informed about what is happening, so things can run efficiently,” she said. One example of this would be ensuring that every staff member is aware of the promotions that are on offer that day, to avoid confusion when customers inquire about them. The training also gave Madam Mariani greater job satisfaction and a sense of belonging to the company. “In the past, I went to work just for the money and to earn a living.” “But now, it is more than that, I am more committed to the company, and I understand where I am able to contribute better,” she said.
MAGDELEN NG SONGYUAN@SPH.COM.SG
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VII / WILDLIFE RESERVES GROUP Ng Kai Ling talks to Wildlife Reserves Singapore on how it builds a multi-skilled workforce.
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WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
Learning skills can be a walk in the park STAFF members tend to have a pretty good idea about what is best for their organisation so it made perfect sense for Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) to take charge of its own training needs. It became an accredited training provider in 2006, allowing it to provide Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) training and assessments. Chief executive officer Lee Meng Tat said the scheme lets workers build up skills that are applicable to all of its parks – the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and the upcoming River Safari. “We have a group of people who have gone through the training and can deliver a certain level of service to our guests,” said Mr Lee.
WRS’ Mr Lee Meng Tat (above) said the WSQ scheme allows workers to build up skills that are applicable to all its parks – the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and the upcoming River Safari. The company became an accredited training provider in 2006, so it can provide WSQ training and assessments. ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN
Similar standards are upheld in its other departments, including food and beverage (F&B) and operations. WRS has 16 modules in Tourism and F&B under the WSQ framework and will offer retail and landscaping courses next year. Last year, it also started two new training programmes, the Recognition of Prior Learning and Train and Promote.
Employees who did not have prior formal training in areas such as tourism were able to attain WSQ diplomas by undertaking these programmes. Courses such as these help WRS develop a multi-skilled workforce able to work in frontline jobs or backroom positions – a key benefit amid a tight labour market. Human resources director Lim Kai Huat said some employees in its F&B department chose to do a diploma course in tourism to learn things such as budgeting and human resource management. “In this way, we build up a multi-skilled workforce. An F&B manager, after going through the course, can be redeployed to operations,” said Mr Lim. The new courses, which came at a time when WRS was facing difficulties getting new workers for the River Safari, allowed existing employees to be promoted or deployed to form a core team at the new river-themed park. One of them was Mr Abdul Halim, 45, who moved from being the head keeper at Night Safari to assistant curator at River Safari. Mr Lee said Mr Halim, a secondary school continued on next page
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continued from previous page
dropout with 17 years of experience at WRS, was able to make that leap after earning a diploma from the Recognition of Prior Learning programme. With his new skills in planning and human resource management, Mr Halim can be a better mentor to new hires, said Mr Lee. About 50 full-timers have been added to the River Safari team and the company is on the lookout for more. Mr Lee admits it will be a challenge to build up a full team but there is still some time before the attraction opens in the first quarter of next year.
“In terms of labour, like a lot of Singapore companies, we do have an issue. For us, getting them to join is one thing, and for them to stay is another,” said Mr Lee.
Mr Lee said: “In spite of the problems, those who join us really like us. Our job is to make sure that the job continues to be interesting and rewarding for them to remain with us.”
WRS has about 810 staff members. Its attrition rate is about 12.4 per cent, just under the 12.6 per cent across the hospitality industry.
The company takes pride in its team, which has consistently done well in the annual Singapore Experience Awards, organised by the Singapore Tourism Board.
“It’s part and parcel of the business. You can’t help it,” said Mr Lee. “A lot of F&B guys have been trained, (should we) worry about them being taken away?”
Three of its workers made it to the finals of the customer service category this year.
WRS believes in developing its workers to their fullest potential.
Mr Lee recalled when a manager expressed concern that one of their staff could be poached as other companies would now know how good she was. His reply: “Would you rather that she not be nominated?”
Work experience boosted with diploma with 17 years of experience at the zoo, he could not get the job. He said: “To take that position, you need at least a diploma.” Mr Halim then decided to enrol in the Recognition of Prior Learning programme, where credits were given for work experience. Having left school more than 30 years ago, Mr Halim worried about struggling with the coursework. Instead, he managed quite well. Of the 14 units needed to complete the diploma, he was exempted for five because of his prior work experience while the other units required hands-on learning, where he did well. The course taught him human resource management skills such as hiring and training people. Mr Abdul Halim was promoted to assistant curator at the River Safari earlier this year, after completing a diploma course which gave him credits for his work experience. The course also taught him human resource and computer skills.
HE HAD years of experience under his belt but zoo worker Abdul Halim realised his career would go no further unless he hit the books. After dropping out of secondary school, Mr Halim worked as a mechanic before joining the zoo as a junior keeper in 1995, despite having no experience working with animals. He slowly worked his way up to head keeper at the Night Safari in 2008. “Basically, I had to learn everything on the job,” said Mr Halim, 45. Last year, the position of assistant curator at the River Safari became available but even
He also picked up computer skills, needed for drawing up budgets and writing reports. After he completed his diploma, Mr Halim was promoted to assistant curator at the River Safari earlier this year. Among his tasks is to prepare for the park’s opening early next year. One of his main responsibilities is to look after pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia and help train new employees. Asked if he could have risen to this position without a diploma, Mr Halim said: “No, experience counts but you need the paper to show that you are qualified.”
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Her tourism course benefits others too
Ms Julia Chow showing visitors at the Singapore Zoo an ostrich egg. While she enjoyed showing visitors around the zoo, she found herself struggling with the paperwork that came with the job until her course equipped her for it.
WRESTLING with paperwork is not something you would expect when taking on a job as a guide in the Singapore Zoo. While a love for animals and enjoying interacting with strangers are key requirements, Ms Julia Chow found herself struggling with the document shuffling that came with the job. While she enjoyed showing visitors around the zoo and handling animals, the 30-yearold was not a big fan of drawing up budget reports. “It was tedious. I did not like doing math and accounting.” Without any formal training in tourism, she had worked her way up the ranks in the zoo after leaving her desk job as a corporate support officer to join as a part-time guide in 2009.
To do her job better, she took a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Diploma course in tourism. The one-year course taught her management skills, public speaking techniques and accounting principles. “I also learnt how to do the accounts on Excel. Now I can hand in my reports on time.” The course also benefitted the part-time guides working under Ms Chow. Previously, new staff were left to study on their own before they were given tests. But there was no proper training plan and the new employees took up to 2½ months to learn the ropes. After the course, Ms Chow drew up a structured plan that set out clear targets on what they should learn for each tests. “Now, they usually pass the tests within two months.”
By 2010, she was doing so well that the company hired her full time and put her in charge of all the tours. This meant that as well as conducting tours, she also had to plan the itineraries, train and manage the employees under her and work on budgets.
ng kai ling kailing@sph.com.sg
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VIII / MARINA BAY SANDS In the last instalment of the series, Jessica Lim talks to George Tanasijevich, CEO of Marina Bay Sands. The IR has been offering WSQ courses since 2009 and is adding variety to training.
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MARINA BAY SANDS
CEO George Tanasijevich said Marina Bay Sands is well on its way to establishing itself as an employer of choice. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
MBS’s secret to retaining staff: right training
SOME employers in competitive industries think that training staff is a waste of time. The oft-heard refrain: Train them, they get good, then they leave. But Marina Bay Sands (MBS) chief executive officer George Tanasijevich dismisses this notion. Admitting that there is some movement within the industry, he argues that training has helped the integrated resort retain staff. “The way that we look at it, if we do our job right and we provide the right environment, the right training, the right leadership, then people will stay,” he said. “We think we are well on our way to establishing Marina Bay Sands as an employer of choice.” People, he said, want to see the way forward. “They want to succeed in what they are doing and if you can show them the path and give them the tools, then they recognise that a place like Marina Bay Sands is a career, not just a pit-stop,” he said, adding that training helps achieve this. The integrated resort became an in-house approved training organisation for Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programmes in 2009.
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This means that MBS is accredited by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to provide in-house WSQ training and assessments to its staff. Employees who complete WSQ modules receive nationally recognised statements of attainment. A string of such statements in the Food & Beverage category, for instance, could lead to a full F&B WSQ certificate. The WDA also helps to fund the cost of the training programmes it offers, as well as the cost of developing WSQ modules. MBS currently offers about 80 WSQ modules, ranging from those teaching croupiers how blackjack is played, to basic food hygiene requirements. It is mandatory for the integrated resort’s more than 9,000 full-time staff to go through at least one WSQ module. On top of this, MBS currently also offers about 40 in-house training programmes. Staff can also apply for external courses that range from day-long sessions to entire degree programmes. Training modules are often tweaked and improved based on feedback.
Mr Tanasijevich, who was appointed MBS general manager and vice-president of Singapore development in 2005, has regular roundtable discussions with staff over breakfast or lunch to “get the true story”.
The series, aired internally, will screen its last episode next month. MBS employees auditioned for a spot on the show to role-play positions such as a butler and a sampan boat rower at The Shoppes.
“We sit at our desks and try to imagine what it’s like to be in their position and anticipate the issues they face... It’s more theory than practice,” he said. “They will give us feedback on what’s working and what’s not working, how they faced challenges and whether they felt they had the appropriate skills themselves or resources to draw on.”
Three people were chosen for each episode and pitted against each other to see who provided the best service. They had to face challenges such as someone acting as a difficult customer.
All this seems to be working.
Winners, judged by supervisors in various departments, were chosen depending on whether they followed protocol and displayed initiative.
MBS’ internal quality index (QI) score for nongaming operations, a measure of customer satisfaction, stood at 69.3 in November 2010. The score rose to 83.6 last month. QI scores are derived from customer surveys.
Six winners went though a week of companywide voting and three finalists were chosen for the final episode. The overall winner was selected by a panel of judges, using marking criteria under the WSQ framework.
Its hotel has also moved up the ranks on TripAdvisor, a website that carries customer reviews of hotels and tourist attractions. Last month, it was ranked 39 out of more than 260 hotels, up from 83 in March last year.
This way, said Mr Tanasijevich, “we are able to capture the interest of our team members and share important information in a very creative way”.
The company is moving towards adding variety to its training programmes. Earlier this year, MBS worked with WDA to film its own 10-episode reality TV show.
Results, he added, show that there was higher retainment of information compared to more traditional classroom teaching methods. He said: “In a sense, the success of this series signals a new and exciting start for the future of our training initiatives.”
Passing on her training to colleagues ADDING an extra-special touch to service takes different forms at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (MBS), ranging from helping visitors charge their cellphones for free to loaning out brollies on rainy days to making restaurant reservations. The mall’s 33 guest service agents even conduct personalised shopping tours. “It’s quite a big mall. Such requests are rare and it’s a chance for us to go that extra mile for guests,” said Ms Vany Ramakrishnan, 36, who oversees the concierge counters and trains the agents. Senior executives at the integrated resort came up with the service ideas with the help of her team members, while the motivation, she said, came from the training she received.
Ms Ramakrishnan has attended three WSQ modules plus about 10 in-house courses, which have helped her bag three promotions and a 40 per cent pay rise since she joined Marina Bay Sands in January 2010. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
She started at MBS as an executive and has attended three Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) modules plus about 10 in-house courses.
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WSQ course helped bar captain mix with guests MARINA Bay Sands (MBS) poolside bar captain Muhamad Fazly remembers being overwhelmed with nervousness on his first day at work. The 23-year-old started in December 2010 as a bartender – just nine months after the integrated resort opened in April. “Everyone was talking about MBS. I was excited, but also nervous,” said the N-level holder. “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to meet the high service standards required.” To get ahead, he spent several nights memorising 12 cocktail recipes – all signature MBS concoctions. He soon mastered the art of bartending, but still found it difficult to interact with guests. “I was just so nervous I didn’t know what to say to them,” he said.
Under his WSQ module, Mr Fazly learnt how to serve wih his right hand, how to check the expiry dates on drinks and garnish, and even how guests from different countries pronounce certain words. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
He recalled a tense moment when a Japanese tourist asked for a juice. He could not make out what the customer wanted and served him a beer instead. Things improved after training. The first module he took under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications system – a basic food and beverage course – threw him into the deep end. “The trainers made us role-play and we even learnt how guests from different countries pronounced words,” he said.
“I realised that many of the courses taught me to go the extra mile,” said Ms Ramakrishnan, who trains 10 to 15 agents a month on a series of tasks, from phone etiquette to how to read a map. “I figured it would be good to put what I learnt into action.” The training sessions – which taught her how to handle disruptive trainees, among other skills – have also helped her bag three promotions and a 40 per cent pay rise since she joined the firm in January 2010.
Lessons he learnt ranged from subtle ones like making sure to serve with his right hand, to more salient ones like checking the expiry dates on drinks and garnish. But more importantly, the training broke down the wall between him and the people he served.
Last month, she completed an Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment under the WSQ framework.
He was promoted to bar captain in January this year and, together with two other captains, manages 30 staff members. The second of four children is now aiming to be promoted to assistant manager.
This makes Ms Ramakrishnan, a business and marketing graduate from the University of Portsmouth in Britain, a certified trainer, able to teach WSQ modules to colleagues who can go on to receive statements of attainment.
He is loyal to MBS because he is treated well. “They send us for training and invest in us. When it gets too sunny, they give us sunblock and caps.”
MBS has 30 such trainers. “It’s fun for me to pass on my experience to my colleagues. I also feel like I’m contributing to the company and giving back what I learnt,” she said. JESSICA LIM LIMJESS@SPH.COM.SG
CET CENTRES Find out how the Tourism and Food and Beverage (F&B) Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) frameworks could also benefit your organisation in achieving workforce excellence. Visit any of our Tourism or F&B Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centres listed here to enhance the skills and expand the knowledge of your workforce today.
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Tourism WSQ Leaders in Perspective
Ascott Centre for Excellence (ACE)
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy
Box Hill Institute Singapore Pte Ltd
Address: 2 Anthony Road Singapore 229956 Tel: 6500 3333 Email: support.ace@the-ascott.com Website: http://www.ascott-ace.com
Address: 28 Tai Seng Street Lift Lobby 2, Level 5, Singapore 534106 Tel: 6416 6688 Email: academy@at-sunrice.com Website: http://www.at-sunrice.com
Address: Finexis Building Level 10, 108 Robinson Road Singapore 068900 Tel: 6227 7606 Email: info.bhis@boxhill.edu.au Website: http://www.boxhill.sg
Eduquest International Institute Pte Ltd
iFi Academy Pte Ltd
Project Dignity Pte Ltd
Address: 15 Enggor Street, #09-02 Realty Centre, Singapore 079716 Tel: 6534 9337 Email: enquiry@ifiacademy.com Website: http://www.ifiacademy.com
Address: 1 Kaki Bukit View, Techview #01-01, Singapore 415941 Tel: 8189 7678 Email: enquiry@projectdignity.sg Website: http://projectdignity.sg
Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS)
William Angliss Institute (WAI)
Address: 1, Sophia Road, Peace Centre, #07-13, Singapore 228149 Tel: 6338 7151 Email: info@eduquest.com.sg Website: http://www.eduquest.com.sg
SHATEC Institutes Pte Ltd Main Campus Address: 21 Bukit Batok Street Street 22, Singapore 659589 Tel: 6415 3588 SHATEC City Training Address: 37 & 39 Middle Road #06-00, UWEEI Building, Singapore 188946 Tel: 6338 0320 Email: ptcourses@shatec.sg Website: http://www.shatec.sg
Address: 190 Clemenceau Avenue #06-21/26 Singapore Shopping Centre Singapore 239924 Tel: 6238 8688 Email: info@tmis.edu.sg Website: http://www.tmis.edu.sg
Address: 101 Thomson Road #06-01/06 United Square Singapore 307591 Tel: 6637 9855 Email: info@angliss.edu.sg Website: http://www.angliss.edu.sg
1 Marina Boulevard #16-01 One Marina Boulevard Singapore 018989 www.wda.gov.sg www.facebook.com/WDASingapore Printed in February 2013