Shangri-La Academy to open to the Public in August 2005

Shangri-La Academy, the centralised employee training centre of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, is to offer public enrolment starting August 2005.

Learners, at the Beijing-based Academy, will undergo 12 weeks of classroom training in culinary arts, food and beverage service, front office organisation or housekeeping operations. This will be followed by 24 weeks on-the-job training at Shangri-La hotels in China, Singapore, and as far afield as Dubai. Sixty public students are expected to join in August and another sixty in October.

"Opening the Academy to the public mirrors Shangri-La's strong commitment to China and its hospitality industry," says Giovanni Angelini, Shangri-La's managing director and chief executive officer.

The public programmes are designed to train potential hospitality professionals at the foundation level and offer a structured career path, in order to attract young learners, particularly fresh school leavers. It is anticipated that 500 public students will be trained by 2008.

Shangri-La's China expansion from the existing 19 hotels to at least 32 by 2007, requires its current China workforce to increase by nearly 9,000 employees, of which 20% will be at managerial levels. Opened in December 2004, the goal of the Academy is to speed and intensify employee development in pace with the group's rapid China growth. In nearly seven months, the Academy has trained 565 employees coming from the group's various properties, particularly the mainland China Shangri-La and Traders hotels.

"The Academy is one of the most important and effective channels to train and groom future Shangri-La managers," added Mr. Angelini. "We believe the best way to inculcate Shangri-La's unique culture and hospitality is through training. The Academy creates opportunities for potential employees to join us, grow with us and one day become pillars of strength of the company."

The costs of the public programme for each learner range from US$870 to US$2,510.

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