Over 1,300 tourism-related jobs on offer and new Place-and-Train programme launched in Singapore

The biggest pavilion to offer careers in tourism, retail and food & beverage to Singaporeans under a single roof will open at Career 2006 from 2 to 5 March 2006 at Suntec City, Level 6. 

Presented by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and SPRING Singapore (SPRING), and supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), the involvement of three government agencies reflects the importance of tourism-related sectors and the need to attract quality manpower to support the sectors’ growth.

Called “Exciting Opportunities in Leisure Tourism, MICE, Retail and F&B”, the pavilion will showcase career, education and training opportunities across seven tourism-related sectors including hotel, travel, MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions), attractions, spa, retail and F&B.

“The STB has set targets to achieve Sin$30 billion tourism receipts, 17 million visitor arrivals and create an additional 100,000 tourism-related jobs by 2015. To achieve this, it is timely to build up a competent and able tourism workforce,” said Mr James Tan, STB’s Director of Resource Development. “Tourism jobs offer a dynamic and rewarding career, and the right skills and attitude are needed to excel in these jobs. Through Career 2006, we hope to attract young people with a passion for the service industry to join the tourism industry.”

More than 1,300 job opportunities will be available, including positions such as visual merchandisers, retail supervisors, chefs, restaurant managers, visitor services managers, guest services representatives, room attendants, tour consultants, ticketing officers, conference producers, event planners and operations managers.

Launched at the fair is WDA’s first Place-and-Train programme for the spa and wellness sector. The sector has been hitting double-digit growth, and is projected to create 200 jobs in the next two years. Job-seekers in pursuit of careers as Facial Therapist, Massage Therapist or Spa Therapist can sign up for the programme to get their feet into the sector. They will be employed by a spa company before being sent for formal training, jointly-funded by WDA and the company.

“WDA drives workforce development in Singapore. We want job opportunities in the tourism sector to go to Singaporeans and will help them build long-term careers in the sector,” said Ms Teo Sio Hoon, WDA’s Director for Tourism. “Our Place-and-Train programme in the spa & wellness sector, for instance, give local workers a headstart as they get certifiable skills training that helps them perform better and faster at their jobs. Because the focus is on skills and competencies rather than academic education, many more Singaporeans can benefit. Place and Train programmes are also available in the hotel and F&B industries.”

SPRING Singapore who is participating for the first time at this event, is focusing on two key sectors – F&B and Retail. Ms Choy Sauw Kook, SPRING’s Director of the Enterprise Competencies and Resources Division, said, “The two sectors together employ over 140,000 workers and generate about 10,000 jobs every year. There are many exciting career options here for people who have the flair and passion for service.”

The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the STB will also be launching scholarships worth a total of Sin$350,000 for NTU’s new Bachelor in Business (Tourism and Hospitality Management) undergraduate programme. This new programme aims to groom talent to meet the challenges of the dynamic local tourism and hospitality sector.

“With increased opportunities in the tourism industry, pre-employment education and training is also key to ensure that people joining the sector are equipped with the right skills. The recent launch of new tourism courses by both local and overseas education institutions, particularly at the tertiary level, has helped to ensure the availability of a spectrum of tourism courses in Singapore,” added STB’s Mr. Tan.

With the tagline, “Your Experience is our Business”, the exhibition hopes to ignite or grow the visitors’ passion for the tourism, hospitality and lifestyle industry, by providing visitors the opportunity to experience and understand the various jobs. The tagline also reflects the importance of positive experiences that are attached to the industry, where each individual customer’s experience counts.

Over the four-day fair, visitors to the pavilion can expect highlights such as daily talks and seminars, skills demonstrations, skits, games and lucky draws with attractive prizes. Industry associations, training providers and tourism companies would also be present to provide free career and education counseling to visitors. Visitors can also engage in close-up sharing session with various successful professionals such as Chefs Ken Poon and Kent Ling from Tung Lok’s famed restaurants, My Humble House and Club Chinois and Singapore’s very own Daniel Tay from Bakerzin.

Key exhibitors at the pavilion include industry associations such as Singapore Hotel Association, Association of Singapore Attractions, Spa Association, Singapore Retailers Association, and Restaurant Association of Singapore. Other exhibitors include educational institutions like Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management, Singapore Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Institute of Technical Education, Singapore International Hotel and Tourism College and the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore.

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