LOCAL TALENT DEVELOPMENT | 36,000 Melco FAP experiences prepare colleagues for non-gaming career possibilities

As one of Macau’s largest employers, Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s colleagues form its most valued and important asset. As part of the Company’s Whole Person Development strategy for talent development, it supports colleagues with a multitude of training and talent nurturing opportunities for professional and personal growth. The strategy promotes lifelong learning– encouraging colleagues to acquire new technical and career skills while working, to continue developing a breadth of knowledge for well-rounded advancement and the building of successful career paths.
A key program of the Whole Person Development strategy is Melco’s signature Foundation Acceleration Program (FAP). Launched in 2015, the unique system was created with the vision that training and development for colleagues should extend beyond classroom training and that service excellence requires a broad spectrum of exposure.
FAP offers short and long-term cross-functional placements and assignments to fine-tune Melco colleagues’ business acumen and provide opportunities to see the world from multiple perspectives. A variety of assignments offer exposure beyond one’s specialty, both in terms of knowledge and experience, and plays a key role in enhancing employee confidence— broadening their skill set and enabling engagement with persons from all walks of life.
Lengthier FAP placements include Table Games’ Dealers working for six months in Hotel Operations, or Hotel Front Office Managers spending one year on rotation through various departmental and cross-functional roles ranging from the Contact Center, Reservations, Revenue Management, F&B, to Marketing and Public Relations. Shorter placements may include Human Resources professionals spending a day in the business units they normally support, or specific assignments to enhance proficiency in skills such as public speaking.
As of mid-January, a cumulative total of over 36,000 FAP experiences have been offered to Melco colleagues; 95% of whom are from Table Games.
Ms. Adelina Lok from City of Dreams’ Table Games and who joined Melco’s Gaming Training department for FAP, said, “I am really appreciate of the opportunity to join FAP’s Gaming Training department. FAP has allowed me to improve skills in word processing, computer applications, presentations and course planning. In addition, during the FAP program, I had the opportunity to liaise with the Labor Affairs Bureau, the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, Gaming Employees Home and other local organizations to broaden my horizons and gain enhanced knowledge on responsible gaming. I hope to participate in more FAP opportunities in the future.”
Mr. Lam Un, also from City of Dreams’ Table Games, took the opportunity to join FAP under Melco’s Property Services department. He said, “I worked as a decorator before I joined Melco, and the FAP allowed me to play fully to my strengths. During the program, apart from taking care of daily maintenance requests, I also needed to do on-property repairs and painting work. I have also learnt newer and more advanced maintenance skills. It’s been great to cooperate with colleagues from the Property Services team, and I hope to have the opportunity to join the marketing department FAP in the future.”
Ms. LG Chu of Studio City Table Games, said, “I have participated in the Housekeeping FAP for almost seven months now. I first joined to organize guest rooms and am now acting as supervisor. The process has been memorable and thoroughly enjoyable. I would like to thank all the supervisors and colleagues of the department for their tolerance and care, so that I can continue to learn and improve all aspects of knowledge during the FAP, in areas as broad as room hygiene management, communication skills, management skills, etc. I really hope my FAP can be further extended so that I can continue to acquire more knowledge.”
Another recent FAP enrollee from Altira Table Games, Ms. Fong Sut Ieng, said, “FAP provided me with a great opportunity to better understand the operations of the Wardrobe department. I’ve learnt that Wardrobe colleagues are faced with a super busy work environment and that the role requires empathy while working with colleagues. I’m glad to be applying some of the skills that I’ve learnt from Laundry and Wardrobe back at home– such as how to take better care of my family’s laundry.”
Ms. Akiko Takahashi, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff to Chairman & CEO, said, “Melco believes that the future of Macau is about local talent being prepared for a multitude of jobs and opportunities. This requires a proactive, aggressive and systematic process to enable our colleagues to learn not only their jobs, but other functions also. This philosophy is enabled as a culture because the top leadership at Melco is invested and committed to the development of local talent. We will continue to develop the Company’s lifelong learning philosophy through Whole Person Development via the in-house Learning Academy, including Melco YOU-niversity and Back-to-School programs.”