Sands China launches new training program

Sands China’s first batch of graduates from its Professionalism Training for Gaming Practitioners program was honored yesterday at The Venetian Macao in a ceremony that also saw the inauguration of its next cohort of students.

Co-organized by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM), the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and Sands China Ltd., the training program was launched last July. It is the first of its kind in Macau for gaming employees.

The coursework in last year’s program focused primarily on the competencies of occupational professionalism, and was exclusively for dealers. Six hundred dealers participated in the first program, attending 14 hours of training over two full days at Sands Macao.

This year’s course began on June 5. Coursework has been expanded to cover an overview of the gaming industry, civic education, occupational professionalism and responsible gaming. The 2017 cohort comprises gaming practitioners from departments such as table games, slots, cage, international marketing, business development, loyalty marketing and security.

New materials in this year’s course include an introduction to the current development of the country, the Belt and Road initiative, Macau’s development path, and the impact of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Macau’s gaming and tourism industry.

Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd, said: “We’ve made a commitment to have 3,000 of our team members trained in two years, and we aim to have half of our total gaming workforce trained in five years. This training program is beneficial to both the company and to our team members, as it raises their professionalism and knowledge, and contributes towards Macau’s growth as a world center of tourism and leisure.”

Nevern, one of the first program’s graduates who has worked at Sands China for four years, said that the most important lesson he learned was how to “relieve pressure and adjust himself to his own mood.

He added that the program opened his eyes to the necessity of good interpersonal communications with colleagues, and improved his knowledge of both general and Macau-specific gaming history. 

Another graduate, Min, said that the training improved her emotional well-being by helping her relax after work and deal better with her family. JZ