Skillsfuture's First Sectoral Manpower Plan (SMP) Unveiled

09/10/2015

Skillsfuture's First Sectoral Manpower Plan (SMP) Unveiled

Hotel Sectoral Manpower Plan to build a skilled and future-ready workforce

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) unveiled today a Sectoral Manpower Plan (SMP) to develop a skilled and productive workforce that is ready to support Singapore’s growing hotel industry. This is the first SMP to be launched under SkillsFuture.

SMPs are an integral part of SkillsFuture and aim to identify the future skills, development and career progression pathways and initiatives needed to prepare core groups of Singaporeans for the future.

SMP for Hotel Industry: A five-year plan to build a sustainable workforce

As the hotel industry in Singapore continues to grow, it is expected to face increasing challenges such as slower workforce growth, and mismatched aspirations between job seekers and hotel jobs. The Hotel SMP is thus formulated to better attract and retain Singaporeans for the industry, groom talent to take on leadership roles, improve job quality, and identify emerging skills needs to build a future-ready workforce.

The Hotel SMP is an initiative by STB and WDA, supported by partners - the Singapore Hotel Association, and the key unions (Food, Drinks & Allied Workers Union and Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union). It is also the result of validation by the hotel industry, and the Hotel Industry Expert Panel on productivity, which consists of key industry players and thought leaders. To drive SkillsFuture objectives and oversee implementation of Hotel SMP strategies, a Sectoral Tripartite Committee comprising senior representatives from government agencies, union, industry association and hotels has been formed.

“As part of STB’s ongoing journey towards Quality Tourism, we are ramping up our efforts in working with the tourism industry to raise capabilities so as to better deliver a differentiated experience to Singapore’s visitors. In this regard, the Hotel SMP is a critical blueprint to attract and retain Singapore talent, as well as develop a skilled workforce to support the industry’s growth,” said Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board.

WDA’s Chief Executive, Mr Ng Cher Pong said, “With the Hotel SMP, we have mapped out the exciting career progression pathways for individuals who are keen to enter the hotel industry. The SMP identifies emerging skills required in this industry and outlines how individuals will be supported in their quest to acquire deep skills. WDA will be working closely with STB, employers, unions and the industry associations to jointly implement this plan. Under SkillsFuture, this is the first SMP to be launched, and we believe that it will help to transform the hotel industry and enable it to be future-ready.”

Preparing the workforce through relevant initiatives

1. Enhanced Internships
   To better support ITE and polytechnic students with structured learning at the workplace, the educational institutions will work closely with hotels to enhance the internship experience of these prospective talents. As Sector Coordinator for hotel operations and management, Republic Polytechnic will work closely with the other polytechnics and ITE to enhance the current internship model with the objective of delivering a positive and meaningful internship experience for their students to better connect their learning to the workplace. Some features include:

• Baseline allowance of $600 a month

• Structured training plan with clear learning outcome

• Assigned mentors to provide guidance to interns

• Rotation of at least two departments per internship period

1. SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme
   The SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme is a work-study programme that will provide fresh hospitality graduates from ITE and the polytechnics with a head-start in their careers and help them build on the skills and knowledge acquired at school upon graduation. As the appointed Programme Manager for the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme for the hotel industry, Republic Polytechnic, together with WDA and STB, will collaborate with the other polytechnics, ITE and hotels to roll out the first SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme in 2016 for polytechnic graduates - the Specialist Diploma in Hospitality Business Management. ITE graduates will be able to participate in the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme for the hotel industry in 2016/2017.

2. SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative
   The SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative aims to groom the next generation of leaders by supporting aspiring Singaporeans to develop capabilities needed for leadership roles. Potential leaders will benefit from holistic development opportunities in areas of business management, local and global exposure to core business functions, coupled with soft skills development. To support Human Resources (HR) function as a critical enabler of leadership development, hotels will also be equipped with HR capabilities to better manage and develop their pipeline of future leaders. This will be done through customised HR training of best practices and development of HR systems.

3. SkillsFuture Study Awards
   The SkillsFuture Study Awards for the hotel industry will support individuals, especially those in the early to mid-stages of their careers, to develop and deepen their specialist skills to be more relevant and future-ready. Recipients of the SkillsFuture Study Awards will receive a monetary award of up to $5,000 for work-related education and training.

4. Galvanising Interest in Hotel Careers
   Finally, in order to position the hotel industry as an attractive career choice, a holistic and inclusive careers strategy will be developed and implemented in partnership with the industry and unions.

   • Hotels need to adopt progressive HR practices to attract and retain the right talent. This must be supported by a sustained communication strategy to better communicate the fulfilment one can gain from a hotel career, the benefits, rewards and prospects of a hotel career, as well as the opportunities available for skills mastery.

   • The Singapore Skills Framework for the hotel industry will be developed and rolled out by the first half of 2016. This framework will provide information on the industry’s sector and employment outlook, career progression pathways, occupations and skills descriptions, as well as programmes available for skills training to benefit individuals to make more informed career choices. As part of this framework, a career progression pathway has been developed to provide individuals with an overview of the diversity of job opportunities in the hotel industry.

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