Sands China Ltd. Wins Gold in Youth Empowerment Initiative Category at PATA Gold Awards 2022
Nurturing future talent in the tourism industry through innovative program
(Macao,
Oct. 7, 2022) – Sands China Ltd. has been
honoured by the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2022 as winner
of the Youth Empowerment Initiative category at
PATA's virtual awards ceremony Friday. The award
recognises Sands China's City of Gourmet – Youth
Development and Integration
Program.
Launched in
1984, the PATA Gold Awards aims to recognise exceptional
and innovative tourism initiatives in the Asia Pacific
region and beyond and has become one of the most
sought-after awards in the industry. The Macao
Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has been its official
sponsor since 1995 as a contribution to help foster a
sustainable tourism industry in the
region.
Wen Hongyan,
senior vice president of human resources for Sands China
Ltd., said: "Sands China is honoured that PATA has
recognised our City of Gourmet – Youth Development and
Integration Program. With our wide array of restaurants
and chefs, Sands China is in an ideal position to
utilise our resources to nurture skills-based human
resource talent and to broaden the career horizons of
youth in Macao. As we facilitate the advancement of
local youth's food and beverage careers through this
program, we hope to also support the sustainable
development of the industry – while helping drive
Macao's economic growth in order to strengthen Macao's
positioning as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy,
World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, and Tourism
Training Hub for the Greater Bay
Area."
Sands China is
dedicated to the development of local youth, in line
with the Macao government's policy of "building Macao
with talent." The City of Gourmet – Youth Development
and Integration Program is part of the company's broader
youth empowerment initiative, the Youth Development and
Integration Program. Among its innovative series of
programs, more than 20 are designed to develop young
talent in the food and beverage industry during three
career stages: Before Employment, Onboarding, and After
Employment.
Tutors of
Sands China's various programs include industry experts
– like the "Godfather of Huaiyang Cuisine" Zhou Xiaoyan
and Sichuan master chef Lan Minglu – who aim to guide
and inspire the young generation by offering them master
chef classes. These programs also aim to equip them with
valuable skills for thriving in the industry through its
practicum at Michelin-starred and Black Pearl
restaurants.
One of those
is the All-round Food & Beverage Management Program,
which was jointly launched by Sands China and the Macao
Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) in 2019 to attract young
locals who are passionate about careers in F&B
management. Over the course of 12-24 months,
participants complete a practicum at Michelin-starred,
Black Pearl or other restaurants and obtain
international certifications and qualifications with
Sands China's full support. Upon completion of the
program, qualified young locals are promoted to
restaurant assistant managers. 200 young locals have
applied to date; 19 were qualified to join the program
and seven of them have now become assistant managers at
Sands China's
restaurants.
Carolina Lou
is one of them, and she said: "I was attracted to join
this program because of the horizontal career
development opportunities and the opportunity to obtain
international certifications in the F&B industry. I
started my journey as service attendant at a Chinese
restaurant, then Sales and Banquet, where I was able to
learn about handling an entire event. After that I
rotated to a Western restaurant where I was introduced
to Western dining and wine knowledge. In less than two
years I have rotated through Chinese, Western, and
Japanese restaurants, as well as the Catering Sales and
Marketing department. I've obtained many international
certifications, including in wine, coffee, customer
service, and food safety. It has been an eye opening and
fruitful experience. After beginning as a management
trainee, I am now the assistant manager of Hiro, a
Japanese restaurant at The Venetian Macao. And Sands
China's investment in us hasn't stopped there; I was
recently invited to join another management program
focusing on the F&B
area."
Sands China's
dynamic hospitality talent development programs include
collaborations with higher education institutes such as
the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM), which
features full sponsorships for participants to obtain
related certificates and opportunities for them to
obtain management positions in the
industry.
Apart from
offering practical training programs, Sands China also
fully supports and encourages its team members to attend
both international and regional vocational skills
competitions to broaden their horizons, and some have
achieved remarkable results. In 2021, Sands China pastry
sous chef Jacky Lung won the championship in the 8th
Cacao Barry World Chocolate Masters – Greater China
selection and will compete in the world final in France
this month on behalf of China. Sands China tea master
Sisera Ren also won the 2021 championship in the 8th
Ming Xing Tea Specialists National Final Competition in
mainland
China.
The 2022 PATA
Gold Awards attracted a total of 136 entries from 56
travel and tourism organisations and individuals
worldwide. An international judging committee selected
25 Gold Award winners in two broad categories,
Marketing, and Sustainability and Social
Responsibility.