Sands Procurement Academy Welcomes 12th Cohort of Local SME Suppliers

Sands China's free training programme remains in demand

(Macao, Oct. 20, 2022) – Sands China Ltd. inaugurated its 12th cohort of local SME suppliers into the Sands Procurement Academy Wednesday, at a ceremony at The Venetian^® Macao's Adelson Advanced Education Centre.

The Sands Procurement Academy is a complimentary local SME training programme co-organised with the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre (CPTTM). The first-of-its-kind industry training is focused on sharing practical business knowledge with local SMEs and helping them gain skills to help promote the development of their businesses.

The academy is open to all Macao SMEs, while specifically targeting four types of local suppliers: small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro-enterprises, Macao young entrepreneurs, and "Made-in-Macao" enterprises. After graduating, suppliers earn a completion certificate and receive preference for procurement opportunities with Sands China under otherwise equal circumstances.

The Sands Procurement Academy has delivered more than 7,000 training hours since the programme was launched in 2017. Including the new cohort, more than 450 suppliers have enrolled in the academy, and 380 of them have already graduated.

Charlie Cai, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Venetian Macau Limited, said: "We are proud of the continued success of the Sands Procurement Academy. It is the longest-running training programme of its kind with the largest number of participants – offered by an integrated resort operator to local SMEs. Most encouragingly, the academy's graduates consistently give us positive feedback about how the training we provide has benefited their businesses. This motivates us to keep improving ourselves as we strive to provide the most up-to-date and useful information to programme participants. We are grateful to the Macao Chamber of Commerce and CPTTM for their support and collaboration, and hope the 12th intake of suppliers benefits from the academy's training."

Local SME suppliers in the academy learn through tailor-made practical training modules presented by lecturers with diverse areas of expertise. The modules cover six topics: logistics management, quality assurance, procurement contract basics, procurement process and system overview, supplier code of conduct, and Macao labour law fundamentals.

The Sands Procurement Academy seeks to continually increase and strengthen procurement between Sands China and local SME suppliers by enhancing their capabilities – in support of the third pillar of Sands China's F.I.T. programme. F.I.T. offers Financial Support, Invitational Matching, and Training and Development, and targets both existing and new local Sands China suppliers as part of Sands China's Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme.

Co-launched in 2015 with the Macao Chamber of Commerce, Sands China's Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme aligns with the Macao government's initiative to "buy local" and demonstrates Sands China's commitment to supporting local enterprises as part of the company's corporate social responsibility efforts. It is part of Sands China's supplier relationship management strategy, which guides the company's long-standing effort to support local suppliers, whom it views as its strategic partners.