Sands China Team Members Earn One-Year Diplomas from University of Macau
5th and 6th intake of students complete tailor-made diploma programme in business management
(Macao, Mar. 25, 2021) – The University of Macau
has awarded diplomas to 46 Sands China team members,
after they completed the University of Macau's one-year
Diploma in Business Management. They are the fifth
(class of 2019) and sixth intake (class of 2020) of team
members to complete the custom-built
programme.
The team
members received their diplomas Wednesday at a
graduation ceremony at the university. They represent a
diverse group of gaming and non-gaming departments at
Sands China, such as table games, facilities,
housekeeping and
others.
The diploma
programme was specially designed to be practical and
adaptable, and was tailor-made to be relevant for Sands
China team members. As a bridge between secondary
education and a bachelor's degree, the programme
supports both team members' career advancement and
academic pursuits. The programme structure is adjusted
each year based on the observations of the university
and a study of previous cohorts of team members.
Coursework is also regularly updated to match the
company's real-life business
situations.
"Our team
members have earned our congratulations on their
well-deserved success, as they have showed real
perseverance in their studies despite the additional
difficulties posed by the pandemic," said Wen Hongyan,
senior vice president of human resources for Sands China
Ltd. "The more than 200 team members who have completed
the one-year diploma programme since 2014 work in
various fields, and 120 of them are long-serving team
members who have worked for the company for more than 10
years. We are very pleased to be able to offer a diverse
learning experience to team members across all fields,
as we continuously improve our human capital strategy –
in line with the direction set by the Macao SAR
government to make essential contributions to Macao's
development as a world centre of tourism and leisure.
Our gratitude goes to the University of Macau for their
continued partnership with us for the development of
local talent in the integrated resort
industry."
Sands China
was the first company to work with the University of
Macau to develop a one-year diploma programme, launching
it in the 2014/15 academic year with the university's
Centre for Continuing
Education.
Programme
participants must complete eight courses to graduate,
totalling more than 288 hours of coursework. Sands China
supports their participation by sponsoring MOP 12,000 of
each student's course fees (equivalent to 55 per cent),
and by adjusting team members' work shifts around their
class
schedules.
One of
Wednesday's graduates, concierge manager Elimar Regala
Deopante, spoke at the ceremony and said: "We were
fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to further
our studies with the support of Sands China, in order to
develop our careers. It was a huge challenge for
everyone, as while we were indeed given this wonderful
opportunity to study, we were also working in the
interim. Luckily enough, we were also able to receive
ample support from our respective departments regarding
our schedules. Without this support, it would most
likely be difficult for everyone to juggle work, studies
and home
life."
Sands China is
committed to developing a well-trained workforce, and
offers a variety of horizontal and vertical mobility
opportunities to its team members – including through
internal promotions and integrated resort career
development programmes – with the aim of contributing to
Macao's growth as a world centre of tourism and
leisure.
Photo caption: Sands China team members attend a
graduation ceremony Wednesday at the University of Macau, after
completing the university's one-year Diploma in Business
Management – a customised programme created specifically for
Sands China team members.