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NTUC’s affiliated union, Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Marina Bay Sands to set up a Company Training Committee (CTC) today that will benefit all employees of Marina Bay Sands. With the CTC, AREU and Marina Bay Sands will jointly identify areas to collaborate in areas such as improving employees’ digital literacy to handle new technologies that will be implemented at the workplace.
AREU will also work closely with Marina Bay Sands to leverage technology in the redesign of jobs or work processes, and to curate training programmes for various tiers of workers based on their levels of digital literacy and job requirements.
Diverse Workforce, Rapid Transformation
The MOU signing marks a milestone in the existing partnership between AREU and Marina Bay Sands which was formed in 2013 to build constructive labour-management relations and promote employee welfare. With Marina Bay Sands’ US$1 billion reinvestment project underway and its future expansion plans on the horizon, Marina Bay Sands is constantly exploring opportunities to upskill its diverse and multi-generational workforce. The forming of the CTC is a positive step towards deepening this partnership by providing a collaborative platform for both parties to exchange best practices and leverage training resources to future-proof the Integrated Resort’s (IR) workforce.
The CTC will build on Marina Bay Sands’ ongoing efforts to upskill its employees across functions and ranks. These skills will enable employees across ranks to adapt swiftly as the IR introduces new technologies to raise service levels across its wide range of businesses encompassing hotel, retail, food and beverage, entertainment and attractions, gaming as well as MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions).
Since opening in 2010, Marina Bay Sands has introduced many industry-first innovations by harnessing technology. For instance, it was the first in the hotel industry in Singapore to introduce the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in 2018. RPA is a software “robot” capable of executing multi-step processes and automating repetitive tasks, thereby reducing manual labour and enabling staff to focus on more complex, high value work. A year later, the hotel pioneered an industry-first RFID-enabled automated checkout box to optimise room inventory and minimise waiting time for guests checking in. This innovation, which incorporates RPA, was shared later for adoption across Las Vegas Sands’ other properties.
Marina Bay Sands Learning Festival and Wellness Festival
To mark the momentous inking of the MOU, AREU, Marina Bay Sands, NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and NTUC LearningHub (LHUB) have jointly organised a one-day Learning Festival on 11 October to advocate the culture of lifelong learning. Held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, the Learning Fest features a marketplace where employees can discover their learning styles through hands-on activities and explore available training resources to support their personal development. Open to all of Marina Bay Sands’ employees, the Festival will also offer workshops, organised by NTUC’s e2i and NTUC LHUB, covering a series of topics related to mental wellness in conjunction with World Mental Health Day (10 October).
Marina Bay Sands will also hold a three-day Wellness Festival, from 12 to 14 October, to promote the importance of workers’ health and wellbeing – a cornerstone for the IR in driving employee engagement.
To help employees cope with changing work patterns post-pandemic, Marina Bay Sands has also implemented new initiatives to encourage mental wellbeing at work. These include wellness talks hosted by professionals, as well as surveys to enable the IR’s Human Resource team to develop relevant wellness programmes and interventions. Employees who wish to seek professional counselling or advice also have access to mental wellness-trained general practitioners.
Commitment to Upskill Workers as Industry Transforms
Mr. Paul Town, Chief Operating Officer of Marina Bay Sands, said, “The setting up of the CTC is a milestone in our longstanding partnership with AREU, which started in 2013 when we pledged our commitment to deepen community partnerships that will benefit our Team Members. Today’s MOU signing forms the first step towards identifying areas to equip our diverse workforce with the necessary technological skills to navigate job redesign and industry transformation in a world of digital disruption.”
This commitment was also shared by Mr Hassan Bin Abdullah, President of the Attractions, Resorts and Entertainment Union, “As businesses transform to meet changing market needs, with technology playing an integral part in this process, the Attractions, Resorts and Entertainment Union (AREU) is committed to help our workers acquire transferable skill sets and progress upwards. Working alongside employers like Marina Bay Sands, AREU will tap on our network of resources to uplift the quality of work, workplace and workforce of the sector, as well as continue to look after the welfare of our workers.”
”Companies will not be able to reap full benefits of transformation if its manpower cannot support the change. It’s important that companies invest in manpower training as it invests in technology. Company Training Committee, mooted in 2019, provides a platform for both union and company to work together to help our workers acquire the necessary skills for transformation. Companies become more competitive and our workers are equipped with better skills and earning better wages. It’s a win-win outcome for both companies and workers. We have now formed more than 1,000 CTCs and aim to form 2,500 CTCs by 2025,” said Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of NTUC.
