You most probably would be familiar with your company’s policy on eldercare, annual and sick leave. And now, here’s a new one – learning leave.
One organisation in Singapore’s hospitality industry is providing just that to encourage all its staff to upskill.
Integrated resort Marina Bay Sands (MBS) introduced learning leave in 2018 where it provides all its staff up to two days of paid leave to upskill themselves.
One staff who intends to take advantage of this is 60-year-old Teo Kim Hua (pictured above in purple attire) who has been with MBS since May 2010.
Mr Teo worked in the electronics sector before deciding to make a career switch.
Mr Teo will also get a chance to share his upskilling journey with NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing on 15 February 2018 when SG Chan visits workers at MBS to thank them for their work during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays.
Personal Upskilling
Mr Teo is a logistics lead in MBS’ Procurement and Chain Section and has 36 staff working under him.
When he first joined MBS as a logistics assistant, he went through compulsory training in areas like food hygiene, operating a forklift and basic computer courses. In his daily work today, he checks the consignment of food items delivered to the resort to ensure they are in order.
However, in 2016 MBS implemented the Warehouse Management System (WMS) to enhance productivity and reduce the amount of paper work involved daily. It also cut down the manual checking of purchase orders by its staff.
This was a game changer for Mr Teo and his team members.
They had to undergo a two-month long training session to learn how to use the new technology. The training sessions took place after their normal nine-hour working shift.
“During the training period, we had to spend two to three additional hours after our working hours to attend the courses in order to familiarise and cope with the new warehouse management system. At least a quarter of us in my department are in my age group. As a result, we took a longer time to learn. The company management and my immediate superior were very supportive and encouraging and our personal morale to improve also played an important part to learn and cope with the new technology,” said Mr Teo.
And it is this same “can do” spirit that has spurred Mr Teo to want to take full advantage of the learning leave. He plans to use his SkillsFuture credit at the same time.
Learning Leave
MBS added that the two days learning leave for all full-time staff is their commitment towards lifelong learning and self-development.
Singaporean staff can make use of their SkillsFuture credit for the courses.
Staff can take courses in three areas that include language and communication, service excellence and courses related to information technology.
Meanwhile the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union(AREU) is also looking forward to work closely with the MBS management in training its staff.
Nearly 3700 staff in MBS are union members of AREU.
