Singapore Government Press Release
Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,
MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2^nd Storey, Singapore 179369
Tel: 837-9666

Mr Ichigo Umehara, President of Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts,

Mr Yasuhiro Uetani, Executive Vice-President of Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts and General Manager of Pan Pacific Singapore,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies & Gentlemen

Good morning, I am pleased to be here today for the launch of the Pan Pacific Career Development Institute.

The Pan Pacific Hotel was one of the three original pioneers in Marina Square. Since its opening in 1987, it had established its position as a leading Singapore hotel and has contributed to our tourism industry. This is an important industry for Singapore, contributing about 5% to our GDP.

Worldwide, the travel and tourism industry is widely regarded as a growth sector and major creator of jobs. Even though the current global economic uncertainty may result in a moderation in growth this year, the long-term prospects for the industry remains bright. According to the World Tourism Organization, by year 2020, there will be some 1.6 billion annual international tourist arrivals worldwide. Collectively, these visitors will spend some US$2 trillion. To capitalize on this growth and contribute to tourism development in the region, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), together with industry players, had since 1996, adopted the Tourism 21 blueprint to develop Singapore into a Tourism Capital. The aim is to transform Singapore into an exciting and captivating destination for a wide range of travellers.

To achieve this vision, we need to have a dynamic and service-oriented hospitality industry. Singapore�s hotels are key components of the hospitality industry and have a critical role to play in the realization of the Tourism Capital vision. Our hotels provide a wide range of accommodations from luxury hotels to business hotels and resorts. They also play host to many international events, such as conferences and exhibitions. Hotels are therefore an indispensable and intimate part of a visitor�s experience.

Hotels and travel destinations are also engaged in keen competition to attract travellers. Globalization and technology developments have led to escalating customer demands and increasing customer choice. Many cities in the world can boast of new, modern and impressive-looking hotels. We are just one of many other destinations with top-class hotels. Clearly, beyond providing safe and comfortable rooms, well-equipped facilities and gourmet delights, hotels will increasingly have to compete on intangibles, such as service quality and consistency, branding and customer experience. Customers and reputation can be lost if poor service is rendered and visitors go away dissatisfied or with unpleasant memories.

How does a hotel meet these challenges? I believe that the most fundamental requirement is well trained and experienced people in a hotel. Being in the travel business is to be in the �people business�. Hotels deliver almost all their services through face-to-face human interactions. Guests expect hotel staff to be competent, friendly and service-oriented. They also expect knowledgeable, adaptable and empowered workers who can respond to the guests� different requirements without having to "check with the superior" on every occasion. To equip staff with the knowledge and skills to meet these requirements and look after guests, hotels must invest in the continuous training of workers. They must nurture a highly skilled talent pool to sharpen their competitive edge.

Last September, my Ministry, together with the Productivity and Standards Board (PSB), launched the National Skills Recognition System (NSRS). A key initiative under the $200 million Manpower Development Assistance Scheme, the NSRS provides a framework for the establishment, acquisition and certification of work performance standards and job competencies. The NSRS provides companies a systematic way to enhance their workers� capabilities and performance levels. At the same time, it gives workers valuable opportunities to acquire certifiable skills and enhance their employability.

I am happy to note that the hotel industry has been one of the first to respond positively to the NSRS initiative. Over 120 skills standards for the industry have been identified. To date, 53 standards have been developed. Some examples include �handling front office cashiering�, �providing bell services� and �preparing basic hot kitchen dishes�. 80 hotels have started implementing the NSRS. More than 200 workers from 29 establishments have already been assessed and certified. The target is to train and assess another 1,000 hotel workers by the end of this year. This programme will certainly pave the way for a more skillful and more productive workforce for the hotel industry.

 The Pan Pacific Singapore Story

The Pan Pacific Singapore is a good example of a hotel that has made skills upgrading a priority. It has been actively involved in establishing NSRS standards at the workplace. It is the first hotel to be approved as a NSRS training centre, which has provided many opportunities for skills upgrading to its employees.

For example, Ms Alice Yeo, a 12-year pioneer staff, started out at Pan Pacific Singapore as Housekeeping Assistant. Her willingness to learn and her leadership potential were noted by management. Proactively, the hotel helped her to upgrade herself through numerous courses on IT, NSRS and other soft skills. Skills upgrading for Ms Yeo have resulted in career progression and she has been promoted to the job of a Housekeeper. She has also qualified as a NSRS assessor, having completed the required courses. I would like to congratulate Ms Yeo for her achievements and commend the hotel for encouraging her in her learning journey.

Today, Pan Pacific Singapore is about to launch another important learning initiative. The Pan Pacific Career Development Institute will offer opportunities for its 600 employees to acquire the latest skills in the hotel industry in a systematic and structured manner. The curriculum of the Institute will be closely aligned with the NSRS. Students who complete all the courses are not only awarded with a diploma, they can even receive advanced credits with Griffith University in Australia. The Pan Pacific Career Development Institute is a highly commendable initiative by the hotel. It clearly demonstrates the hotel�s commitment to enhance its service and productivity by becoming a learning organization and choice employer.

By equipping its people with the skills to provide quality services to customers, Pan Pacific�s effort is an excellent articulation of the "Art of Service" initiative under Tourism 21. This new initiative aims to promote service excellence in hospitality and other tourism related sectors. It will motivate our tourism workers to use their skills and dedication to provide services, which will delight visitors to Singapore and encourage them to come back again or to recommend Singapore to their friends overseas. The Pan Pacific Career Development Institute will certainly help to train such workers for the hotel.

In the New Economy, an organization�s competitiveness will depend largely on its people and the skills and attitudes that they possess. This is the case not only for the hotel sector but also for all industries in the global economy. I would therefore encourage all employers in Singapore to invest in building up their human capital. Today, human capital is the key determinant of their organization�s success. Workers should also make every effort to upgrade their skills to enhance their employability.

Thank you.