Developing competent Sabahans for tourism sector
Kota Kinabalu: A strategic partnership has been established to develop livelihood opportunities for Sabahans, particularly in the field of retail and entrepreneurship to support the State’s tourism industry.
Pacific Sanctuary Holdings Sdn Bhd has signed an agreement with Gain Forlife Academy Sdn Bhd Monday to train and prepare Sabahans in retail management, entrepreneurship and other relevant skills.
The partnership between the developer of the largest integrated commercial development in the city, PacifiCity, and the training academy that focuses on human capital development of locals in key trades relevant to the economic development of Sabah, promises an exciting future where the service industry is filled with people having proven retailing and wholesaling skills and hospitality management skills.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun who believed that the trainings provided would help produce marketable candidates in various sectors of the competitive industry.
“There are many private training centres that provide tourism courses. But we still hear that their qualification is not marketable and so it’s difficult for them to find a job. The main factor is that the courses did not emphasise on practical skills. We can excel in academic. But this industry calls for hands-on experience and competent skills,” he said.
He said the state government welcomed the partnership between the two parties to develop competent individuals in view of the rapidly growing tourism industry which, among its many developments, will see new 4-star and 5-star hotels opening this year alone.
He added that having job-specific skills in the service industry will only add value to any Sabahan employees who are already known for their marketable natural sense of hospitality.
In his speech, the Executive Director of Pacific Sanctuary Holdings Sdn Bhd, KP Kuok said that the key objective of PacifiCity Gain Forlife Academy, an initiative under the developer’s Corporate Social Responsibility, is to produce “work place ready” candidates to serve the retail trade and hospitality sectors.
He said students from the Academy would be undergoing internships with large established commercial organisations as a key part of its training curriculum.
“This will mean that each graduate from this Academy will require a minimal orientation period and will be able to assume workplace responsibilities from day one of employment. In the case of conventional training systems, the gestation period for most employees could range from a minimum of 6 months to several years before they can be productive,” he said.
Company commercial general manager, Andrew Fairbairn, added by saying that at the early stage they had identified the shortage of trained manpower in various fields as potential roadblocks for the rapid development of Sabah.
He said it was identified that there was a huge shortage of skilled personnel in the service industry hence the need for training of Sabahans to acquire essential skills in the retail and service industry.
According to the Managing Director of Gain Forlife, Nelson Mosinoh, industry partners will be actively engaged in the trainings as advisers particularly on skills and knowledge that are relevant and required by the job and industry.
He said the training also focuses on skills for self-employment.
“That’s why we immediately launch the Retailer Training Programme to develop skilled manpower to work as self-employed businessmen-retailers or as retail executives with larger local and international retailers. This programme is unique and practical. We want as many Sabahans as possible to be self-employed business people and this programme is designed to achieve this objective,” he explained.
He said most people assume retailing is all about waiting in a shop for customers where as in fact it involves a myriad of essential skills ranging from understanding market needs and domestic and international market trends, product selection and design, pricing points, stock management, display and presentation, cash flow management among others.
He added that Academy graduates and potential retailers will have the opportunity to work with many retail partners, link with key wholesalers domestically and internationally so that the linkages in the supply chain would be more efficient and unnecessary middlemen could be cut out.
He stressed that retailing and wholesaling are in fact a lucrative and rewarding profession and could be a business enterprise that lasts a long time.
Source : Daily Express
