Sands released its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report earlier this year, outlining plans for the corporate responsibility program over the next five years, including three new ambitions the company hopes to achieve by 2025. Sands intends to invest $200 million in workforce development over the next five years under the People pillar of the corporate responsibility platform.
This goal encompasses initiatives to promote professional growth and development for Sands Team Members, to support higher education and other learning programs for hospitality professionals and the local labor pool, and to provide resources to Sands' suppliers and partners to help them expand their capabilities and skills.
Sands' top priority is to cultivate the workforce of the future through a variety of professional growth and development program. The following are important components:
Team Member Development
Sands On their first day with the company, Team Members are introduced to the company's global training and development program, which begins with onboarding to integrate Team Members. From basic job skills and business acumen training to leadership development curriculum that cultivates future company leaders, programs support continuous growth.
Sands China will launch a three-year business leader development program in 2021 to prepare associates for management responsibilities through developmental projects and senior executive mentorship. The program serves as the foundation for advancing to a manager-level position, and it is supplemented by a manager competence development program that includes subject matter expertise and effective team leadership. Sands China also offers an integrated talent-development program in collaboration with Macau University of Science and Technology, allowing managers to learn innovative management strategies from distinguished academics from across Asia.
Sands also assists Team Members in furthering their education outside of the classroom. 46 Sands China Team Members completed the University of Macau's one-year diploma in business management in 2021, which was designed specifically for Sands China Team Members as a bridge between secondary education and a bachelor's degree. The Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore also participates in the SkillsFuture Earn & Learn initiative, which allows Team Members and hospitality students to obtain diplomas through an integrated on-the-job training and classroom learning program.
Hospitality Industry Professionals
The second focus of Sands' workforce development initiative is to assist in the advancement of professional capability and service excellence in the hospitality industry as well as among the larger labour pool in the regions where Sands operates. Marina Bay Sands in Singapore provides annual grants to students pursuing undergraduate hospitality degrees at the Singapore Institute of Technology, with 80 students receiving a total of $296,000 in grants since 2018.
Similarly, Sands China provides university students with on-the-job training in a variety of operational areas through its Career Experience Opportunities program.
Students receive professional training while gaining real-world experience, and if they complete program requirements with high performance, they can advance to supervisory-level Team Members upon graduation. Sands China also hosts school tours on a regular basis, having welcomed over 3,600 students from Macao and overseas universities since 2014 to learn about the daily operations of large-scale integrated resorts and gain exposure to various careers in the hospitality industry. In 2021, Sands China will also provide funding to seven higher education institutions.
Internships, which allow students to work on real assignments for Sands' resorts such as graphic design and video projects, as well as supporting job readiness programs that serve Sands' regions and mentoring opportunities with company executives, are among the other workforce development programs.
Assisting suppliers in the SMES space
Suppliers, including many local businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited resources to invest in growth opportunities, are critical to Sands' success. Sands China supports Macao SMEs through its core initiative, the F.I.T. program, which focuses on three key areas: financial assistance, such as advance payment on purchase orders for Macao SMEs with limited fiscal capacity; invitational matching to assist SMEs in accessing new procurement opportunities through trade shows, events, and other platforms; and training and development to build capability for working with large-scale enterprises.
Sands China also provides the Sands Retail Academy and the Sands Procurement Academy to support the company's retail and business partners with high-quality training programs. More than 400 participants from 50+ Sands China retail outlets took part in modules such as service enhancement and manager competency development in 2021.
Through the Sands Procurement Academy, the company also launched several new programs, including a Celebrity Mentor Workshop Series in collaboration with the Macao Government Tourist Office to support SMEs, micro-enterprises, Macao young entrepreneurs, and "Made-in-Macao" businesses. The Sands Procurement Academy has graduated 330 suppliers since 2017.
Sands' commitment to being a catalyst for workforce development through professional development and job skill training has already yielded tangible results. Nearly 1,300 Sands Team Members were promoted in 2021, and nearly 15,000 reached the 10-year mark.
This goal encompasses initiatives to promote professional growth and development for Sands Team Members, to support higher education and other learning programs for hospitality professionals and the local labor pool, and to provide resources to Sands' suppliers and partners to help them expand their capabilities and skills.
Sands' top priority is to cultivate the workforce of the future through a variety of professional growth and development program. The following are important components:
Team Member Development
Sands On their first day with the company, Team Members are introduced to the company's global training and development program, which begins with onboarding to integrate Team Members. From basic job skills and business acumen training to leadership development curriculum that cultivates future company leaders, programs support continuous growth.
Sands China will launch a three-year business leader development program in 2021 to prepare associates for management responsibilities through developmental projects and senior executive mentorship. The program serves as the foundation for advancing to a manager-level position, and it is supplemented by a manager competence development program that includes subject matter expertise and effective team leadership. Sands China also offers an integrated talent-development program in collaboration with Macau University of Science and Technology, allowing managers to learn innovative management strategies from distinguished academics from across Asia.
Sands also assists Team Members in furthering their education outside of the classroom. 46 Sands China Team Members completed the University of Macau's one-year diploma in business management in 2021, which was designed specifically for Sands China Team Members as a bridge between secondary education and a bachelor's degree. The Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore also participates in the SkillsFuture Earn & Learn initiative, which allows Team Members and hospitality students to obtain diplomas through an integrated on-the-job training and classroom learning program.
Hospitality Industry Professionals
The second focus of Sands' workforce development initiative is to assist in the advancement of professional capability and service excellence in the hospitality industry as well as among the larger labour pool in the regions where Sands operates. Marina Bay Sands in Singapore provides annual grants to students pursuing undergraduate hospitality degrees at the Singapore Institute of Technology, with 80 students receiving a total of $296,000 in grants since 2018.
Similarly, Sands China provides university students with on-the-job training in a variety of operational areas through its Career Experience Opportunities program.
Students receive professional training while gaining real-world experience, and if they complete program requirements with high performance, they can advance to supervisory-level Team Members upon graduation. Sands China also hosts school tours on a regular basis, having welcomed over 3,600 students from Macao and overseas universities since 2014 to learn about the daily operations of large-scale integrated resorts and gain exposure to various careers in the hospitality industry. In 2021, Sands China will also provide funding to seven higher education institutions.
Internships, which allow students to work on real assignments for Sands' resorts such as graphic design and video projects, as well as supporting job readiness programs that serve Sands' regions and mentoring opportunities with company executives, are among the other workforce development programs.
Assisting suppliers in the SMES space
Suppliers, including many local businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited resources to invest in growth opportunities, are critical to Sands' success. Sands China supports Macao SMEs through its core initiative, the F.I.T. program, which focuses on three key areas: financial assistance, such as advance payment on purchase orders for Macao SMEs with limited fiscal capacity; invitational matching to assist SMEs in accessing new procurement opportunities through trade shows, events, and other platforms; and training and development to build capability for working with large-scale enterprises.
Sands China also provides the Sands Retail Academy and the Sands Procurement Academy to support the company's retail and business partners with high-quality training programs. More than 400 participants from 50+ Sands China retail outlets took part in modules such as service enhancement and manager competency development in 2021.
Through the Sands Procurement Academy, the company also launched several new programs, including a Celebrity Mentor Workshop Series in collaboration with the Macao Government Tourist Office to support SMEs, micro-enterprises, Macao young entrepreneurs, and "Made-in-Macao" businesses. The Sands Procurement Academy has graduated 330 suppliers since 2017.
Sands' commitment to being a catalyst for workforce development through professional development and job skill training has already yielded tangible results. Nearly 1,300 Sands Team Members were promoted in 2021, and nearly 15,000 reached the 10-year mark.