[Photo: (L-R) Ms Lee Shi Ruh, Chief Financial Officer, Genting Singapore; Mr Tan Hee Teck, President and Chief Operating Officer of Genting Singapore and CEO of Resorts World Sentosa; Mr Naohiro Tsutsumi, Deputy Chief of Mission, Minister, Embassy of Japan; Associate Professor Annie Koh, Vice-President for Business Development & External Relations, and Academic Director, Centre for Professional Studies, SMU; Mr Ng Chun Pin, Director, Youth Division, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Director, National Youth Council.

Singapore, 13 August 2014 (Wednesday) – To promote cross-cultural exchange between undergraduates from Singapore and Japan, and to enable them to acquire knowledge and insights into the Integrated Resort (IR) sector, Genting Singapore (GENS) and Singapore Management University (SMU) are partnering to offer a specialised training programme on IR Management, with industry immersion within Resorts World Sentosa.

Jointly developed by GENS and SMU, the Integrated Resort Management Cross-Cultural Exchange Programme is made possible through a S$0.5 million gift from GENS to the University over three years. The first-of-its-kind programme is designed to give participants a rich experiential learning opportunity that comprises workshops, site visits, and hands-on projects which require them to work in cross-cultural groups to develop and deliver a group project over a period of three months. Through these activities, students will gain a first-hand understanding of the management of an IR – from operations, strategic management, sales and marketing, to talent management, and customer experience.

An agreement was signed today between GENS and SMU, in the presence of about 60 students who have expressed interest in the programme. The signatories were: Mr Tan Hee Teck, President and Chief Operating Officer of Genting Singapore and Chief Executive Officer of Resorts World Sentosa; and Associate Professor Annie Koh, SMU’s Vice-President for Business Development & External Relations, and Academic Director of the Center for Professional Studies.

“We are happy to partner SMU to offer this unprecedented programme, and play our part in grooming talents for the future of the tourism industry. By leveraging our resources and facilities to provide a real-life classroom, combined with insights from our team members we hope to inspire and develop future talents for the tourism and hospitality industry,” said Mr Tan.

“This distinctive University-Industry partnership and programme is designed to give students the unique opportunity to be immersed in a dynamic business environment. They will not only gain a global perspective and insights into IR operations and management, but also acquire an appreciation for cross-cultural collaboration and teamwork, as they will be learning and working alongside fellow youths from other countries. The multi-dimensional curriculum and integral components of classroom training, immersion activities and project work are also intended to provide students with breadth of knowledge plus hands-on practice,” said Associate Professor Koh.

Scheduled to take place between September and November 2014, the programme will be taught by SMU faculty; students will also be mentored and coached by senior business leaders from Genting Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa. The programme is open to year two and three undergraduates from SMU and those from its partner universities in Japan who have been accepted into SMU’s student exchange programme. They should possess a strong interest in the integrated resorts industry as well as a high level of proficiency in the English language. The programme is expected to welcome 30 students into its first cohort.