Singex Grooms Future MICE Leaders

June 16, 2011 - PRLog -- Singex Venues Pte Ltd, the venue manager of Singapore’s largest purpose-built meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) facility, will now be providing industrial attachment and project-based on-the-job training opportunities to students as an integral part of the programme at Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed today (16 June, 2011) at a ceremony held at the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre, will provide internship stints throughout the year to supplement and enhance the training of ITE students in the areas of event and venue management, audio visual technology, customer service, and related business operation services. The ceremony was followed by a half-day programme facilitated by ITE students for their fellow course mates, collectively branded as MICE Day.

Responsible corporate citizenship
With this partnership, Singex will provide hands-on, practical and valuable training to support youth development for the wider MICE industry. Singex and ITE will endeavour to facilitate the transfer and exchange of expertise and experience as well as share resources at appropriate events and platforms such as career fairs, graduation ceremonies, and MICE industry events.

Apart from providing industry attachment opportunities, Singex is also dedicated to helping the students through the presentation of annual book prizes and bursaries to outstanding ITE students. Singex will also sponsor the Course Medal for the top three ITE Higher Nitec in Business Studies (Event Management) graduates in their class, starting from 2013.

Mr Aloysius Arlando, Singex Chief Executive Officer, says, “We are pleased to have signed our first educational MoU with ITE. Both Singex and ITE share a common ethos of enhancing Singapore's overall workforce competitiveness. ITE’s mission mirrors our corporate commitment to elevating operational excellence through the nurturing of human capital. Together, we seek to arm ITE students with valuable skills in event delivery to ensure a memorable and rewarding business event experience where the customer is delighted. Some 600 events are held at EXPO each year, so we are certain these students will benefit greatly from EXPO as their extended campus for practical training.”  

Enhancing the MICE talent pool
Mr Bruce Poh, Director and Chief Executive Officer of ITE, says, “ITE’s partnership with Singex underscores our ‘Hands-on, Minds-on and Hearts-on’ approach in education and we are confident that the real-world opportunities at EXPO will be an eye-opener for our students. With Singex being at the forefront of event and venue management in Asia, this collaboration will certainly ensure that our students are both market- and future-ready upon graduation, enabling them to gain crucial life traits such as discipline, self-learning, self-motivation, community bonding, and social cohesion, on top of the requisite skills to excel in the events industry.”

With Singapore poised to continue as Asia’s preferred MICE hub, there is a need for a growing pool of talented individuals to ensure the sustainable growth of the MICE industry. In 2009, Singapore attracted 2.6 million business travellers, accounting for 27 per cent of all visitors, and spending about S$4.2 billion (33 per cent of total tourist receipts)1. These numbers will continue to grow in tandem with the strong economy, where competition in the MICE industry is both intense and intensifying. Against this backdrop, talent movements across the board are expected and this may lead to a shortage of skills.

Adds Mr Arlando,”This scarcity resonates ever more soundly for MICE, as we are essentially competing for a similar pool of talent that our counterparts in the hospitality and service sectors are. Through progressive human resource initiatives, we want to contribute to ensuring a steady stream of talent with globally competitive skills that can support and drive the MICE industry at large in the years ahead. At Singex, we pride ourselves in operational excellence. Part of that entails enhancing human capital, not just through acquisition but also grooming talent from young so as to benefit the entire MICE value chain in time to come.”

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Notes to Editor
Please use “Singex” and “EXPO” if an acronym for Singex Group/Singex Venues Pte Ltd and Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre respectively is required.  

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Natalie LEUNG
Manager (Marketing Communications)
DID: (65) 6403 2125
Mobile: (65) 9001 3427
Email: natalie.leung@singex.com.sg

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Singapore Expo, the largest MICE centre in S'pore & a top venue in Asia, boasts 10 exhibition & 10 conference halls, multiple Meeting Rooms & 6 mobile conference rooms, making it versatile for even breakout sessions, VIP lounges & auxiliary activities.