ERC Institute

BARADAS Narciso Perez (far left, main head picture) is a bellman at a five-star hotel here. But he hopes to be able to do more than help guests with their luggage some day.

To that end, he has signed up for a diploma in tourism and hospitality management at the ERC Institute.

He said: "I looked for a course that will enhance my effectiveness.

"I want something better for myself. I hope to become a hotel concierge, front desk manager or even a hotel manager some day."

Baradas, 38, who is from the Philippines, worked at Shangri-La Hotel when he came here about 21/2 years ago to join his engineer wife.

He said: "While working at the hotel, I realised there are good opportunities for people with the right education and good inter-personal skills."

He added that his main motivating factor has been watching his "colleagues get promoted while he stands still".

He said he is fortunate in that his supervisor takes into account his lecture schedule, putting him on a morning shift so that he can make it for his classes at night.

"My boss always asks me first when he's planning a schedule," he said.

"And every time there's a change in schedule, I'll tell him and he accommodates me."

For fellow student Choo Kok Hua (center, main head picture), it is the institute that accommodates his working schedule.

This is because Kok Hua, an acting restaurant manager with Sakae Sushi, is part of a group of eight students from the restaurant who are doing the same diploma programme.

Kok Hua, who is an ITE mechanical engineering graduate, said: "The company offered us this opportunity and I just grabbed it to further my studies."

Sparks her interest

The company that he works for is paying 20 per cent of his course fees, while the remainder is paid for by the Skills Development Fund.

The school has also arranged its lecture schedule around the work schedules of this group of professionals from Sakae Sushi, which is part of the Apex-Pal group.

Instead of going to school two nights a week and every Sunday like other students, the group members spend their two off days a week at school, from 9am to 6pm.

Another student with the institute is Xu Guozhen (far right, main head picture), 40, who took a study leave from the Singapore Tourism Board, where she is working, to do an MBA programme with ERC Institute.

She was a doctor in China before she came here to join her relatives 10 years ago.

As she could not practise medicine here, she joined a listed healthcare company.

Four years ago, she switched to work at the Singapore Tourism Board to promote Singapore as a medical hub.

That's where her interest in the tourism sector was sparked.

She has since taken a year's study leave to pursue a Masters in Business Administration in tourism and hospitality.

Broader perspective

Having gone through the first quarter of her programme, she said: "It will help enhance my knowledge and open my mind to new approaches."

She said the course gives her a "broader perspective in the various aspects of the business".

Also, she said, the programme has given her the opportunity for her to network with foreign and local students, some of whom will be future entrepreneurs in Singapore.

Dr Veeda Maraj, ERC Institute's academic director, said: "The tourism and hospitality sector is soaring and with the introduction of the Integrated Resorts, the job possibilities are indeed endless.

"Singapore is striving to become a 'must-visit destination' and with the help of the IRs, that goal will be achieved.

"What is needed though, are people who have the right skill sets and relevant knowledge to work in this vibrant sector.

"The customers will be from varied backgrounds and culture, and staff must be trained effectively to not just understand their needs, but to exceed the expectations of the customer every time."

She added: "The demand for relevant training in this sector is indeed very high, and our courses offer the ideal blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application."