NTUC LearningHub introduces new in-demand courses for tourism workers

Tourism professionals will soon be able to gain new skills to ride the wellness and sustainable tourism boom in Singapore.

NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) launched on 16 November 2023 two sets of courses for in-demand and emerging tourism skills at the “Reskilling for the New Tourism Economy event at Sentosa Golf Club.

One set of courses was developed in partnership with the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) while the other is a curated training series under the refreshed Tourism Careers Hub (TCH).

The leading training provider also unveiled the new ‘NTUC LearningHub for Tourism’ logo to champion the sector through continuous skills development.

NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan attended the event as guest of honour, along with representatives from NTUC, NTUC LearningHub, TMIS and TCH.

Calling the new training initiative a milestone, Mr Tan said that it will “help new workers enter [the industry] with confidence as well as existing workers to look at some of the new skillsets including technology, digitalisation and sustainability and service excellence.”

NTUC LHUB CEO Jeremy Ong hopes that the initiative “will help Singapore establish itself as a top tourism destination of choice through a skilled workforce that seeks to constantly reinvent and rejuvenate the sector.”

New courses under NTUC LHUB-TMIS partnership

Four new professional certificate courses and two specialised courses will be rolled out in various areas under the NTUC LHUB-TMIS partnership. These courses include sustainability, holistic wellness, regenerative tourism, and digital and technological enhancements.

For instance, workers can take up a certificate course such as “Green Butlering” to learn how to provide personalised service based on sustainability trends, or a specialised course such as “Foundations in Asian Spirits” to be able to recommend popular Asian alcoholic beverages to customers.

These courses, which encompass hands-on demonstrations and practicum, are aimed at addressing the growing trend in wellness tourism, sustainability, and digital technologies.

In addition, workers can choose to take individual modules under the certificate courses to obtain a Statement of Attainment (SOA) which will be reflected in their MySkillsFuture’s Skills Passport.

Workers may also opt to stack a few modules to obtain a NTUC LHUB-TMIS certificate, which they can use to advance towards TMIS’ diploma courses.

Refreshed Tourism Career Hub

NTUC LHUB will also be introducing a curated training series of courses under the TCH to improve workers’ skills.

The TCH is a tripartite partnership comprising Singapore Tourism Board and partners from NTUC, unions, employers, and trade associations to provide job support to displaced workers, develop manpower capabilities and drive workforce and business transformation within the tourism sector.

NTUC partners include NTUC LHUB, NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), Attractions Resorts and Entertainment Union and The Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers’ Union.

Mr Tan shared that the hub has a dedicated platform for tourism jobs and training support to help workers and jobseekers navigate the sector.

“It provides a certain level of training prescription and support to allow these workers to know what kind of training and skills they require to excel and go into the sector. There is also career support provided by e2i,” he elaborated.

For a start, courses will be developed under the refreshed TCH’s three key pillars.

For example, the Digital Event Strategist Certification and Technical Meeting & Event Production courses will be placed under Technological Enablers while the Certified Sustainable Event Advocate programme will fall under the Sustainability.

More courses will be available in 2024.

Ian Wu, who co-owns event space rental company HUONE Singapore, took the Certified Sustainable Event Advocate programme as he saw the demand for sustainability in the business.

The company, which has branches in Finland and Denmark, has many clients in these countries requesting for things like sustainable menus.

The entrepreneur believes that it is a matter of time before the sustainability trend makes its way to Singapore, and he wants to be prepared to reap the business rewards.

Mr Tan highlighted that the TCH can also help employers drive business and workforce transformation through the NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative.

He elaborated: “When you come onboard and sign the MOU [memorandum of understanding] with NTUC, we will journey with you to help your business with your transformation, redesign your jobs.

“Ultimately, we want to make sure that our workers get the recognition and reward that they have worked hard for.”

He cited an example of CTC company Park Royal on Beach Road which embarked on an Operation and Technology Roadmap and implemented projects such as Artificial Intelligence for operations and inventory. The hotel also tapped into the NTUC CTC Grant to fund its projects. As a result, workers acquired new skills and received wage increases of up to 7 per cent.

New brand identity for tourism sector

NTUC LHUB’s new logo features the endorsement liner ‘NTUC LearningHub for’ to denote the sector it champions and its commitment to providing training and continued employability for the sector.

The primary colour palette of tranquil turquoise signifies serenity, dependability, and renewal, which are synonymous with the tourism sector.

The logo is also characterised by the triumvirate, inspired by NTUC LHUB’s iconic butterfly symbol. It consists of three distinct yet connected segments to reflect their collaborative approach with partners, employers, and learners to transform lives through lifelong learning.

For more information, visit:

• www.ntuclearninghub.com to find out more about the new courses.
• Tourism Careers Hub - Employment and Employability Institute (e2i.com.sg) to find out more about the Tourism Careers Hub.
• www.ntuc.org.sg/tpe or to find out how to set up a CTC with NTUC.