The 2008 “Macao Occupational Skills Recognition System” (MORS) Gold Pin Competition Finals and the Award Presentation Ceremony were held today in the Venetian Macao Exhibition Hall by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT). Ms. Noémia Lameiras, Deputy Director of Labour Affairs Bureau; Mr. Lei Pou Loi, President of Macao Hotelier Association, Mr. Johnson Chan, President of Macao Hotels Association and Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT presented awards to the winners.
This year, there are 9 sessions of competitions altogether, including “Assistant Cook (Western Kitchen)”, “Bartender”, “Chinese Cook – Cantonese Cuisine (Intermediate level)”, “Chinese Cook – Cantonese Dim Sum (Intermediate level)”, “Concierge and Bell Attendant”, “Front Desk Agent/Customer Relations Officer”, “Room Attendant”, “Waiter / Waitress (Chinese Restaurant Service)” and “Waiter / Waitress (Western Restaurant Service)”.
The competition adapts a process of elimination, with 3 rounds of contests for each competition. The first 2 rounds of contests were held in forms of written examination and skill evaluation according to the fundamental knowledge covered in the MORS training manuals. Participants without MORS certificate will need to go through the first round. In order to be admitted to the second round, the contestants must reach a minimum score of 75%, and compete with those who possess the certificate. Contestants with excellent performances in the second round from each competition will be invited to join the final and given the certificates.
Among the 9 sessions of competition, 5 of them were held at IFT on 30 October and the other 4, including "Bartender", "Assistant Cook (Western Kitchen)", "Waiter/Waitress (Chinese Restaurant Service)" and "Waiter/Waitress (Western Restaurant Service)", will be held today at Hall D of the Venetian Macao Exhibition Centre.
Contestants aim at the 2 winning positions in each competition. Juries formed by over 20 respectful executives from the industry will observe closely and justify the contestants for the final winners, who will receive a MORS Gold Pin, MOP6,000 cash award and a scholarship of MOP2,000 for THS training courses.
Launched in 2001, Macao Occupational Skills Recognition System (MORS) is a joint effort of the Tourism Industry of Macao and IFT with the main objective to upgrade human resources in the industry through the introduction of a certification scheme for a number of professions. At this moment, skills standards are introduced for the following occupations:
- Assistant Cook (Western Kitchen)
- Bartender
- Chinese Cook – Cantonese Cuisine (Elementary)
- Chinese Cook – Cantonese Cuisine (Intermediate)
- Chinese Cook – Cantonese Dim Sum (Elementary)
- Chinese Cook – Cantonese Dim Sum (Intermediate)
- Concierge and Bell Attendant
- Customer Relations Officer
- Front Desk Agent
- Room Attendant
- Security Officer for Tourism and Gaming Industry
- Travel Consultant
- Waiter / Waitress (Chinese Restaurant Service)
- Waiter / Waitress (Western Restaurant Service)
To reward and demonstrate outstanding MORS recognised professionals, IFT has been organising the Gold Pin Competition since 2002. Precipitants can be Entry-level Professionals sent by each training centre or they can be entering individually. There are 23 organisations, 200 participants taking part in the competitions this year.
Gold Pin Competition final round contests examine contestants on their practical skills and details are as follows:
Assistant Cook (Western Kitchen)
Contestants have to bring in their own ingredients to create a menu consisting of a starter, a main course and a dessert; the time frame for preparation will be two hours. Jury team will assess the contestants on technical skills, creativity, organizational skills, hygiene, taste, presentation and consistency.
Bartender
Within a time frame, contestants have to choose at least one ingredient from the provided list and bring in their own ingredients and glassware to create a cocktail for two persons. The jury team will assess the contestants on technical skills, creativity, presentation, flavor, speed and consistency of the drink.
Chinese Cook – Cantonese Cuisine (Intermediate level)
A series of ingredients will be given to the finalists and they will be asked to prepare two assigned main dishes, no guideline needs to be followed. Jury team will assess the contestants on technical skills, creativity, organizational skills, hygiene, taste, presentation and consistency.
Chinese Cook – Cantonese Dim Sum (Intermediate level)
A series of ingredients will be given to the finalists and they will be asked to prepare several assigned dim sum, including four dumplings, one fried dim sum and one baked dim sum, no guideline needs to be followed. Jury team will assess the contestants on technical skills, creativity, organizational skills, hygiene, taste, presentation and consistency.
Concierge and Bell Attendant
Quiz Bee will also be adopted in the final round. Questions are designed to test the contestants’ job knowledge, information about Macao, tourist attractions, current events, language competence, etc.
Front Desk Agent/Customer Relations Officer
The final round will be the time for contestants to show how good they are in terms of sales. Each contestant will have 15 minutes to sell his or her hotel (in Cantonese) in front of the jury team and the audience. The jury team will assess the contestants on their selling techniques, product knowledge, communication skills, body gesture, timing and overall presentation.
Room Attendant
The contestants will be given 30 minutes to set up a trolley, make up a bed and clean up the floor. The jury team will assess the contestants on speed and quality of work.
Waiter / Waitress (Chinese Restaurant Service)
Contestants will be asked to divide a special dish of food on trolley and to serve afterwards. Assessment will be based on technical skills, knowledge, speed and service quality.
Waiter / Waitress (Western Restaurant Service)
Contestants are requested to open and decant one bottle of wine. And after that, wine has to be poured evenly into certain number of wine glasses. Juries will base on the knowledge, skills, posture, gesture, speed and accuracy to assess the contestants.
IFT is a public institution of higher education that offers tourism, hospitality, heritage and events management degree programmes, as well as professional training courses. The main objective of MORS is to upgrade human resources in the Macao tourism industry through the introduction of a certification scheme for a number of professions, to the general public, so as to benefit Macao in a more competitive future.