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MGM China plans to offer more scholarships to IFT students

Vice-president of Learning and Talent Management of MGM, Mr. Francis Tan
中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

Integrated resort operator MGM China Holdings Ltd intends to increase the number of scholarships it awards each year to IFT students pursuing bachelor’s degrees. The company currently offers undergraduates of the Institute about 5 scholarships each academic year.

“Our plan is to double the number of scholarships that we provide to outstanding students, especially with the upcoming opening of our MGM Cotai property,” says Mr. Francis Tan, MGM China Vice-president of Learning and Talent Management.

Construction of the company’s first integrated resort in Macao’s Cotai district is nearing completion. The MGM Cotai resort is due to open on 29 January, 2018. It will have about 1,400 hotel rooms or suites, meeting facilities, a spa, shops, restaurants and a casino. The company also operates the MGM Macau hotel casino on the Macao peninsula.

“MGM is committed to develop local talent, especially young talent, and help them to unleash their potential,” Mr. Tan says. “We have enjoyed a good collaborative relationship with IFT.”

MGM China also offers IFT students internships. All students of the Institute studying for a bachelor’s degree are required to do a semester-long internship in Year 3. So far about 150 IFT undergraduates have completed internships with the company.

“We believe this to be a win-win situation for all parties,” Mr. Tan says. “It is very important for students to have practical experience, and MGM opens the real world of a Forbes five-star luxury integrated resort to them.”

MGM China has yet another way of awarding sponsorship to IFT students. “This is a comprehensive study-work-career scheme,” Mr. Tan says. “In a nutshell, we sponsor the tuition fees of the students awarded and, in turn, they work part-time or do an internship with MGM. Upon their graduation, we take them on as full-time MGM staff.”

New graduates of IFT are also eligible for the MGM China Management Associate Programme. Graduates that win places in the scheme follow a 3-year management development programme to accelerate the progress of their careers. The programme includes extensive training at establishments in Las Vegas, Nevada belonging to MGM China’s U.S. parent company, MGM Resorts International.

Mr. Tan says supporting the development of IFT students makes sense for MGM China because the Institute is training new talent for employment in fields that his company operates in.

“As a brand with global presence, MGM operates to very exacting international standards,” he says. It is crucial for the operations of the company that its Macao staff are sufficiently educated and well-trained to meet its high standards, he adds.

“To have a world-class institution providing world-class education is completely in tandem with the development of Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure,” Mr. Tan says, referring to the aim of the Macao SAR Government and the Central People’s Government to make the city a draw for tourists and leisure-seekers from all over the world.