Integrated resort developer and operator Wynn Macau Ltd has introduced a new scholarship programme for IFT undergraduates, with effect from academic year 2015/16. The aim is to recognise the best of the students from the Institute that are undertaking their Year 3 curricular internship with the company.
“A few years ago, we offered 2 scholarships per year to IFT students,” explains Senior Vice President for Human Resources at Wynn Macau, Ms. Zuleika Mok. “But we felt we would like the scholarship programme to benefit more students: we have now 6 recipients per annum.”
The revamp meant the scholarship recipients are selected by Wynn Macau, from among the IFT students undertaking their curricular internship with the organisation. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of the candidate’s performance as an intern, rather than on academic performance.
“The only way we get to know the students is through the internship placement,” Ms. Mok explains.
Wynn Macau is not only focusing on operational aspects when assessing candidates for the scholarship scheme, but also putting special emphasis on how interns relate to the firm’s 4 corporate values. These are: to care about everyone and everything; to take responsibility for things and not leave them to others; to show unending attention to detail; and always to strive to be better.
“Often, interns will be very attached to their own department,” says Ms. Mok. “But we want them to be able to also look at themselves as a Wynn Macau member regardless of what their area of specialisation is, and to be fully immersed in our corporate values.”
Hard work, positive attitude
Ms. Mok adds that students “really need to work very hard and to prove their ability” in order to receive a scholarship.
“Students who may be very competent in terms of academic fulfilment may not be scholarship recipients. Oftentimes, we see those who receive the scholarship are very participative in other projects… apart from [those of] their operational unit.”
Of the 20 or so IFT interns that Wynn Macau takes each semester, 3 are awarded scholarships. The value of each scholarship is MOP10,000.
Ms. Mok states there are quite a number of IFT alumni working at Wynn Macau. The company looks at the Year 3 curricular internship as a platform to establish a connection with Institute undergraduates for potential future recruitment opportunities. “Often, when we recruit, we recruit a lot of IFT graduates who once were our interns,” she says.
The Wynn Macau representative adds that the firm strives to organise its internship programme in such a way that it provides real value to interns, getting them ready for their future professional life.
“We want to make sure that students, during their 6 months of experience with us, already feel part of Wynn; that they are not just coming in to get the credits and fulfil the course requirement,” Ms. Mok explains.
She states: “We nurture talent and hopefully – in the future – they will return to be part of our team.”
With the opening this summer of the Wynn Palace integrated resort on Cotai, the firm expects to expand its intake of IFT interns. “Once Wynn Palace has fully opened, we will revisit our scholarship programme, to see how we can further improve it,” explains Ms. Mok.
