Main Headline University News

Sands China increasing scholarship and fellowship support to IFT students

Ms. Wen Hongyan, Sands China’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources
中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

Integrated resort developer and operator Sands China Ltd. has been supporting IFT undergraduates with scholarships and fellowships for more than a decade. The company recently increased the number of grants it provides each year to students at the Institute, as part of a wider pledge to invest in local talent development.

“We have increased the total number of IFT student beneficiaries to 21” from 18 in academic year 2016/17, says Ms. Wen Hongyan, Sands China’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources. “They were chosen based on their academic performance and financial status during the previous academic year.”

Sands China began offering scholarships and fellowships to IFT students in 2006. Over the past 12 years, the company has provided grants to a total of 131 IFT students.

Since 2006, Sands China has contributed nearly MOP10 million toward scholarships and fellowships across different tertiary education institutions in Macao, with approximately 1,200 students benefitting to date.

“Sands China is dedicated to investing in nurturing talent and we will continue to find different ways to do so,” Ms. Wen says. “The most important thing for a Macao enterprise is what it can contribute to the city and the community, as well as how it can establish a sustainable relationship with society to a achieve ‘win-win’ situation.”

Ms. Wen states there are a number of IFT alumni working at Sands China. The company operates several large-scale integrated resorts in the Cotai district, namely The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, Sands Cotai Central and The Plaza Macao. It also operates the hotel-casino complex Sands Macao, on Macao Peninsula.

“We have many current team members who are IFT graduates, and we recognise the worth of their academic qualifications,” Ms. Wen says.

Many IFT alumni are already in management positions at Sands China, and some are being prepped by the company for leadership positions. In 2017, 2 IFT alumni were among the 25 team members chosen to take part in the first Sands China International Strategic Leadership Programme for Integrated Resorts. The programme is aimed at developing future leaders in integrated resort management and was designed especially for management-level staff. Last year’s programme cohort of 26 team members also included 2 IFT alumni.

The partnership between Sands China and IFT extends beyond scholarships and fellowships. The company also offers a Fast Track Supervisor Programme, a Career Experience Opportunities Programme, and curricular internships to students from the Institute. All IFT students studying for a bachelor’s degree are required to do a semester-long internship in Year 3.

In addition, says Ms. Wen, there are deep ties between IFT alumni working at Sands China and undergraduates at the Institute. “Alumni share industry information with current students and give them feedback about their concerns regarding how to plan their career paths,” she explains.

The Sands China executive praises the quality of education at IFT in the field of tourism and hospitality. She notes that the Institute not only offers bachelor’s degree programmes but also has available a range of certificate courses and other types of professional training.

“IFT has made great advances in the academic field, in internationalisation of its network and in its connections within the industry,” Ms. Wen says. “We can see that IFT has become a really strong educational institution.”

IFT’s annual scholarship programme is supported by financial contributions from 25 bodies, including government units, private enterprises, associations and individuals. These partners sponsored a total of 311 scholarships, with an aggregate value of more than MOP3.1 million, in academic year 2017/18.