The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), the collective voice for 167 hotel members in Singapore, today announced that its training arm, SHATEC, will be making a strategic move away from pre-employment training (PET) and will focus primarily on its continuing education and training (CET) programmes.

This pivot will strengthen SHATEC's position as the leading institution supporting the tourism and hospitality sectors in their workforce transformation efforts. SHATEC will work closely with partners, such as Workforce Singapore, on its new focus to reskill and upskill the existing individuals in the tourism and hospitality sectors with in-demand skills, such as sustainability and digital fluency, outlined in the Jobs Transformation Map for the Hotel Industry. Through our collaboration, we aim to strengthen the career health of these individuals and contribute to a fulfilled and resilient workforce.   

In this regard, come September 2024, SHATEC will be receiving its last intake of PET students. Concurrently, SHATEC will, in consultation with the industry, continue with its CET programmes to upskill, deep-skill and reskill the hotel workforce to enable them to thrive and advance their careers in a dynamic hospitality sector.

During the formative years of Singapore's rise as a travel destination, there was a need to ensure a quality pipeline of talented professionals to serve the growing tourism industry. Hence, SHATEC was established in 1983 to provide regional tourism human resource development and cooperation.

Since SHATEC's founding in 1983, generations of notable hoteliers and culinarians have made significant contributions to the maturity of Asia's tourism industry

After more than four decades, Singapore has earned critical acclaim as a world-class destination complemented by renowned hospitality excellence. Through the success of local mainstream educational institutions and emergence of regional hotel schools, the industry is now well served by a steady stream of young professionals. 

“Being the umbrella body for Singapore's hotel sector, the Singapore Hotel Association recognises the needs of the future of hospitality. As we embark on the journey of job transformation for hotels, it is a natural progression for SHATEC to assume an elevated role in nurturing talents to serve hotels of tomorrow,” said Mr. Kenneth Li, President of Singapore Hotel Association.

Over the years, SHATEC has delivered formal training programmes in Singapore and across numerous countries in Asia Pacific. Recognised for its expertise in hospitality education, SHATEC has rendered consultancy and advisory services for projects under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and European Community in human resource development for ASEAN tourism. SHATEC was also one of the founding members of APETIT (Asia-Pacific Education and Training Institutions in Tourism) set up by UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific). Today, SHATEC is a member of the Asia Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (APacCHRIE).

“After more than four decades and 40,000 alumni in strength, SHATEC's graduates can be found all over the world holding key positions in leading hotels and other hospitality related establishments. However, we remain cognizant of our raison d'être – to build technical competencies, development of leadership potential, character building and personal betterment. The time is ripe to elevate SHATEC's role in nurturing a new generation of talents who can serve the future of hospitality,” said Loh Lik Peng, Chairman of SHATEC.

For more information, please visit SHATEC at https://www.shatec.sg