Twelve companies in the tourism industry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today as part of their commitment in addressing the perennial concerns of staff retention and turnover.

They have pledged their commitment to a new programme called Advance with Skills (ASP) under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) system, which will provide a clear pathway to promotion for staff.

The ASP is a $1.5 million collaboration between the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) and industry partners.

It comprises two key components - skills upgrading through training under the Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) system; and the adoption of WSQ into the company's HR system. Workers employed by participating companies can receive full scholarships to upgrade and professionalise their skills thus enjoying a clear promotion pathway in the company.

WDA and TMIS (a Continuing Education and Training centre appointed by WDA for the Tourism sector) will also work with companies to set aside 500 WSQ scholarships for new or existing staff under the ASP.

Ms Chan Guat Cheng, Executive Director of Chan Brothers Travel Pte Ltd said, 'With the tight labour market, the ASP is a timely programme to help companies adopt a holistic approach to attract, train, develop and retain talent. Through a structured progression pathway, our staff can look forward to better development opportunities and even better prospects of promotion as they advance with skills under the WSQ system.'

Apart from the provision of full WSQ scholarships, companies will also be incorporating the WSQ framework into their HR practices, specifically in the areas of recruitment, performance management and talent development. This means staff can have a clearer understanding of the competencies they should possess in order to perform well at their current job level or even at the next job level.

'We hope that the ASP will benefit at least 500 Tourism workers over the next three years. By providing the means for new and existing workers to upgrade their skills and rise up within the sector through WSQ training, the programme aims to reduce staff turnover for companies and raise the quality of the Tourism workforce by allowing workers to advance in their career with skills', commented Mr Ong Ye Kung, Chief Executive of WDA.