JUST like how a hotel's doors are never closed, its staff, too, never stop learning.

And learning helps some employees bond too.

Like senior banquet captain Lee Guo Hao, 23, and bellman Melencio Antalan, 32, whose paths hardly cross at their workplace, the Swissotel Merchant Court.

But they got to know each other better at a course they attended recently.

Their assistant training manager Chia Tze Wei, 29, keeps a close eye on the four-star hotel"s staff performance, and calls for in-house training lessons as and when the need arises.

From the concierge to the housekeepers and the office staff, no one is spared these internal courses, where their service competencies are refreshed through interactive activities like role-play.

"Be it someone from housekeeping, engineering or the finance department, our main business is to delight the customer. That's why we undertake rigorous training of their service mentality," Mr Chia said.

Besides, it also affords the lesser-educated among an organisation's staff a second chance at obtaining higher qualifications.

Mr Lee, for example, had started at Swissotel as a part-timer in banquet operations before he enlisted in the army at 18. He had only an O-level certificate then.

Now, his company is considering sending him to study for a diploma in tourism.

This means that should all go well, Mr Lee may very well climb the career ladder and be promoted to assistant manager, said Mr Chia.

Swissotel Merchant Court is an on-the-job training centre - one of 23 hotels in Singapore with this value-added component.

Staff are also given opportunities to go for external training with agencies like the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS).

Mr Lee has attended the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) module in Work Safety, while Mr Antalan went for the WSQ module in Interact With Guests.

Mr Lee told my paper: "I learnt about the correct way to serve guests, as well as how to prevent accidents from happening inside the kitchen and banquet area."

And in the near future, TMIS is looking to partner hotels even more closely to coach staff.

Mr Loi Hai Poh, chief executive officer of TMIS, said: "With the booming tourism sector, there will be a need for more skilled workers in the tourism workforce. Hence, TMIS has set up a Skills Assessment Centre in collaboration with the Workforce Development Agency to upgrade the skills of local and foreign talent for the food-and-beverage and hotel and accommodation sectors."

While details have not been confirmed, Mr Chia is looking forward to the partnership.

With his 10 years of experience in the service sector, he knows that regular training for staff is imperative in maintaining the hotel like a well-oiled machine.

And the reality is, said Mr Chia, talents like Mr Lee are hard to come by, which explains why the hotel industry expends much effort to retain staff.

"We need to fill 20 to 30 vacancies in various departments," Mr Chia said. "Droves of people respond to our recruitment exercises, but when they find out about the expectations we have, they change their minds."

Mr Chia added: "We need people who are willing to serve with passion. Only then can we strive towards perfection."

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