Her office is an island after mid-career switch

After 15 years as a building management executive, Ms Lisa Loi was longing for a change but couldn't see a way until a job conversion programme presented itself.

Ms Loi, 40, enrolled three years ago and found a path into the tourism industry.

"I had thought about switching for 15 years but I didn't know how," said Ms Loi, now an assistant relationship manager at Sentosa Leisure Group's island partner unit.

In 2009, she found the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for tourism, a collaboration between Sentosa, the Workforce Development Agency and the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore.

The PCP for tourism is a year-long programme targeted mid-career professionals.

The programme also helped Ms Loi gain work experience through apprenticeships in Sentosa's key departments, including admission and attractions, retail and events management.

"Through the course, I learnt more about the various departments and their roles in the entire operation," said Ms Loi, who earned a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Diploma in Tourism.

Ms Loi is now the go-to person for Sentosa's tenants whenever major events such as Zoukout are held on the island.

Her job is to keep them informed and address their concerns about issues such as transportation and crowd management.

While she admitted that the job is similar to her previous one, work is now more fun. "I'm no longer stuck in an office; my office is an island surrounded by the sun, sand and sea."