The University of Macau (UM) organized a press conference, yesterday, which concluded the past 4-year experience of the Gaming Management (GM) program and briefed on its future development. Besides, it also reported the employment situation of the first batch of GM graduates. Among the 28 graduates, 92.8% have been recruited by casino operators to work at technical or managerial positions. 5 of them have even been looked upon with favor by Las Vegas Venetian and given the opportunity to go to Las Vegas for a 2-year Leadership Development Program through which they will be able to learn advanced management skills. In addition, in the press conference, the second batch of the GM students shared the happiness and experiences from their 2-week Las Vegas Study Mission 2006.
The participants of this press conference included Prof. Gabriel Douglas Donleavy, Dean of Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), Prof. Lam Long Wai, Associate Dean of FBA, Dr Siu Chi Sen, Program Coordinator of GM program, Dr Fong Ka Chio, Director of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming, and the first and second batch of GM students.
Employment Situation of the First Batch of GM Students
All the 28 GM major students graduated from UM with excellent results. The average GPA was above 3.0. Being the first batch of graduates, their employment situation was very satisfactory and encouraging. Before the students graduated, the local casino operators had already shown their interests in recruiting them. According to preliminary statistics, except for 1 graduate who has decided to pursue advanced study, the other 27 graduates have already found their jobs successfully. One of them has been employed by the Macao Government, while the others have all entered the gaming industry. The salary median is around MOP15,000 – 20,000 per month. Most of the graduates have been hired by the two American casino operators at technical or managerial positions, such as Gaming Optimization Analyst, Income Control Auditor, Database Gaming Analyst, Project Coordinator, Market Research Analyst and Casino Project Coordinator etc.
Leadership Development Program in Las Vegas
Being appreciated by Las Vegas Venetian, 5 of the 28 graduates will participate in a 2-year Leadership Development Program. In the coming 2 years, they will be trained in Las Vegas Venetian, as Leadership Development Associates. During this period, they will have the great opportunity to work in different departments to learn the practical and advanced management techniques in such a large-sized casino resort. In addition, they will also acquire the knowledge on various issues, such as handling various customers with different cultures.
Las Vegas Study Mission 2006
The Las Vegas Study Mission 2006 was successfully held from June 19 to July 3. It was sponsored by Macau Foundation, Venetian Macau Limited and Wynn Resort Macau, and supported by MGM Grand Paradise.
24 students, accompanied by 3 academic staff, departed for Las Vegas on June 19. During this 2-week intensive program, they had gained practical insights into casino operations and broadened their exposure and understanding of the casino industry, which will foster their future development significantly. In addition to the practical side, this study mission also provided the students a series of seminars on Casino Industry, Casino Fraud, Strategic Management, Legal aspects of gaming, Gaming Technology, Casino Maths and Slots, Recruitment and Retention in the Gaming Industy, Food and Beverage Trends, Accounting and Finance, Entertainment Aspect of the Las Vegas Culture and so on.
The speakers included scholars and professors from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as local casino practitioners. To strengthen students’ practical experience, the mission also involved visits to local casinos, infrastructure and related institutions. The three Macao casino operators, i.e. Venetian Macau Limited, Wynn Resort Macau and MGM Grand Paradise, had arranged, respectively, a 2-day visit and training for the students. Moreover, their middle and senior management had come and provided, in person, an introduction about their properties and casino operations.
Internship Program of the Second Batch of GM Students
Having come back from Las Vegas, the 2nd batch of GM students started their internship program in the second week of July. According to the GM study plan, they are required to complete an internship of at least 320 hours at one of the casino operators or related institutions in Macao. The purpose is to increase their competitiveness and let them acquire the practical experience before graduation. This year, UM has successfully invited 5 local casino operators to join the Internship Program. They are Galaxy Resort & Casino, MGM Grand Paradise, SJM, Venetian Macau Limited and Wynn Resort Macau. Arranged by University of Macau, the matching interview was held in early May. Eventually, based on the students’ interest and the participating companies’ requirements, 24 students have been allocated to the above casinos for the 2-month internship. During this period, the students will have an opportunity to rotate in different departments including Hotel Operations/Convention & Exhibition, Food & Beverage, Gaming Audit, Public Relations, Surveillance, Scheduling, Cage, Marketing, Table Game, Slot and Gaming Floor etc. Such experience will facilitate their job finding in the future.