Sands Exceeds Its 2021-2025 Workforce Development Investment Target A Year Early

With the publication of its latest ESG report in April of this year, Sands announced it had reached a major milestone in its global commitment to workforce development. By the end of 2024, the company had surpassed its ambition to invest $200 million in workforce development initiatives between 2021-2025, a full year ahead of its target.

With $220 million contributed through the end of 2024, Sands continues to pursue a variety of workforce development initiatives this year. The wide range of programs span Team Member job skills training and professional development, hospitality industry education and career mentorship, and support for upskilling of the local labor pool in Sands’ regions around the world.

“Though we touch many areas, our workforce development programs are united in helping people create pathways to greater earning power through long-term job tracks and meaningful careers,” Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, said. “At the same time, our eye is on strengthening performance and creating excellence at our company and in our industry, as well as building talent in our regions to support tourism development and their continued economic prosperity.”

Team Member Advancement

To empower Team Member development, Sands offers a suite of Sands Academy training and development programs that build job capabilities and professional skills to open doors for long-term success and progression through the ranks to managerial positions.

Sands Academy provides the foundation for Team Member advancement and upskilling and is complemented by specialty learning programs such as the Sands Hospitality Academy for resort staff and outside training and education through tuition reimbursement.

Sands’ regions also offer programs to help Team Members advance into leadership positions, which include the Marina Bay Sands’ Leadership Empowerment Programme for rising professionals and Sands China’s Manager Competence Development Programme and Fast-Track Training Series, which enables Team Members to become supervisors in their departments within nine months through on-the-job training.

Team Member Wellness

Beyond job skills and professional development offerings, Sands promotes overall Team Member well-being through educational programs and initiatives related to wellness, work-life balance and healthy lifestyles.

Sands China offers the Happy 360 wellness program, a six-week series that features health seminars, parent-child activities, health and healing workshops, physical and mental health consultations, interactive game booths and other activities to foster a thriving workplace. Since debuting the Happy 360 initiative in 2021, Sands China has held nearly 200 events, seminars, workshops and road shows that have attracted more than 28,000 participants through the end of last year.

Other efforts include partnering with health and wellness experts from various disciplines to provide physical and mental health programs and experiences, hosting sports clubs and intramural teams, and conducting parent-child educational programs and activities.

Hospitality Education and Job Skills Development

Outside of the company, Sands’ workforce development commitment includes a wide range of hospitality education and developmental programs, as well as support for initiatives to advance skill sets among the local workforce in its regions.

For college students interested in the hospitality industry, Sands and Marina Bay Sands established the Sands Hospitality Scholarship Program, a $1 million initiative to develop a pipeline of hospitality talent in Singapore. In addition, Sands China provides scholarship and fellowship funding to students at Macao tertiary institutions.

At corporate, Sands hosts the Sands Hospitality Immersion Program for students at historically Black Colleges and Universities in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and provides Sands Hospitality Advancement Scholarships through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) for students interested in the travel, tourism and leisure industry.

Other initiatives to cultivate current and future talent in the hospitality industry include Sands China’s Youth Development Series, which trains young professionals and new talent in the hospitality industry. Last year, the series delivered 10 training programs in areas such as food and beverage operations, hotel operations, facilities management and business analysis.

Sands China also offers an All-Round Convention and Exhibition Management Programme to fast-track career development in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition (MICE) area through in-depth instruction, international exposure and preparation for gaining professional certifications.

The Integrated Resort Business Analyst Development Programme enables Sands China trainees to gain valuable work experience by rotating through three analytical departments during the 18-month program while also earning professional certifications and gaining permanent positions as senior business analysts within Sands China.

Sands China also offers complimentary training to retail professionals at Sands Shoppes Macao since 2013 through the Sands Retail Academy, reaching more than 13,000 retail practitioners to help them advance their careers, deliver quality service to guests and create unforgettable shopping experiences.

In Singapore, Marina Bay Sands has supported local job seekers with an annual job fair that last year promoted over 1,200 full-time, part-time and internship positions at the resort. More than 5,500 job seekers participated in informational presentations and visited booths hosted by the resort and 10 local partners.

In Las Vegas, Sands and Sands Digital offer summer intern programs to train college students in professional service areas such as technology, cybersecurity, sustainability, human resources and more.

To learn about Sands’ workforce development initiatives, read the company’s latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/