As we all know, even in one’s home, things get worn out and need to be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. Walls repainted, air conditioners and gas heaters serviced, repairs to kitchen cabinets and the like … all these things need to be done to keep the home a healthy environment and one that runs efficiently.
Planned preventative maintenance is also crucial. Ad hoc maintenance can lead to fire fighting, delays, inconvenienced residents and higher costs to entice suppliers to provide a rush job on getting the necessary parts in.
But finding a capable, qualified contractor is a challenge these days. Then magnify this several thousand times to take into account all the new buildings that will line the Cotai strip, the numerous residential towers going up, and huge public buildings like the Macau East Asian Games Dome.
Where are all the workers going to come from, especially if they need to have Macau IDs? And where will these places find the expertise to carry out the necessary maintenance and upkeep? It really is a major concern.
Recently a hotel-casino operations engineer told me that he needed to employ another 90 staff for the new buildings soon to open. Recruitment Fair days at local universities brought in 20 or so applicants for him – but not from the student body. They all came from other casinos.
“It’s a pool where staff jump from one hotel casino to another”, he explains, “but where is the new blood going to come from?”
Macau authorities could take a leaf out of what France has been doing since 1924. Supported by the French Ministry of Labour, a craftsmen competition is held with winners being given the extremely prestigious “Un Des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” (One of the Best Craftsmen of France) award.
This competition requires months, sometimes years, of preparation. Technical skills, innovation, respect for tradition and other aspects are all practiced repeatedly to a level of refinement and excellence, effectiveness and speed to succeed. Candidates are given a certain amount of time and basic materials not only to create a masterpiece, but to do so with the goal of approaching perfection. The winning candidates retain their title for life, and it is they that France looks to, to promote their crafts to up-and-coming talent with great pride and passion.
I say to the Macau education authorities – we need to bring back our pride in skilled tradesmen and artisans.
And my guess is, if they are paid as well as our croupiers, sign-ups to the industry will substantially grow.
