A new program designed to educate students on the management of integrated resorts (IR) is coming to Japan and Macau. Galaxy Entertainment has partnered with Japan’s Toyo University and the University of Macau (UMAC) to introduce a “Japan-Macau Integrated Resort Management Mentorship Pilot Scheme” in anticipation of casinos coming to Japan beginning sometime in the next decade. The program is designed to give Japanese university students in-depth knowledge on IR management through month-long visits to casinos in Macau.
According to Galaxy, “[The] Mentorship Scheme is intended to identify and give the coming generation of IR professionals in Japan a first-hand look at what it takes to develop and operate the world’s most successful IR—Galaxy Macau.”
Participants will receive an education on the management and operation of IRs through a series of lectures and mentoring sessions. The lectures will be led by faculty members of UMAC’s International Integrated Resort Management program and the mentoring will be provided by Galaxy executives. They will cover areas such as Hotel and Hospitality, Food and Beverage, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Branding and Marketing. Additionally, mentoring will be provided on Retail, Organizational Development, Training and Human Resources.
Francis Lui, Galaxy’s vice chairman, said, “Together with the [Galaxy] Foundation and the support of University of Macau, we are very pleased to share our philosophy for sustainable and responsible IR development with what we hope will be the future home-grown leaders of IRs in Japan. As a group we are passionate about nurturing the next generation and in giving them the best possible opportunities for their future careers. We recognize that Macau, and [Galaxy], have both the vision and an opportunity to share its formula for success with Japan as it embarks on the path of IR implementation.”
Professor Jacky Yuk-chow, UMAC dean and Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU, a Macau-based bank) professor of finance, said that UMAC welcomes “the chance to support GEG with this program by making available our faculty members to share UMAC’s deep IR industry knowledge with the students from Japan.”
Galaxy is taking a unique approach with its offering that differs from some resort educational programs that are already in place at schools such as the Japan Casino Academy and the Japan Casino School. Those academic centers focus more on the casino floor operations, while Galaxy is promoting IR management and including non-gaming aspects of resort operations, as well.
