Design boss slams absence of architecture and building courses Against the backdrop of the gaming boom and a strong economy, a job explosion across a range of industries in Macau has aggravated the enclave's human resources shortage in professional fields. Amid recruiters calling for more overseas workers to fill staffing gaps, there is also the call for government action to re-examine the education system to produce locally trained architects for its growing construction projects. The managing architect of Macau's leading design firm Steelman Architecture Asia, James Wong, said there was a glaring omission in the courses offered by tertiary institutions in the enclave. 'None of the higher education institutions [in Macau] offer any architecture or construction related courses,' Mr Wong said. 'Design related to the living environment is not on the education agenda. I think it is extremely short-sighted because the education system here needs to provide a spectrum of skills and there are a lot of jobs that no local people can fill because they do not have the skills.' Steelman Architecture Asia, a hospitality design specialist, set up in Macau in 2003 and has grown from a handful of people to more than 30 staff. Mr Wong said staffing levels were expected to grow to about 50 by the end of next year. Some of Steelman's major works in Macau include the Four Seasons Hotel Macao, City of Dreams, Macao Studio City and Galaxy Cotai Mega Resort. The company also has projects on the mainland, Cambodia and Vietnam. 'We had the option of setting up office in Hong Kong or Macau and we chose Macau as the headquarters because it was more suitable,' Mr Wong said. 'Transportation has improved, the majority of our projects are here and I felt that Macau needed a design company of international standing.' Mr Wong said the surge in the gaming and hospitality sector had created a demand for a new breed of employee with portable, highly adaptive and specialised skills. University degrees in architecture or design are a minimum requirement for new recruits and qualification can take up to seven years to complete. Mr Wong said employees with these skills and experience were almost impossible to find in Macau, unless companies targeted students who had left to study and wanted to return. 'My office policy is we try to give opportunities to Macau people,' Mr Wong said. 'But there are pretty limited choices and it is not easy to find the skills and experience in our industry in Macau.' In the design industry, a lack of locally trained people means employers have no choice but to rely on overseas workers. Mr Wong said with such large projects involved, he was mainly looking for people with experience, especially in the hospitality sector. The company runs an internship programme that accepts students studying abroad. 'We give them an opportunity, try to cultivate them to become a part of our team,' he said. 'The situation with graduates is that we can't really take them straight out of university unless they are from Macau, we would not get them approved through the labour importation process, they need to be experienced.' Strong economic growth in the hospitality and gaming sectors across Asia means the company will be looking to expand further in the coming years. A satellite office has already been established in Zhuhai, employing about 50 people. Mr Wong said he was confident of securing other major projects in Asia and all work would be co-ordinated through the Macau office. 'Macau only has so much building land, for the long-term it is never going to be enough,' he said. 'We are not just relying on Macau for our continued existence.' Mr Wong said human resources was the most challenging aspect of running an architectural design firm in Macau. He said retaining staff was not as difficult as finding them. This is primarily due to the large projects Steelman has on its books and the equal or above market salary packages offered. 'I am looking for people literally every day and Hong Kong is a major market for us to search for talent,' he said. 'Macau and Hong Kong have very similar cultures, they are close, the cost of living in Macau is lower, so it is actually quite attractive for people wanting to come here.' Despite this, Mr Wong said the government process of importing labour to Macau was extremely complicated. He called for an overhaul of the system to ensure businesses could continue to grow. 'To ensure our company can expand to the level it should we need a better system,' he said. 'We need a system that is on par with the one in Hong Kong. There has to be a better, organised way of approving labour requirements.' Key points The hospitality design firm has grown from a handful of staff in 2003 to more than 30 now and expects to reach 50 people by the end of 2009 Project portfolio includes Macao Studio City, City of Dreams and Four Seasons Hotel Macao The company runs an internship programme that accepts students studying abroad Satellite office set up in Zhuhai that employs 50 people Strong growth in the hospitality and gaming sectors across Asia will give the company opportunities for further expansion
