City & Guilds, the leading provider of vocational qualifications, announced today (31 July 2008) that it is investing more resources into Singapore to accommodate the growing need for vocational education and training throughout Asia Pacific.

This includes a new Asian hub office with a dedicated team to support City & Guilds’ offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur.  The new office will be officially opened by His Excellency, Mr Paul Madden, the British High Commissioner to the Republic of Singapore on 31 July.  

Chris Jones, Director-General of City & Guilds, who will be present at the opening ceremony said:   ‘There is an insatiable appetite for vocational education and training throughout Asia Pacific, and City & Guilds has a valuable role to play in helping people to develop their skills for personal and economic growth.

‘Skills are crucially important to the future prosperity of everyone – as individuals, employers and indeed governments.  City & Guilds sees the general skills gap that exists in Asia as a great opportunity to make an important contribution towards the technical and vocational development of the region in sectors as diverse, but not limited to, construction, hospitality, engineering, tourism as well as English for the workplace.

‘Singapore as a world-class education centre of excellence is renowned for its intellectual capital and its ‘can-do’ attitude is an important part of our future plans.  We believe that our presence here will be crucial towards our goal of becoming the global technical and vocational education and training partner of choice.’

Jones added that City & Guilds was in a position to capitalise on its regional investment strategy for the benefit of its learners, partners and centres, as governments around the world wake up to the damaging social and economic consequences of skills imbalances.  

‘Singapore was the amongst the first hubs to be established and as our business continues to develop, we will respond by developing further hubs.   This approach is proving to be beneficial to our customers.’

Since City & Guilds appointed its first Asia Hub manager in Singapore in February 2007, the awarding body has been engaging with local approved training providers including Para-Educators Development Institute.   Para-Educators Development Institute and City & Guilds have been supported by SEACARE Education to promote an initiative in offering its office skills aimed at training and retraining office support workers into job placement programmes within public schools.

-ends-

For further information please contact:
Icon International Communications on +65 6220 2623

Notes to editor:

About City & Guilds (www.cityandguilds.com)
City & Guilds’ headquarters are located in London and the organisation has branches and representatives in 100 countries.  City & Guilds’ qualifications are portable and recognised by employers and educational institutions worldwide.

City & Guilds is a non-profit making organisation with UK Royal Chartered status that reinvests all of its surpluses in the development of its portfolio of qualifications