50 more trained local spa therapists
Published on: Thursday, July 21, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Fifty industry-trained and work-ready female spa therapists received their course completion certificates Wednesday, all excited about building a successful career in an industry that is still trying to shed its sleazy image.The therapists had spent six-months in training at Excellence Skill Academy ESA) in Papar including a two-month on-the-job experience at various spas and wellness centres in Sabah and Penang in a programme fully-funded by Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera (YPPB). As guaranteed by YPPB when they first enrolled for the programme, all of the ESA's first batch of trainees have been offered at least a year's contract by their respective employers in both States.
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They are also guaranteed a competitive salary and a chance to build a rewarding career, provided they persevere and continue to develop their skills.When met by Daily Express after the certificate presentation ceremony, some of them believed that their job as a therapist would open other windows of opportunity."I want to gain the experience and hopefully someday I'd be able to raise the money to open up my own business," said 21-year-old Siti Nur Shazirenah Masri from Keningau who now works in a spa and wellness centre in Penampang.She remains open however to the possibility that her dream business may not be related to what she had been trained for.
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"Maybe I'll open a hair salon," she added. 19-year-old Jiss Christellyen Justin, also from Keningau, prefers not to see too far in the future but takes everything one day at the time. She too has been offered a job in a spa in Penampang and looks forward to receiving a four-figure salary so she can help to support her family.
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"I'm happy with the salary offered by my employer," she said.Federal Ministry Tourism and Culture's official portal states that the expected monthly income for a junior spa therapist in a 5-star spa is between RM1,500 to RM1,800. The salary scale increases based on the therapist's position, years of experience and a spa's star rating.ESA manager Stella Matuya said in her speech that it is her desire to see all her alumni go far in the industry that is still dominated by foreign workers. She disclosed that according to a 2013 official source, foreign therapists make 60 per cent of the workforce in the industry that currently has about 6,000 spa centres nationwide.Her academy's first 50 batch of trained therapists offer a long awaited relief to spa employers who have been facing a high turnover of staff, mostly foreigners. Most of them have also complained about the high cost in hiring and maintaining foreign workers, in addition to the difficulty in keeping them to the job for a longer period.Through YPPB's fast track training programme, the deal is such that the local trained and work-ready therapists must honour at least a year's contract with their respective employers. It remains however common knowledge that the industry has suffered a bad reputation, a fact that Stella herself acknowledged.But she assured that YPPB's funded-programme implemented by ESA strongly emphasised on trainees to maintain high professional services along the strict lines of ethics and morality.She also hoped the industry's image would gradually improve with the government's implementation of two policies namely a spa star-rating system that would restore its confidence and credibility, and a strictly locals only recruitment. Meanwhile, according to YPPB chief executive Raja Azura Raja Mahayuddin said 8,000 individuals have benefited from its 114 programmes since its establishment in 2012 and expects the number to grow to 10,000 next month. She added the goal is to reach a total beneficiaries of 30,000 people by the year 2020.The YPPB is an initiative under the Hala Tuju Transformasi Ekonomi Bumiputera that was launched by the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister's Department that is focused on strengthening the capacity of Bumiputera in a continuous manner. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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