EDUCATION Blackpool to Bahamas…
Regional Gaming Academy Manager Colleen McLaughlin brings us up to date on goings on at the UK’s National Gaming Academy
Team Greenwich offer Helping Hand
In my previous column, I talked about how
the Government has scrapped the Super Casino plans since the Gaming Academy launched five years ago. However, there are still new licences available for large casinos and both Newham and Milton Keynes, and local authorities have been taking applications from companies interested in operating the licence. Staff from Greenwich Community College’s Gaming Academy have been busy assisting operators with their applications to ensure they meet the conditions of the licence and submit a strong case to the authorities. It is an example of how the gaming academies work to support industry, not just through training but by passing on their expertise and taking the time to get involved with major projects such as this. Working together works both ways and our staff are always happy to help when they can to strengthen the industry as a whole. Having the backing of the Gaming Academy within their application can give operators a real head start. It shows a commitment to investment in training and education and highlights a responsible attitude towards
professionalising the industry. Authorities will no doubt be looking for this when considering applications as having a trained workforce benefits the local economy. The team down at Greenwich are pushing
forward with the applications and will be interested to find out the result of who is granted the licences at a later date.
Success Speaks Volumes
One of the things we’re most proud of at the Gaming Academy is our ability to get people into real jobs after their study. It’s all very well signing up for a training course but what students really want is for it to lead to employment. During the last academic year alone, we’ve seen nearly 200 students successfully gain employment as newly qualified croupiers and slot technicians – that’s around 90% of our trainees. Due to the high calibre of our graduates, many top operators choose to recruit for casinos, cruise ships and arcades directly from the Academy. Feedback tells us they would rather recruit graduates with relevant industry knowledge from a tried and tested partner as it eliminates some of the risk, plus they know their new staff will be trained to a high standard.
Blackpool to Bahamas in 15 Weeks!
One of these employers who regularly recruit our students is Carnival Corporation Cruises. Since launching, we’ve struck up a great partnership with the worldwide operator, which continues to thrive following yet another UK recruitment event across each of our academies. Carnival Corporation uses the facilities of the gaming academy in Blackpool to host recruitment events annually. Experienced gaming staff, along with current and past NGA students, are invited to attend a table test and interview, with a view to gaining employment aboard one of the fleet of fantastic cruise ships. As a result of this collaboration, many of our former students are currently cruising the world right now! Working onboard the ships, employees get to see destinations as exotic as Alaska, the Bahamas, Hawaii and Bermuda. That’s why we like to use the line ‘Blackpool to the Bahamas in 15 exciting weeks’ when advertising our courses to potential new recruits! One of our ex-students, Hannah Presgrave
has just joined her first ship in Singapore. Hannah signed up with the Gaming Academy looking for a change in direction. Upon completion of the NVQ Level 2 in Gambling Operations for croupiers, she gained employment at Leo’s Casino in Liverpool. After 12 months of working at Leo’s the opportunity to apply for a job with Carnival presented itself; this was the reason Hannah trained to work in the casino industry in the first place so she seized the opportunity and won a position after attending a recruitment event. Feedback from the event on Hannah and other former students was fantastic. Rose Grant, Director of Casino Personnel for Carnival Corporation was “especially impressed with some of the past students who came and won the day!” This was the best feedback we could hope for and a real credit to Hannah and the other NGA graduates who are now cruising the world. It just shows how signing up for one of our courses can lead to such exciting opportunities and really do change people’s lives for the better.
26 APRIL 2011
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