Singapore - McDonald’s has sealed a new partnership with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) for a University Accredited Programme (UAP) to equip employees with the opportunity for further education.

The UAP will provide training in hospitality and food and beverage management, to be offered by the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) on its Singapore campus. Using an internationally recognised cirriculum from the United States, the students will be awarded a nationally-recognised Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) diploma in Food and Beverage and credit exemptions for UNLV's undergraduate programmes at the end of 12 months.

The diploma is currently open to all its restaurant employees at managerial level who show potential to take on higher positions. It also comes under the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR), with subsidised funding for 90% of the course fees for Singaporeans and PRs. McDonald's will sponsor the remaining 10% of its selected employees.

"We want to equip our people with skills and knowledge for their career development at McDonald's, and to help them get closer to their university dreams," says Alex Yeo, general manager of McDonald's Singapore.

The first intake of 25 students for the 12-month WSQ diploma began this April. Over the next three years, McDonald's foresees sending at least 180 staff for the WSQ diploma.

Mohammed Zaini bin Rahim, a current UAP participant who has worked in McDonald's for close to ten years, feels the classes are lively, engaging and provide a more "in-depth understanding in terms of business financial costs".

"I believe I will be able to gain more knowledge and understand the workings of the business better," Zaini adds.