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Casino commission lauds IPI’s local employment efforts
Commonwealth Casino Commission officials lauded the efforts made by Imperial Pacific International, Ltd. in hiring and training the local workforce and qualified U.S. citizens. Last Thursday, 15 individuals completed the Baccarat Dealer Training given by IPI and they are now certified to work on the casino floor.
CCC chair Juan M. Sablan said the move just shows how IPI is committed to complying with all of the requirements they had agreed on and those that the federal government also wants to implement.
“We are happy to see people being trained. And that’s what we’ve been trying to impose to them, hire from the local workforce and train them. It is very hard to find dealers, especially on the island so you need to be trained if you get employed for the new casino [or] you recruit from the Philippines, Australia or other casinos in other countries,” said Sablan.
He said training is one of the things in the employment plan submitted by IPI to the commission. “They are complying with our demands. There is ongoing training all the time. IPI has already submitted an employment plan to the commission. They already sent us a copy.”
CCC executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero added this is also proof of IPI’s move to reach out to the community and help the local workforce. “Basically they are trying their very best to recruit U.S. qualified workers and go through the process of training them.”
“That’s why we wanted to commend them. The 15 who finished the course are now ready and prepared to work on the casino floor. We need to reinforce the local workforce and we need to have more training for them.”
“Sometimes in this world, it is better to find what works…to encourage people rather than looking at what they’ve done wrong and pursue sanctions. We want to thank them for doing the right thing,” added Deleon Guerrero.
The number of employees that IPI is going to hire and the kind of training to be provided are also included in the employment plan. IPI needs 3,000 workers once the multibillion-dollar Imperial Pacific Resort opens in the second quarter of 2017.
IPI would need waiters, cooks, and other hotel staff aside from dealers and casino personnel. IPI is targeting the casino to open in late January or early February next year while the hotel is expected as early as May in 2017.
