A turning point for Singapore’s hospitality industry: The impending closure of SHATEC, Singapore’s first dedicated hospitality school, marks a significant turning point in the evolution of the city-state’s tourism and hospitality sector.

Founded in 1983 by the late Pakir Singh, then-president of the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), SHATEC – short for Singapore Hotel Association Training and Education Centre – was established with a bold vision: to cultivate local talent for a fast-growing industry dominated by foreign professionals.

Pakir foresaw the need for a new generation of skilled Singaporeans who could rise through the ranks and lead the hospitality scene on their own terms.

Over the past 42 years, SHATEC has trained approximately 40,000 students, many of whom have gone on to hold senior positions in hotels and hospitality businesses both in Singapore and abroad. Its legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of the local industry.

Arthur Kiong, CEO of Far East Hospitality and a member of SHATEC’s pioneer batch, reflected on the milestone with both pride and poignancy.

“I was in the first batch of SHATEC, and now it is closing at the tail end of my career,” he told WiT. “I feel saddened but grateful that it has created careers for thousands of people like me who chose to enter the hospitality industry.”

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