SHATEC defines a distinctive vision of hospitality training under the founding Chief Executive, Mr Pakir Singh, who was hailed “The Father of Singapore’s hospitality training” and a strong proponent of ASEAN regional tourism human resource development cooperation in his time. In an era which preceded structured education in hotel management in Singapore, SHATEC collaborated with the world-renowned Swiss École hôtelière de Lausanne to develop its courses when it first started. It became the region’s first dedicated hotel school, training new entrants for the hospitality industry and conducting development programmes for industry professionals.