Mr Henry Jakins arrived from England three weeks ago with one target: to land a job in the sports industry.
He succeeded. His track record - four years' work with a public relations company in London - got him a senior account manager post at Fulford Public Relations. He starts tomorrow. 'It's my dream to work in sports and Singapore is really up and coming in terms of that,' said the 26-year-old engineering graduate.
Fulford has a department dealing with sports accounts. Said Ms Sheila Rasu, a director: 'There are new events taking place such as the World Netball Championships in 2011. There is no cap on our hiring at present; if business keeps growing as it is now, we would be open to hiring more.'
Including Mr Jakins, there are seven staff in that department.
With other high-profile events such as the Youth Olympic Games next year and repeat marquee events such as the Singapore Grand Prix, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and the golfing Lexus Cup, the sports industry certainly is in the thick of the action.
Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, traced the growth from five years ago.
Apart from positions in sports medicine, he also sees the industry hiring more coaches, counsellors and support staff.
'There has been a creation of infrastructure and facilities for sports so people are needed to man and maintain these facilities,' he said.
Mr Tay Kok Choon, head of strategic sales development of JobStreet Singapore, said the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) has worked hard to promote the island as a sports destination hub.
'As for our nation, participation rate for sporting activities has jumped 10 per cent from 2001 to 2005,' he said.
Ms Lynne Ng, regional director of HR firm Adecco South-east Asia, cited official figures estimating the sports industry generated more than $1 billion last year.
'There are more jobs in sports- event management where people help bring an event to life and provide a visitor experience,' she noted.
'There has also been an increase in jobs in sports marketing and public relations where consultants are supporting the positioning of events and helping to drive attendance and TV viewership.'
The sports associations themselves are hiring to cope with the expansion.
The SSC has more than 900 employees. It has vacancies in many divisions, from sports marketing and sports science to sports medicine and human resource.
Mr Ian Bremner, chief executive of the Singapore Rugby Union, said it is a significantly larger employer - by about 70 per cent - compared to 10 years ago. It currently has 13 full-time staff.
'There are also many more schools playing rugby, creating the need for more coaches,' he added.
Mr S. Govindaraju, honorary secretary of the Singapore Athletics Association, said it recently filled a CEO position and has hired 10 per cent to 20 per cent more temporary staff over the past five years as sporting events got bigger.
'We'll be hiring an average of five staff for the Standard Chartered Marathon at the end of this year, and we hire such temp staff for between one and six months,' he added.
Here is a look at who is hiring in the sports industry:
Event-based jobs
Venue manager, Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
Pre-requisites: Three to five years of relevant experience
Job scope: You are responsible for all aspects of venue operations and have to ensure requirements of the sport, athletes, officials, spectators and media are met.
Mr Calvin Palyama, 35, venue manager for the canoe, kayak and rowing competition in Marina Reservoir, said: 'I've to get a big team to work together so that everything operates seamlessly. For example, we have to consider how to transport spectators to the venue, how to implement ticket checks and security, right down to things like ushering spectators to their seats.'
Employees are required to work until September next year.
Sport competition manager, Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
Pre-requisites: Three to five years of relevant experience
Job scope: You will plan and manage the competitions in accordance with the regulations of the various international federations.
Duties include competition management, running test events, competition scheduling, sports equipment, recruitment and training of specialist sports volunteers.
Said Mr Max Mager, 44, competition manager for cycling events: 'I basically coordinate how the sport will run, such as moving the athletes to the venue and other logistics.'
Employees are required to work until September next year.
Marketing jobs
Assistant director (sports events), Sports Marketing Group, SSC
Pre-requisites: A degree in sports management or business administration is preferred, with eight to 10 years of experience in events management, industry development or capability development.
You should have project-management skills, an understanding of legal matters and a track record in managing a team.
Job scope: You will spearhead the development of SSC's marketing strategies to attract major international sporting competitions to create a vibrant events calendar.
You will have to cultivate relationships with event promoters, broadcasters and sponsors to ensure that the events are well- staged.
Skill-based jobs
Lifeguards, Sports Facilities Group, SSC
Pre-requisites: You should have obtained a minimum of GCE N levels, be medically fit and have good visual and hearing abilities.
Valid Bronze Medallion and cardiopulmonary resuscitation certificates are preferred, as is knowledge of first aid and use of safety equipment. You must be customer-oriented and prepared to do shift duties.
Job scope: You have to ensure safety and maintain order in a swimming pool. You will also manage the pool filtration system, carry out simple repair and maintenance work as well as assist in event preparations.
