Melco Crown Entertainment and Edinburgh Napier University have teamed up in order to launch an in-house bachelor degree program for staff. The initiative got the name “MCE YOU-niversity” and it’s part of the group’s programme for “Whole Person Development.” With the help of the programme, casino employees will get the chance to complete their education or gain qualifications while working.

The company’s executive vice president and chief human resources and corporate social responsibility officer, Akiko Takahashi, gave a statement saying that the company was committed to fostering internal career opportunities. According to Takahashi, it was better to “lose people to ourselves than to lose them to competitors.” Thus, Melco Crown has an intention to give its staff access to the jobs “they’d like to try.”

Under the programme, employees that have been working there for at least five years as managers or supervisors will receive credits for the undergraduate course. Such courses usually last four years, but with the initiative employees would be able to enter the programme directly on the third year.

The bachelor programme is planned to have six modules and those are: introduction to accounting, casino management, international marketing, international business, service management and strategic management in a global context. The teaching will mostly take place in Macau, but it’s expected to involve some input from academics from the Edinburg Napier University as well.

Takahashi, on the press conference that was held this Friday, explained that tuition fees would be covered by the company. However, one of the conditions of entering a course would be to stay at the company for a predetermined period of time after graduation. The exact period wasn’t specified.

Melco Crown Entertainment is a venture between Hong Kong’s Lawrence Ho (son of Macau gaming industry legend Stanley Ho) and Australian billionaire James Packer (son of the late media mogul Kerry Packer and grandson of Sir Frank Packer). Their most welll known properties include City of Dreams in Cotai and the soon to open Studio City.