High demand, good pay for spa therapists
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 28 trainees from the Inner Peace Spa Consultancy Academy completed their training and graduated, yesterday.
Rural Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedict commended their choice of career, stating that it was not an easy career to choose from since many people still thought that a formal education offered at universities and other tertiary institutions were better choices.
Nevertheless, he reminded them that there are many people who graduated from these formal tertiary education centres still unemployed.
“They either fail to find work, or they fail to create jobs (for themselves),” he said at the graduation ceremony held at the Palace Hotel near here.
He added that it was different for those embarking into a career as spa therapists.
“There are huge demands,” he said.
He said people sought out the services offered by spa therapists to relax their body and to refresh themselves.
He also said he often visited spas to unwind from his busy schedules at work and found the centres he frequented often packed with tourists seeking out the same services.
In his speech, he also said the Sabah government had allocated RM24 million to help entrepreneurs and especially youths who were keen to embark into entrepreneurship.
“For those who are keen on starting their own spa therapy centres, I urge to apply for this,” he said.
He added that his own ministry was allocated with RM14 million for poverty eradication through participation in entrepreneur related activities.
He also urged youths who are keen on such allocation to apply through his ministry.
Ewon added that the spa therapy industry is a lucrative industry, promising salaries of between RM4,000 and RM5,000 to qualified personnel.
Meanwhile, the principal of the academy, Alyssa Lim Angian, said the trainees were trained in the latest tourism product, Urutan Malaysia.
She said they were all attached to the spa and wellness industry for 11 months.
She also said the trainees got to travel and compete their 11 months on the job training with a minimum allowance of RM1,000.