Private Sector Tourism Skills Committee to facilitate industry skill supply
Actively seeking to fulfil a timely requirement, the Private Sector Tourism Skills Committee (TSC) launched the Tourism Workforce Competitiveness Roadmap in collaboration with the private tourism industry to take on the challenge of demonstrating to Sri Lanka’s young women and men that a career in the fast-growing tourism and hospitality industry can be safe, stimulating, well-compensated and full of opportunities for growth.
Formulated under special request from Technical and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) and the Skills Development and Vocational Training Ministry to urgently respond to the critical workforce challenges and skills supply in tourism, the TSC also plans to ensure that the courses available in training institutes are practical, aligned with market needs and taught according to global best practices.
PTSC was formulated under special request from TVEC and the Skills Development and Vocational Training Ministry to urgently respond to the critical workforce challenges and skills supply in tourism. The TSC is explicitly private sector-led and voluntary.
Elaborating on the focus of the roadmap, TSC Chairman Malik Fernando, Managing Director of Dilmah Tea’s leisure arm Resplendent Ceylon, said, “Please don’t call it a strategy. We have too many of those and no one ever seems to act on them. This roadmap is a call to action. We hope others will join us but we don’t intend to wait.” The TSC has already prioritized a list of entry-level courses they intend to update with the assistance of the TVEC and Sri Lanka Institute for Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), as well as new courses Sri Lanka needs to introduce to keep pace with global trends.
Speaking at the launch, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Reed Aeschliman said, “This roadmap demonstrates the kind of vision, leadership and cooperation from the private sector that is needed to ensure Sri Lanka gets the most from its incredibly talented young women and men.”
The roadmap was facilitated by renowned international experts James Mac Gregor and Srilal Miththapala and brought together by some of the leading minds in the industry: MJF Group, Dilmah Tea - Resplendent Ceylon Director Malik Fernando, Tangerine Group of Hotels and Tangerine Tours Sri Lanka Managing Director Angeline Ondaatjie, Jetwing Travels Managing Director Shiromal Cooray, John Keells Maldivian Resorts Executive VP and Head Jayantissa Kehelpannala, Mount Lavinia Hotel Chairman and THASL President Sanath Ukwatte, Theme Resorts & Spas Director/ceo Chamin Wickramasinghe, John Keells Group Head of Brand Marketing Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Dileep Mudadeniya, Shangrila Hotel, Colombo Vice President and General Manager Timothy Wright, William Angliss Colombo Academy of Hospitality Management Center Director Steven Bradie-miles, Thambapanni Leisure Managing Director Preshan Dissanayake (SME Sector).
Ex-officio Members included SLITHM Director General/ CEO Buddhika Hewawasam, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Kavan Ratnayake, TVEC Acting Director Industry Liaison Manjula Vidanapathirana, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Senior Assistant Secretary General Chandra Vithanage.
Further, Hiran Cooray, Prema Cooray and Abbas Esufally acted as senior advisors to PTSC.
SLTDA Chairman and TSC ex-officio member Kavan Ratnayake applauded the efforts of the council. “We’ve worked with most of these companies and many more to draft the Tourism Strategic Plan 2017-2020. It’s extremely encouraging to see a few of them taking action. I hope the rest of the industry joins in. If that happens, the SLTDA will be there to help.”
One theme in the TSC’S roadmap is to encourage more women to enter the industry. The launch screened a video produced by thr Youth Employment and Business Start-up Programme (Youlead) on Women in Tourism. The World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is using the video in a joint national campaign to change attitudes toward vocational education— particularly among women.
“I love tourism, it has been an amazing career for me,” revealed TSC Vice Chair and Jetwing Travels Managing Director Shiromal Cooray. “Unfortunately many young women and their parents don’t know how interesting and fulfilling it can be. We need to show them. I need to show them. This industry can’t grow if half of our workforce sits on the sidelines.”
The roadmap is driven by the TSC with the support of the TVEC of the Science, Technology, Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training and Kandyan Heritage Ministry, SLTDA, SLITHM, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Youlead.
Youlead is a US $ 12 million project funded by the USAID and implemented by International Executive Service Corps.
In a video message to attendees at the launch, Science, Technology, Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training and Kandyan Heritage Minister Sarath Amunugama welcomed the private sector participation in the training of Sri Lanka’s youth. The minister also pledged to extend his fullest support through the ministry to take this initiative forward.
The full Tourism Workforce Competitiveness Roadmap is available on the SLTDA website at: http://www.sltda.gov.lk, and on the TVEC website at http:// www.tvec.gov.lk/.