Tourism Hotel School on major upgrade,revamp
Sri Lanka’s premier training institute for the students of the hotel industry is about to undergo a complete overhaul with a revamp of the building itself and improving the quality of the education.
The industry requires a quick training programme that would help build a career path and which needs certification, the newly appointed Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism Hotel Management ( SLITHM) Chairman Dilip De Silva said in an interview with the Business Times recently.
An alumni of the institute he believes that Sri Lanka needs to brush up its staff skills on fine dining as opposed to simply providing customer service.
To train people to that level of fine dining takes time and you got to have a sound knowledge to become an F and B Director, he explained.
Mr. De Silva pointed out that not just competency but also confidence- based training is most important adding that having being a past student of this institute and in the last 35 years working in 12 different countries he has noticed the gaps in the system in Sri Lanka.
The country needs a quality work- force that could be achieved through quality training in line with industry requirements, he said.
Just last year the institute had produced 7000 students trained in different aspects whereas the industry requires about 15,000.
An interesting fact revealed is that most students were opting to move out since the wages paid to them in Sri Lanka was insufficient.
However, he pointed out that while they do not discourage people from leaving the country on the contrary the country also needs them to stay here to maintain a balance.
One of the upgrades carried out would be the renovation of the building that would also include 10 rooms. This would also entail upgrading of provincial schools with a major overhaul to keep up with the industry standards.
In addition, the SLITHM is also planning to move its school at Passikudah to Trincomalee since the demand was greater in the latter location.
Jaffna playing host to the hotel school from SLITHM will commence February/ March craft courses in Front Office, Housekeeping and F and B. One full time faculty would be established and the first batch will comprise 138 students. There is also a demand for three year diploma courses at the Colombo and Kandy schools.
SLITHM is working in partnership with the Tourism Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association (CHSGA) through the support of their national network.
In addition discussions have been underway to carry out industry-based training for staff of hotels with short term training and apprenticeships through NAITA and SLITHM which could help to add value to these programmes, Mr. De Silva said.
At present the institute has tie-ups with Netherlands, Austria and Strasbourg and the institute is looking at tying up with international diploma levels as well.
This year, Mr. De Silva explained they were hoping for a dual certification to establish a degree programme and offer scholarships for faculty students with the best student getting a scholarship in the tie-up with the foreign government.
Sri Lanka still continues to attract its locals to the tourism industry, and there are no shortages in the supply of future labour wanting to join the sector, he said.