The state-owned hotel school should accredit private institution to enable them to provide qualifications in the hospitality and tourism sector, according to a leading figure in the industry.

“My proposition is to encourage the private sector-lead institutions to get accreditation from the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, enabling wider access to industry training across the country,” Citrus Leisure PLC Chairman Prema Cooray said.

In the state sector, other than the hotel school, the Uva Wellassa University has been offering a degree in tourism and hospitality for some time, while the John Keells group announced in August that it would launch a benchmarked degree through the University of Colombo.

Only a handful of private institutions are in the picture offering foreign degrees and diplomas, which are somewhat costly.

The majority of training in the industry has been done through the hotel school and in-house training programmes of hospitality and tourism companies.
However, a significant majority of trainees had travelled to destinations like the Maldives, Australia and the Middle East seeking better pay.

While a call recently went out asking expatriates to return with their expertise, both apex industry bodies and officials of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority have said that the only way to solve the acute shortage in professionals in the industry would be to increase the presence of foreign universities in the country, which makes Cooray’s perspective unique.

The famous Sri Lankan hospitality was built due to its abundance of workers and their attitude. In the past, Sri Lanka had four employees for every tourist staying at a hotel, compared to two employees per tourist in Western hotels. The shortage means that the existing workforce is overworked.

According to veteran hospitality consultant Srilal Miththapala, if Sri Lanka is aiming at attracting 2.5 million tourists by 2016, a further 115,000 workers are needed in the industry. Currently, the sector has employed 112,000 directly and 250,000 both directly and indirectly, which would have to increase to 365,000 by 2016.

“In terms of human capital, there are many opportunities for the younger generation in the industry today, but sadly, we have failed to really capture raw talent as the hotel industry,” Cooray said.

A majority of the youth are now seeking opportunities in the stable and safe public administration or in the fields of IT, marketing and finance.

Cooray added that if the private sector works closely with the national body, school leavers could be enticed to join the industry, projecting its true potential.
He went on to say that the increasing influx of foreign hospitality brands too gives great opportunities for the rural youth. (CW)