The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Kerala Tourism to hone staff skills

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Wednesday, Aug 05, 2009
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Tourism to hone staff skills

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

From proprietors to room boys, all will be trained as part of ‘Let’s Learn’

Session will begin on August 17
10,000 will be trained this year

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Tourism is to kick off an ambitious training programme for the proprietors, executives, chefs, waiters and room boys of hotels, resorts and homestays in the State from August 17.

The training programme, ‘Let’s Learn,’ is aimed at upgrading skills of the staff and thus provide world class service to tourists. The programme will commence with the training for those in the Food and Beverage (F&B) service. The three-day residential programme will be held at designated hotels.

Training modules for front office, housekeeping, F&B Service and F&B production have been prepared. The training sessions, comprising practicals and language skills, will be held simultaneously in all districts.

The training of the 30 master trainers, including 12 from the industry and the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Kovalam will be completed next week.

Later, orientation programmes will be organised for proprietors of hotels, resorts and homestays, training for the management staff (executives and front office), chefs and those in the F&B production wing.

Secretaries of the District Tourism Promotion Councils had been entrusted with the task of organising training in districts. Director of Tourism M. Sivasankar said 250-300 training programmes would be held before the peak tourist season in November. “We hope to begin the programme at least in seven districts on August 17,” he said.

Reduced cost

Although the cost of training a person will come to Rs.2,000, the department will charge Rs.200. “We hope to get some assistance from the Union government,” Secretary, Tourism, V. Venu said.

The Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) too will provide training to tourism police, taxi and autorickshaw drivers and life guards in the State.

Minister for Home and Tourism, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan held a video conferencing with the stake-holders of the tourism industry from the IT@school studio in Poojappura on Tuesday to elicit support of the industry for the novel venture.

The Minister said the aim was to train 10,000 personnel this year and to cover 30,000 in the next three years.

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