NEW DELHI: The Centre is exploring plans to revitalise the hospitality sector to produce skilled professionals who can support the country’s fast-growing tourism industry. Sources said the initiative is aimed at addressing the rising demand for trained personnel in hospitality services. As India emerges as a major hub in the global services sector, the move is expected to align training programmes with international standards, enabling aspirants to pursue employment opportunities both in India and abroad.
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture of the Rajya Sabha, headed by Sanjay Jha of the Janata Dal (United), recently held discussions with stakeholders and leading hospitality institutions on the issue, sources said.
“The idea is to glamourise the industry and groom professionals. Their training should go beyond basic pleasantries. The focus could be on specialised divisions such as housekeeping. Not only hotels, housekeeping staff can also be employed in organisations like hospitals. Given the sector’s potential for employment generation and its contribution to the economy, strengthening hospitality training is vital,” sources privy to the discussions said.
Highlighting the scale and potential of the sector, the government had earlier entered into agreements with leading global hospitality chains in the country to provide training and mentoring to students in government-run hotel management institutes.
“Deliberations with stakeholders are the first step towards reinvigorating hospitality training programmes in India and bridging the gap between industry requirements and academic output. Further action will be taken in due course. As the hospitality industry expands, the demand for trained professionals will continue to rise. Currently, institutions are not receiving students in line with their capacity, while the industry faces a manpower shortage,” sources added.
About a year ago, following an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism, top Indian hospitality brands agreed to help design curricula for state-run institutions and provide training aligned with industry requirements. This followed a committee report assessing the demand-supply gap in the sector. The ministry subsequently signed memoranda of understanding with hospitality groups to train students across 21 government institutions.