The industry needs to wake up and adapt to the changing expectations and aspirations of the new-age workforce, says Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council

Since its inception, the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) has achieved significant milestones in providing formal employment opportunities to candidates. It has developed more than 80 qualifications in consultation with the industry partners; trained and certified approximately 1,00,000 candidates each year through 600-plus training centres across the country; partnered with over 900 industry partners, covering more than 2,500 units; recruited over 50,000 candidates as apprentices since 2018 and enrolled 15 lakh candidates and successfully certified 11 lakh-plus with an overall placement of over 70 per cent certified candidates. BW HOTELIER spoke with Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council.

Excerpts from an interview: 

What challenges are the Indian tourism and hospitality industry facing in the current scenario? 

Despite achieving high volumes of business with the increase in tourist footfalls across the country, the tourism and hospitality industry in India is facing a significant challenge of meeting the demand for skilled manpower post-pandemic. The industry needs to wake up and adapt to the changing expectations and aspirations of the new-age workforce to become an attractive proposition for the best talent, taking into consideration factors such as quality of life, work-life balance, and comparable pay scales. In addition, hospitality leaders need to creatively utilise innovative technology to enhance the customer journey and serve their guests and teams better. Lastly, the industry needs to address sustainability and eco-friendliness issues as customers are becoming increasingly conscious of environmental concerns. Overall, the industry needs to adapt to the changing landscape to stay competitive in the future. 

During the period of the pandemic, a sizeable number of students chose not to enrol at IHMs and other private institutions, thus resulting in talent drain. Your take on the same and how is the industry looking to fill this gap?  

People going in for hotel management, culinary or tourism careers are already riding the high wave of technology with multiskilling and handling various tasks at a time. It is true that during the pandemic, a sizeable number of students chose not to enrol at IHMs and other private institutions, resulting in a talent drain in the industry. However, the industry is looking to fill this gap by offering skilling and reskilling programs to the existing workforce and attracting new talent through various initiatives. The industry needs to focus on providing a learning and growth environment to attract and retain talent, along with offering attractive compensation packages and work-life balance. 

The Government has been quite supportive of THSC's efforts in the tourism and hospitality sector. THSC works closely with the Centre and state governments to identify high-demand job roles and develop relevant skill training programs. This year, the Central Government has included 20 varied job roles in the tourism and hospitality sector under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana scheme (PMKVY) 4.0. THSC also collaborates with various other ministries such as Education, Minority Affairs, Housing and Urban Affairs, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Social Justice and Empowerment, and Tourism to ensure a comprehensive approach towards skill development and employment generation in the sector. 

Sodexo recently signed an MoU with THSC and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY). Share details.  

Sodexo has signed an MoU with Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) to provide first-time employment opportunities to the frontline workforce engaged in food and catering as well as facilities management spaces. The signing of the MoUs involved representatives from Sodexo, THSC, and DDUGKY. Sodexo aims to create an additional 20,000 job opportunities by 2025 through these partnerships. The focus will be on strengthening curriculum and training modules to develop job-ready talent for Sodexo's business requirements in India and the Middle East. The company intends to address the manpower crunch in core manufacturing sectors, technical jobs and culinary talent through structured skilling programs. 

Hospitality companies are either upskilling existing talent or hiring from other industries as they seek to overcome a manpower crunch amid a post-Covid boom in hotel demand. What role does THSC play here? 

THSC plays a crucial role in addressing the manpower crunch in the hospitality industry amid the post-Covid boom in hotel demand. Through active engagement with industry and training partners, THSC promotes skill training, upskilling, and reskilling efforts. The Council emphasises multi-skilling and authentic storytelling to enhance the visitor experience. By expanding the scope of human resource development, THSC supports hospitality companies in meeting the industry’s growing demands for skilled talent. 

Share the future plans of THSC. 

The future plans of THSC revolve around addressing the skill and demand gap in the tourism and hospitality industry. Here are the key highlights: 

• Creation of New Qualifications:  With the rise in domestic travel and increase in demand for adventure sports, THSC has developed 20 new qualifications specifically targeted at tourism and adventure tourism.  

• Placement and Skill Enhancement: THSC has achieved an impressive placement rate of over 70% for certified candidates. The council aims to maintain or further enhance this rate in the future, emphasizing the importance of bridging the skill gap and ensuring successful placements for skilled individuals. 

• Collaboration with Districts and Training Partners: THSC is working closely with districts and training partners to understand the aspirations and skill requirements of the local youth. This approach ensures that the training programs align with the job roles in demand and cater to the specific needs of different regions. 

• Mobilisation of Tribal Youths: THSC is actively mobilizing tribal youths in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) districts to participate in these skill development programs. This initiative aims to provide opportunities for the tribal community and promote inclusivity in the tourism and hospitality sector. 

High focus on Recruit Train & Deploy model to develop talent as per Industry’s requirement.   

Overall, THSC's future plans revolve around creating relevant qualifications, ensuring placement opportunities, collaborating with stakeholders, and promoting inclusivity to bridge the skill and demand gap in the industry.