Participants of the 150-hour training programme were awarded with completion certificates

VFS Global has partnered with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) to conduct strategic hospitality training for 25 young women from the marginalised communities. 

Participants of the 150-hour training programme were awarded with completion certificates and 16 of them also landed full-time employment offers with an average salary of Rs 10,000 per month from some of the leading employers in the tourism and hospitality industry. 

“Caring for our Communities is an important pillar of our Sustainability strategy, and we continue to support communities around us through strategic collaborations with industry partners and credible social organisations while aligning with local needs and government priorities”, said Sukanya Chakraborty, Chief Communications Officer & Head of CSR.

This programme is aligned with VFS Global’s focus on women empowerment and youth skilling in India and was initiated to support Women in TAAI & Tourism (WITT) – TAAI’s social initiative to support women in the travel and tourism sector. 

“CSR initiatives for skill development is a wonderful initiative. There are many youths who after completing school education are not able to afford courses which can help them to get gainful employment opportunities. Through this special initiative, female youths will get hyper local job opportunities and add substantially to their household income. More and more women skilled workers are joining the travel, tourism & hospitality industry and there will be a day when they play more than equal role in the countries employment scenario," said Jyoti Mayal, President TAAI.

Rajan Bahadur, CEO - THSC thanked VFS Global and TAAI for supporting its endeavour. An initiative like this by an Industry body of Tourism & Hospitality sector will build trust and confidence among job seekers who are aspiring to join the ever-growing sector. He also appreciated the efforts taken by partners for mobilising a special batch of Women Skilled workers and wished the successful candidates best for their future. 

Key takeaways of the training programme

•Providing meaningful employment opportunities to women from marginalised communities.

•Developing the technical and behavioural capabilities of the participants and helping them to build a career within Tourism & Hospitality industry.

•Improving earning potential by bringing them into the formal workforce.