Skift Take
Skilling programs are necessary. However, training them to take up jobs in tourism cannot be the only focus: the industry also needs to figure out how to retain the talent.
The Skift India Newsletter is your go-to platform for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.
India's Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) has entered into a three-year partnership with global payments gateway Visa. The agreement is valued at around $1 million, with the aim to skill at least 20,000 youth for tourism-related jobs, according to the ministry of skill development.
As part of the partnership, youths from 10 Indian states, including Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal, will be trained for roles essential to the tourism industry: tour guides, customer service executives, naturalists, and paragliding tandem pilots.
Travel and tourism are two of the largest industries in India, contributing close to $200 billion to its GDP.
The Employment Gap: The Indian hotel, tourism, and restaurant sectors are expected to create about 200,000 jobs in the next 12 to 18 months, recruitment company TeamLease Services had said in a report. Companies are recruiting for permanent, temporary, and gig positions, the report said.
However, an earlier report by THSC had highlighted that young workers were leaving the industry due to low wages and extended hours.
Speaking to Skift, Dilip Puri, founder, Indian School of Hospitality, had said that these challenges were leading to young professionals being poached by other sectors, with a significant number of students graduating from hospitality schools finding better opportunities in retail, real estate, and start-ups.