100,000 skilled workers to join tourism sector

New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) A lakh (100,000) skilled workers trained under the tourism ministry's "Hunar Se Rozgar Tak" scheme will soon be joining the hospitality and tourism industry, Union Minister of Tourism Subodh Kant Sahai said Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop to promote the initiative, Sahai said: "One lakh skilled workers would soon be joining the hospitality and tourism sector."

The workshop was attended by state tourism development corporations.

"Fifty thousand of the workers would be trained by the state tourism boards and the rest 50, 000 would be trained by us," added Sahai.

The Tourism Ministry launched the initiative in 2009 to create employable skills in underprivileged youth who have a minimum qualification of being educated till eighth grade and are between the age of 18-28. The initiative was taken to bridge the gap of skilled manpower in the hospitality sector.

The ministry aims to train 2.5 crore people to get jobs in the tourism sector during the 12th Plan period (2012-17).

"The tourism industry has a shortage of skilled workers and this initiative is successfully generating employment and also empowering the youth," said Sahai.

'Hunar Se Rozgar' initially covered only two trades - food and beverage service and food production. However, housekeeping, bakery, driving, heritage conservation were added later.