The Future Is Going To Belong To The Skilled People

Dr Sonali Sinha, COO, Tourism and Hospitality Skills Council (THSC), is a hospitality professional with over two decades of experience, she has a unique blend of working with the finest hotels of the country and academic institutions before getting into trainings. A doctorate in Hotel management from Nagpur University, she has more than 5 full time degrees and 8 professional certifications in Training & Development, Six sigma, Image & etiquettes & she is also a ICF certified Life Coach. She talks to The Chefs Arena about their organizational goals and the bright future that it withholds for the industry professionals.

Q. THSC has been aimed at developing the skilling requirement of tourism and hospitality industry. Which are the specific verticals for which skill sets are being promoted, specifically relevant to the hospitality kitchens?

Dr Sonali Sinha: THSC aims to skill in the following 5 sub-sectors of the industry:

• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Travel and Tours
• Facilities Management
• Cruise liners

The organized and unorganized businesses of all these sub-sectors are aimed at skilling. From the specialized Pastry Chef to the standalone Multicuisine cook and a Tandoor cook are all the job roles that THSC trains for.

Q. What are the benefits to the candidate of undergoing such programme/certification?

SS: THSC, by the virtue of being funded by National Skills Development Corporation and falling under the ambit of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, is mandated as a certifying body. This provides the candidates skilled under various programs of THSC to receive a government recognized certificate.

THSC is an industry body formed by various industry champions coming together and endorsing the National Occupational Stands and Certificate of THSC. This helps the candidates going through these programs to get relevant and industry aligned training with an industry endorsed certification.

Q. What is the validity of the certification provided on successful completion of the programme? Is there a follow-up model for continuity of skill development?

SS: The candidate gets the validity of the National Occupational Standards that they are trained on. They can upgrade and enrich themselves by undergoing various short-term training in their fields as per their convenience. With the Skilling Credits Portability coming in place by the mandate of Ministry of HRD, the candidates can now get a Bachelors Degree in Vocational training to further their professional prospects.

Q. Does the skilling programme conducted by THSC help in gaining better employment for the candidates? Is there specific data available to support your answer?

SS: The range of employment opportunities for candidates certified through THSC programs are from five-star hotels and branded restaurants, to local employers and international placements. Some of our top industry partners are Oberoi Group, Taj Group, Leela Hotels and Palaces, Radisson Group of Hotels, Lemon Tree Hotels Group, ITC Hotels, Sarovar Group, Specialty Restaurants, K Hospitality, Jubliant, KFC, Open Tap Hospitality, Empressario, Sodexo, PVR to name a few. These and many more have participated in various Job Fairs by THSC and have hired candidates from our eco system. Our Industry connect base is increasing as we grow and we are confident that more and more Industry will partner with us to support Mission Skill India.

Q. Where do you see THSC by 2020? What are the specific targets?

SS: The target taken up by THSC is to skill and make 35 lakh candidates employable in the industry. We plan to orient and certify all those employed in the organized and unorganized sectors of the industry and bring them up to date with the industry standards.

Q. While there is a specific norm in place with relation to minimum wages, there is a certain pay parity that continues to exist for the lower grade employees, especially in the unorganized segment of the hospitality industry. Your thoughts.

SS: The future is going to belong to the skilled people. The wages that are existing today would undergo an alignment to the skills that the candidates brings to the job. Everyone wants skilled people but not everyone wants to pay for it. With all things being equal, the skilled people will have affinity to work with those organizations which see that as an investment rather than a cost.

Q. SKILL India movement is a one of its kind initiative where industry representatives and the government machinery have come together for the upliftment of the workforce, and the society at large. Has the role of the industry representatives been proactive? What benefits does THSC derive from their participation?

SS: The biggest initiative of the Government and Industry coming together is the formation of Sector Skill Councils. It is an apt platform for the end use i.e. the employers putting forward the requirements for skilling and the rest of the ecosystem coming together for the execution and fulfillment of the same. The industry is no more just the last leg of this skilling value chain, but is the driver for the entire process and that benefits not just them buy getting aptly trained candidates, but the candidates themselves benefit by being industry ready after the training.

Q. There are a large number of hospitality training institutes across the country, which claims to be creating job ready workforce. However, most organizations/employers have to craft specific training for their fresh recruits to get them functionally prepared. Can such institutes have a tie-up with THSC to ensure that the students stepping out of such institutes have the required skill set? Does THSC fill the gap?

SS: Absolutely, such institutes are most welcomed to join hands with THSC and get an industry aligned and endorsed program and certification for their students. They already have the infrastructure required for the skilling and with the partnership they may provide better opportunities as we also help in pacing the THSC certified students in the industry though our On-line portal and Job-fairs which leverages our strong Industry partnership across the country.

Q. How can one join THSC as a training partner? What are the basic parameters required for a hospitality consultant/restaurant/hotel to become one?

SS: There is simplified process now created for all training partners who want to affiliate with THSC. You may visit our website www.thsc.in and share the asked details and if all the requisite details/Infrastructure is available, it will take less than a month to become a THSC affiliated Training Partner.

Q. The role and importance of training were known to the hospitality industry much before others industries joined the bandwagon. Has the Skill India movement taken the training modules to the much-required grassroots of the industry? Please elaborate.

SS: Our industry has been training for its consumption for a long time. The models of skilling now, have taken cognizance of that and there are short-term training modules now available for roles that do not require three years of training to be employed. Industry led apprenticeships are also available for services oriented job roles that they can be customized for the specific partner. This is to ensure that there is an option available for the candidates to be skilled at their location and for the industry to be able to train the numbers that they can do justice to.