Nijhawan Group has entered into a Joint Venture with Ram Lal Anand College, University of Delhi has launched a new Certificate Course in Heritage and Tourism Management with an aim to promote the conservation and management of the invaluable heritage of India. The Certificate course is a unique programme, founded on two key pillars: heritage studies and tourism management approach. It emphasises on a collaborative learning model where students, faculty and professionals from travel trade industry, become key contributors in creating knowledge, innovatively managing heritage, and participate in rethinking public discourse and policy around it. Our students will learn not only in the classroom but also through practical fieldwork, projects and research.
Dr Rakesh Kumar Gupta, principal, Ram Lal Anand College commented, “The certificate course on Heritage and Tourism Management offered by Ram Lal Anand College is the first course of its kind in Delhi University. It has been framed in the spirit of Government of India’s emphasis on skilling the youth for better employability. Signing a MOU with Nijhawan Group of Companies is in sync with present Prime Minister’s insistence on Public- Private partnership in the process of skilling our youth. A recent communique from the Ministry of HRD has also sent an advisory to the universities and colleges to make tourism an integral part of the curriculum. We hope that in collaboration with Nijhawan group we would not only be able to successfully run but also expand the scope of this course to benefit the youth of India as well as the tourism industry.”
The Certificate Course in Heritage and Tourism Management is a six months certificate programme, the first of its kind in University of Delhi. Areas of exploration within the curriculum include a diverse range of sectors spanning cultural, natural, historic and contemporary heritage, and so on, with emphasis on the management of these categories including geographical knowledge, communication skills, hospitality management etc.
Ram Lal Anand College is a University of Delhi maintained co-educational Institution funded by University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India. The professional faculty of the college will conduct weekend classes on Heritage Management. The college will organise heritage walks within Delhi in the first year. Nijhawan Group will aid in organising training and placements within travel trade in India. The collaborative course will provide students with a knowledge, understanding and experience relevant to careers in the sector.
Dr Rakesh Kumar, Course Coordinator, Ram Lal Anand College said, “By establishing a link between heritage and tourism the course aims not only to educate our youth about various components of heritage but also to sensitise them towards the need to preserve and protect India’s rich cultural heritage. At the same time, realising the importance of heritage tourism as a tourism product, an attempt would be made to provide skilled personnel to serve our ever-growing tourism industry. While making students aware about the perils of over commodification of our heritage, they would be educated on the benefits of sustainable tourism so that in the long run they become the ambassadors of heritage protection besides finding a calling in the tourism sector.”
Ankush Nijhawan, managing director, Nijhawan Group stated,“This is a historical occasion for Nijhawan Group. The Certificate Course in Heritage and Tourism Management will give students the possibility to advance to the levels of excellence required by the travel and tourism industry and, therefore, be better prepared for their career progression in hospitality and tourism in India. This course will grab the attention of young people and open their eyes to the exciting employment and development opportunities in India’s fastest growing industry which is tourism.”
Nijhawan further said, “This certificate course will bring key industry partners together to promote tourism as a rewarding and exciting career opportunity and encourage more youngsters to explore the options and career paths in travel and tourism sector. It’s a long-term vision wherein we will convert this Certificate course into Diploma Course to further encourage more and more youth to embrace a career in this sector.”