OYO Rooms has announced that it has been selected by the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) to train and certify hospitality staff across the country. The two partners will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect on November 26, 2015 at the National Conference on Skill Development, in the presence of Rajiv Pratap Rudy, union minister of state, skill development and entrepreneurship. THSC is a sector-specific council under National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It operates under the aegis of Ministry of skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). Tourism and hospitality is one of the 29 skill sectors identified by the government of India as a priority area for skill development.
Announcing this partnership, Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO, OYO Rooms, said, “It gives us immense pride to be selected by THSC as a training partner for mass skill deployment in Indian hospitality sector. This is a valuable opportunity to drive rapid upskilling and certification of workers. Our team is excited about being a part of the ‘Skill India’ initiative and meaningfully contribute to employment opportunities and upward movement opportunities in the sector.”
Commenting on the partnership, Praveen Roy, CEO, THSC, said, “The hospitality sector is grappling with manpower and talent crunch to meet the surge of upcoming demand, and faces a huge training vacuum. THSC encourages a progression path which is supported by tenure, caliber and on-the-job skilling, besides just formal education. We are pleased to have OYO Rooms take up this mandate. Their scale of network and depth of partner engagements will encourage more people working in the unorganised sector to participate in this exercise.”
The government of India has set itself the mission of making India the skill capital of the world. Ministry of skill development has been tasked with the vision of creating a skilled India. It is aided in these initiatives by its functional arms – National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and 33 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) as well as 187 training partners registered with NSDC. Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council (THSC) is part of the same structure assigned with the task of skilling India in the Tourism and Hospitality sector.