By connecting the industry to skilled manpower through a common platform of ‘Skill Grid’, the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) is all set to change the dynamics for skilled professionals in India
Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), an independent employer led organisation, which provides framework for skill development in the tourism and hospitality sector recently launched its ‘Skill Grid’ programme to connect the industry with skilled manpower. THSC works very closely with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, educational bodies and the government to support the industry with defined occupational standards. The new skill grid platform, thsc.skillgrid.in will enable the associate members to find trained professionals in a specific district/ state to interview and hire for their respective industries. Members will also be able to post their requirements with respect to candidates and training of existing staff. As the industry is always in search of trained professionals, the platform comes as a relief for job seekers, trainers and employers.
Being identified as one of the most important sectors of employment generation, the growth in tourism and hospitality industry will lead to more demand in skilled manpower. Speaking at the launch, Praveen Roy, CEO, THSC, informed, “We thought we will not only use this platform as a training cell but also to link the trainee to the industry. One of the critical aspects of this platform is to ensure that there is a larger possibility of placements available to the trainee. So ultimately the choice goes to the trainee rather than the employer.”
THSC provides training and apprenticeship programmes be it on the job or otherwise to identify skilled people and get them better opportunities. Last year the council trained 100,000 people and has already received 5000 applications so far for this year. Roy informed that the skill grid will connect the industry to candidates for on-the-job training, outdoor catering and apprenticeship. He further mentioned that the THSC certification will be valid across the country. While the council has seen extensive support from the hospitality sector, it is yet to see active involvement from the tourism industry.
Arun Nanda, chairman, THSC and Mahindra Holidays said,“This grid is another step towards bringing more employers onto this platform because there is no point in creating skilled manpower unless we can give them jobs. The focus will now also be on getting more training partners and employers from the tourism sector.”
THSC has developed certain frameworks for various type of job roles in the sector. Through the help of other associations, these roles have been defined for companies across the industry. Therefore based on the industry requirements and feedback, THSC has created qualification packs which have become core standards for the job roles. This is how the platform aims to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of the two industries.
THSC is aided by the 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. THSC is part of the same structure assigned with the task of skilling India in the tourism and hospitality sectors.