Tourism dept to train rural, tribal youth through satellite centres

CHENNAI: In a bid to increase employment opportunities in the tourism sector, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to establish satellite training centres in rural areas and tribal hamlets to impart training for locals to become waiters, receptionists, and monument guides.

As part of the State’s Tourism Policy 2023, satellite centres will be set up in rural and tribal regions to impart quality training to create a trained resource pool of service personnel engaged in tourism and related activities, a senior official from the Tourism Department told DT Next.

“This includes service providers requiring basic formal training, like waiters, receptionists, monument guides,” he said adding, “Special modules will also be designed for niche tourism services.”

Explaining about the plan, the official said the department will provide training on a subsidised basis, with the help of certified privately-run institutes set up as satellite training centres. “Existing institutes, offering skill-based courses and vocational training in other trades will be encouraged to offer more tourism-related courses including housekeeping and catering,” he added.

The official said the authorities will prepare a list of rural areas and tribal hinterlands for setting up the centres shortly. “Awareness will also be created about the centres through local leaders,” he added.

Stating that the department will empanel selected private institutes across the state to act as satellite training centres, he said “In addition, state-level training institutes (The Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition in Chennai and The State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology in Tiruchy) will be strengthened to produce an efficient resource pool of industry professionals and experts that perform services of high strategic value and this includes regional guides, chefs and adventure tour operators.”

According to the official, a steering committee shall be set up in these institutes in concert with the private sector to develop more courses reflecting market trends and for developing internship opportunities.

Welcoming the move to set up a satellite centre, K Madhavan, a tour operator in the city and office bearer of TN Tour Operators Welfare Association, said, “It is slightly a difficult task to train rural locals. However, if they were given good guidance, lots of job opportunities would be created.”

“More practical training should be given especially for the persons, who want to be guides for the tourists in their region,” he said adding “Similarly, basic communication methods in English and Hindi should be given to handle the tourists from other states and from abroad.” He said similar training should also be given to waiters and receptionists.

B Jayanth, a lecturer in a school of hotel management, said for the persons, who want to be chefs, the proposed training centres should concentrate more on giving training to cook local foods that would attract the tourists. “Many tourists will be interested only in trying local foods,” he said adding, “The duration of training should be at least for a minimum of six months so that they could learn to cook well.”