Punjab has trained nearly 3,000 youth while facilitating jobs for 1,000 trainees under Centre’s Hunar Se Rozgar Tak scheme.
“The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest and most dynamic industries in today’s global economy. It is a sun-rise industry, an employment generator and a significant source of foreign exchange…Tourism emerged as a significant source of employment that requires varying degrees of skills and allows quick entry of youth into the workforce, and there is an acute shortage of qualified employees in this sector,” said the spokesperson.
He said that in order to tap these opportunities in favour of Punjabi youth, the State Government started the Hunar Se Rozgar Tak scheme.
Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) is implementing the scheme since 2011-12 through selected private institutes of the State.
Funds for the purpose are provided by the Central Government as central assistance under the scheme ‘Capacity Building for Service Providers’ (CBSP).
“The target group for these training courses is Class VIII pass within the age group of 18-28 years. Central Government has approved training of 2520 persons at 10 institutes in the hospitality courses. In addition, the Government has also approved training of 540 persons at four institutes in ‘skin care and spa therapy’ course,” said the spokesperson.
He said that against the approved strength, under the hospitality courses, 2,492 students were trained out of which 727 students have been placed and in Skin Care and Spa, 540 students were trained out of which 300 students have been placed.
The short term training courses, approved by the Centre for Punjab state, includes four hospitality courses of varying duration namely Food Production (eight weeks), Food and Beverages (six weeks), House Keeping (six weeks) and Bakery and pastries (eight weeks).
Besides, other employable skill generating courses including Basic Fitness Training (eight weeks), Skin care and spa therapy (eight weeks) and Flower arrangements (eight weeks) are also being run.
In these courses, the Centre has sanctioned 100 percent grant-in-aid under the broad basing scheme for development of infrastructure in six ITIs — Pathankot, Sunam, Amritsar, Patiala Nawanshahr and Kharar — and to five Government colleges — Bathinda, Mohali, Sangrur, ludhiana and Amritsar — for starting hospitality courses in these institutes, he said.
The State Technical Education director informed that civil works in all the six ITIs has been completed and four colleges into hospitality courses have also completed their infrastructure development works and they are successfully the hospitality courses.