Pune- December 2022- Built on the foundations of "A Hotel School: By the Hoteliers, For the Hoteliers", Lexicon Institute of Hotel Management is a premier hospitality education institute that offers budding hoteliers the perfect balance of educational and experiential learning experiences. In light of the recent concerns of skilled workforce shortage in the hospitality industry, Lexicon IHM collaborated with the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council to host the “Bridge the Skill Gap Event- Strengthening The Hospitality Skills Ecosystem Through Empowerment.”
The speakers at the event included Mr. Jatin Khanna, CEO of Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Gladvin Rego, Principal of the Lexicon Institute of Hotel Management, representatives from THSC, Mr. Amol Bajaj, Head - of Apprenticeship Division, Ms. Feba Abraham, Apprenticeship Division, and Mr. Visham Thapa, Assistant Vice President- Client Acquisition Apprenticeship and Traineeship, 2COMS Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Nasir Shaikh, Group Chief Executive Officer, The Lexicon Group of Institutes, MultiFit & EduCrack, says “Recruiting and retaining talent has been a big challenge for the hospitality and tourism industry. A lack of skilled talent directly affects the customer experience. It can have a long-lasting impact on the brand image and eventually, revenues. I believe that the Recruit-Train-Deploy model if implemented appropriately, can serve as an effective solution. It improves the employability scope of aspirants and can attract talent through short-term skilling programs to meet immediate industry requirements. It is a win-win scenario for both employee and employer. This was an important session as it highlighted, the need of the hour, by emphasizing on various tools that can help in developing an ecosystem that will be beneficial for individuals who aspire to establish careers in the hospitality segment. We are thankful to the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council for collaborating with us on this initiative that gave us an insight into effective measures to tackle talent deficit issues in the industry.”
The event focused on various aspects of the Hospitality Skills Ecosystem, starting with the future of hospitality traits that highlighted the trends shaping the hospitality industry and the skills required to adapt to these trends. In his address, Mr. Amol Bajaj, Head - Apprenticeship Division, THSC, also introduced the concept of apprenticeship programs that allows young individuals to Learn, Earn and Qualify for industry-specific jobs, which also helps improve skilling and recruitment in the industry. He illustrated the design of an efficient Recruit-Train-Deploy model that can successfully help bridge the skill gap and become a vital tool for hiring. Mr. Bajaj also emphasized the importance of Quality/Skilled team members' contribution towards generating valuable revenue. “With the “Bridge the Skill Gap” event, we sought to emphasize the need to develop sustainable skill ecosystems using various tools such as Apprenticeship Programs, efficient hiring strategies and building talent pipelines. One way in which hospitality education institutes can contribute to improving employability is by designing short-term foundation courses offering department specific training to help aspiring individuals enhance their skillsets. It was a pleasure to host and collaborate with the THSC and explore creative solutions to assist hotel groups and the industry to tackle talent deficit issues.”Said Mr. Bajaj while speaking about how RTD can be a sustainable solution for the hospitality industry.
To assist hoteliers in implementing apprenticeship programs, Ms. Feba Abraham, Apprenticeship Division, THSC, shed light on the new reforms and legalities of the Apprenticeship program by the Government of India. Towards the end of the event, Mr. Visham Thapa, Assistant Vice President- Client Acquisition Apprenticeship and Traineeship, 2COMS Consulting Pvt. Ltd., spoke about the advantages of expansion of the apprenticeship programs through collaboration with Sector Skill Council and Third Party Aggregators, which will also result in further strengthening the skilling ecosystem and help the hospitality and tourism industry reap maximum benefits from Apprenticeship programs.
By bringing together vital industry stakeholders such as National Skill Development Corporation, Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council, Poona Hoteliers Association, along with industry leaders, under one roof, the “Bridge the Skill Gap” event has taken a positive step towards enabling organizations and the industry successfully utilize resources and tools to develop a sustainable ecosystem for the creation of skilled workforces.
