CBSE to start hospitality training courses

NEW DELHI - Initiating a move by the government to train students in the hospitality sector, the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) Tuesday announced two new courses on the subject for class 11 and 12 students.

CBSE signed an MoU with the National Council for Hotel Management (NCHMCT) for starting two courses in Food Production and Food and Beverages Services.

Addressing a function organised for the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said: “More than two lakh trained graduates are needed by the hospitality industry in India every year while only 12,000 are produced from various institutes. There is a huge gap between the demand and supply which is an issue of concern.”

“To translate the opportunity accorded to tourism by the cascading effect of a robust economy into tangible gains, the tourism industry needs to be in a state of readiness,” the minister said.

The course will be started in 26 government schools including 19 Navodaya Vidyalayas, two Kendriya Vidyalayas, two Tibetan Schools and three Delhi Government schools in this academic session.

“Like any new venture, this too will need special nurturing. For each school, the NCHMCT has designated an Institute of Hotel Management as a mentor Institute. These institutes will hand-hold and guide the schools for at least 5 years by which time it is envisaged that this new vocational stream will become an acceptable and self-sustaining model,” Kumari Selja said.

A joint certificate from CBSE and National Council for Hotel Management will be issued to the students which will enable them for direct employment after the class 12 board exam.

“In the area of skill development, training in the hospitality sector has a special place. As the global economy expands, the first sector to prosper is tourism,” Human resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said.

According to a study by the National Restaurant Association of India, by 2010, the demand of hospitality industry will touch 5 million people and by 2015 it will be 15 million.

Selja also said that the agreement signed between NCHMCT and CBSE was a “modest beginning to an initiative that will eventually grow into a comprehensive strategy for vocational education in the country”.

According to CBSE officials, more vocational courses may come up as the HRD ministry is discussing some courses in the fields of physical training and health as well.