State Launch of 'Level Next' - Tourism Education Fair 2011
The Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala and the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) in association with Food Craft Institutes (FCI), State Institute of Hospitality Management (SIHM) Kozhikode and Institute of Hospitality Management and Catering Technology (IHMCT) Kovalam is organising Tourism and Hospitality Education Fair branded as ‘Level Next.’
The Tourism Education Fair organised for the first time in India by any state, aims to create awareness on employment opportunities in tourism, and provide facility for on-the-spot registration for job-oriented short-term courses in travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. The fair, to be conducted in every district, will be launched by the Hon’ble Minister for Tourism Mr. A.P. Anil Kumar at the Kanakakkunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram on 27th July at 10.30 a.m. There will be seminar on career followed by interactive sessions on employment opportunities in tourism sector and various courses offered by institutes in the government sector. Elaborate arrangements have been made to provide information on various courses for below SSLC, Plus 2 and graduate candidates and to facilitate spot registration for the courses.
The state-level launch of the fair will be attended by top officials from the Department of Tourism and leaders from the tourism industry. The district level programmes are scheduled from 1st to 4th August 2011. The programmes in Kasaragod, Palakkad, Kollam and Thekkady will be on 1st of August and those at Kannur, Malappuram, Ernakulam and Munnar will be on 2nd of August. In Wayanad, Thrissur and Alappuzha the programme will be held on 3rd of August and at Kozhikode, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, it will be on 4th August 2011.
The courses under offer in the Tourism Education Fair include PG Diploma in Tour Operations, PG Diploma in Event Management, Diploma in Airport Handling and Customer Facilitation, Certificate Courses in Guide Training, Guest Relations, German, French, Spanish and Russian languages, Communicative English and Personality Development, Front Office Operation, Food & Beverage Services, Food Production, Bakery & Confectionary, Hotel Accommodation Operation, House Keeping and Global Distribution System.
The Tourism Education Fair is organised by Kerala Tourism in the backdrop of the very large gap that exists in demand and supply of skilled manpower in the hospitality and tourism sector. The projected annual requirement is more than two-lakh skilled manpower in these sectors. Taking into account the prevailing situation the fair is supported by all associations in the tourism industry.