- Projects
- Youth employment in the tourist sector in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is one of the countries where PUM is active and where youth unemployment is a serious challenge. Tourism is an industry with possibilities for young people to be employed. PUM is actively committed to improve vocational education and increase the opportunities for youths in this sector. René Lommert, PUM expert in Hospitality: education, assists the Highlands International Hotel School in enhancing their curriculum. This enables the school to place professional young people in the tourism and hospitality sector.
The Highlands International Hotel School is situated in the middle of the mountains in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, and serves the local hospitality business. Since every tourist in Sri Lanka spends one or two days in this region, it is a large industry. Gigantic hotels with two to three hundred rooms are no exception, each one more beautiful than the next. The owner of the school, Mr. Neel Chandana is a socially engaged man and the school offers training to underprivileged youths who cannot afford to pay for education themselves. They mostly come from surrounding tea plantations and are keen to work in the tourism sector. At the moment, the school is lacking skilled staff. They approached PUM’s recently started local representative Ajith Liyanage and asked for support.
Current context in Sri Lanka
Due to the current special circumstances in Sri Lanka, it is not obvious for PUM experts to travel there. Expert René Lommert explains: ‘The economic and political situation was really uncertain when we were planning my trip. There are major shortages of fuel and medicines, and high inflation. After close and daily coordination with the representative and client in Sri Lanka, we decided that it was safe enough for me to travel last June. And fortunately, I was not personally affected by the unstable situation.’ But the school is suffering from the economic crisis. René continues: ‘Since there are less tourists in the country, the occupancy rate in the region is only 5%. This results in less jobs in the hospitality industry. At the same time the number of students also steadily declined during the two weeks that I was there. This was due to petrol shortages, less frequent public transport and students not being able to get to the school.’
In the meantime, the president has fled the country. This still leads to protests and demonstrations, and even riots breaking out with police and military interfering. René also noticed that the queues in front of petrol stations got longer and longer during his stay. This also had consequences for his own travelling within the country. Fortunately, the client was able to find enough petrol to get him to the nearest train station and then the airport.
Advice on location
René is happy that, despite the difficult situation, he could spend time on location. After a warm welcome in the school, he started talking, tacking stock and teaching. ‘The underprivileged students have no strong ability to positively present themselves, which is a vital asset when working in the hospitality sector. That is why I took them out of their comfort zone during the first lessons, to increase their self-esteem. Furthermore, it was an eyeopener for me to teach for two days in a remote area in the mountains, because it introduced me to the conditions these young people have to live in. This created better understanding from my side.’
Follow-up
It was agreed with the client that PUM will continue to collaborate with him in improving the school. This is very well possible from a distance and, if really necessary, with a second visit in the future. Mr. Neel Chandana is ambitious and PUM can collaborate with him with vast experience and knowledge. Not only in education, developing a curriculum and giving practical lessons, but also in other fields. PUM can support in guiding young people on a personal level as well. It would also be interesting to set up a so-called ‘hotel-association’, something from which a hotel school can of course benefit enormously. Furthermore, PUM can advise on developing excursions. René finalises: ‘I sincerely hope for better times when education and tourism in Sri Lanka and the school’s region will flourish again.’
Interested in this project? Get in touch with
Ajith Wasantha Liyanage
Representative Sri Lanka, Hambantota
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