The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) a part of Tata Group announced its partnership with the Government of Maharashtra to set up a skill training facility at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) campus in Lonavala. The training facility was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan. The initiative is a part of IHCL’s Corporate Social Responsibility endeavor of ‘Building Sustainable Livelihoods’.
Inaugurating the facility, Chavan said : “We are proud to partner with the Taj Group and provide underprivileged youth in the state an opportunity to develop necessary skills sets for employment in the hospitality sector. It is a noble step by a brand synonymous with Indian hospitality to give back to the society.”
Taj Hotels in partnership with various stakeholders trains and certifies youth from under-privileged and remote areas and offers various 3-6 months courses aimed at immediate employability. The Taj has over 36 skill training centers in India in partnership with Government, foundations, national NGOs and has trained 9000 youth since 2009.
Speaking on the occasion, Raymond Bickson, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “It is our honor to partner with the Government of Maharashtra to set up a vocational training facility at ITI. The Taj Group takes pride in being a part of this unique scope and opportunity to develop raw potential into skilled workforce. It is our endeavor to facilitate access to the less-privileged, school drop outs and youth in remote/marginalized areas to work opportunities in the hospitality industry.”
The facility aims to meet the requirements of the industrial belt in and around Lonavala, Kahhe, Talegaon and Dabhade areas in Maharashtra and focuses on developing technical skilled workforce for the nearby industries. The skill center will provide various skill training programs for youth belonging to under privileged background and provide training facility in cookery, bakery, steward skills, technical skills, retail assistant, beauty & salon, etc.
The academy will train around 1000 youth from the neighboring rural and marginalized areas for various vocational programs in the 1st year of its operation and plans to train 5000 youth every year in 3 years. Several Tata Group companies will bring their individual expertise to set up various training programs such as Tata Housing will provide vocational training in shuttering & masonry, Croma Retail will provide skill training in retail assistance, Voltas will provide technical skills at the facility.
Caption: (L-R) : Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister of Tourism, PWD, Maharshtra; Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Raymond Bickson, MD and CEO, IHCL at the inauguration of Taj Hotels hospitality skill center at ITI academy, Lonavala
