IHCL announces India's largest hospitality skilling centre, trains 35,000 youth under 'Paathya' drive

Tata group hospitality giant Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) has trained more than 35,000 youth as part of its ‘Paathya’ drive, as the company plans to expand its network of skill centres across the country under its ESG+ framework. Currently, IHCL operates 73 skill centres across 21 states and 32 districts across the country.

It has set an ambitious target of taking the number of trained youth to 1,00,000 by 2030, in line with rapid growth in the country's tourism and hospitality sector -- which is estimated to register double-digit revenue growth during this period. The hotel industry is expected to get a boost from rising infrastructure investment and disposable incomes.

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Announcing the country's largest hospitality skilling centre, in Aguada Playeau in Goa, IHCL has made a major push on skilling, coinciding with 50 years of the Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa. The skill centre, according to IHCL, will help bridge the talent gap in the travel and tourism sector.

Many experts see the presence of sufficient skilled manpower as the biggest challenge amid fast supply growth in the country's hospitality space.

With the Goa centre, IHCL aims to create employment opportunities for local youth while promoting sustainable and regenerative tourism. Its skill training programme covers food production, F&B services, front office and housekeeping activities, with a focus on industry-ready training, internships and a job-ready workforce.

"Our skill centres aim to support the expanding tourism economy by building a ready workforce that can sustain industry growth... They offer a series of tailored training programs imparting essential foundational literacy and hospitality-specific skills such as food and beverage service, food production, front office operations and housekeeping by offering industry-aligned training and practical experience," Gaurav Pokhariyal, Executive Vice President-Human Resources, IHCL.

"These centres dovetail with government priorities for skill development and economic opportunities, and they help reduce the industry’s dependency on ad-hoc training and external," added Pokhariyal.

India is estimated to have 3,00,000 branded hotel rooms by 2030, with one-third of these rooms added across metro, Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities.