THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
State’s skill development mission Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), under the State Labour and Skills Department, is setting up a Foreign Language Training Centre and an International Hospitality Centre at the International Skill Park at INKEL Tower, Angamaly.
An amount of Rs 1.36 crore has been allocated for the project from the iSTEP (International Skill Training and Employability Programme). The decision was taken by the KASE Board meeting, presided over by State Labour and Skills Development Minister T P Ramakrishnan.
The Foreign Language Training Centrewill be established jointly by KASE and Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPEC) — country’s first recruiting agency for jobs abroad under the State Labour and Skills Department. The institute is being set up in view of around 3,000 vacancies that are coming up for nurses in the Gulf and Europe in the next two years.
Initially, training will be conducted for nurses planning to appear for IELTS and OET examinations, and placement will be ensured for those who complete training. Training projects in other foreign languages will also be conducted by the Centre where classes will commence in the first week of March.
The Hospitality Centre, which provides international certification, is being set up in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) considering the emerging opportunities in Tourism sector.
Switzerland-based hospitality management school EHL is the knowledge partner of this venture. As part of EHL’s Vocational Education and Training Project, six-month certification courses and 18-month diploma courses will be offered in Kitchen, Service, Rooms, and Hotel Administration categories.
The Centre aims at providing global standard training in hospitality sector and thereby equip the youngsters to lap up opportunities in India and abroad. Hospitality classes are scheduled to begin in June.