The country’s tourism industry which anticipates quick re-bounce, is focusing on measures to better serve clients with improved service delivery. To this end, the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association (CHSGA) has introduced an MBA with Hospitality Management for its members in collaboration with the American National College (ANC Education).
“It is an important initiative to provide an MBA which is relevant to hospitality industry as education would provide the necessary push to scale up the standards and quality of the sector. This is vital if Sri Lanka is to depend on tourism to drive the economic growth, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga said at the launch held recently in Colombo.
The country expects two million tourists and an income of US $ 4.5 billion this year with the possibility of creating more jobs from the tourism industry.
“We are bouncing back thanks to the hard work of the security establishment which has guaranteed security for local and foreign visitors. It is essential to develop hospitality education to produce sufficiently trained hospitality staff. This MBA will provide an opportunity for the specialised training required by the industry,” he said.
“This is a landmark partnership which will meet the evolving needs of the industry in terms of education. This is the right time to provide the learning opportunity partnering a government institution, Dean of Claude Littner Business School of UWL, Dr. Suresh Gamlath said.
Plans are underway to conduct a structured mentoring program for the hospitality industry with experts. It is necessary to have continuous professional development programs in creating next generation of hotel managers and professionals. The MBA will provide blended learning opportunities by partnering hotels, he said.
The batch size will be limited to 20 to 25 students and once the home base is in order, the program will be marketed in the region. The education activities which are designed local professionals in mind are scheduled to start in end September.
“The hospitality and tourism industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years and the outlook for future growth is even more impressive. Our industry is one of the country’s largest generators of wealth and jobs. New and surprising trends have emerged from the global village concept of the industry in virtually every corner of the world. The proposed ANC-UWL world renowned MBA program offered to our students is a step in the right direction in dealing with the challenges within the hotel industry,” CHSGA Strategy Committee Chairman Patrick Pereira said.
“Underpinning everything we do is our unwavering belief in your potential to create a brighter future for yourself; whether you decide to work for an employer or to establish your own business venture. You can be assured of the quality of our programs and our commitment to fostering your success,” CHSGA President Samantha Gunarathna said.