SLITHM - Graduation ceremony today
GRADUATION: Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel
Management, which caters for more than 1000 students annually will hold
their Graduation Ceremony 2006 today at 10.00 a.m. at the Committee Room
B, BMICH, Colombo under the patronage of Tourism Minister Milinda
Moragoda.
The chief guest and the guest of honour are two most senior graduates
of the Institute, Mahinda Ratnayake and Felix Bartholomeusz.
There will be 78 graduates and 86 Management Diploma holders passing
out at this graduation ceremony.
The Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management formerly
known as the Ceylon Hotel School and School of Tourism established in
1966 began its operation at the Samudra Hotel, Galle Face - where the
five star Taj Samudra Hotel stands today - way back 40 years ago.
Since then it has grown in strength and stature to establish itself
as a premier Hospitality Management Institute in South Asia.
Since 2000, the Institute is housed at its new purpose-built,
eight-storied modern premises at No.78, Galle Road, Colombo 03, adjacent
to the Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism.
The ultra modern Institute is equipped with a hotel that comprises
thirteen well-designed guest rooms, an ultra modern 250 seat auditorium,
a rooftop terrace, a restaurant and bar, a board room, students'
practical and demonstration kitchens, a computer laboratory, a library
and spacious classrooms.
With the boom in tourism and the consequent development of the
Hospitality Industry in Sri Lanka, the SLITHM has provided the much
needed professional training for the fast developing industry.
For the first ten years, the accent has been on training personnel
for the top and middle management positions in the industry,
supplemented with a programme of short courses at craft level, which
provided the manpower for the various departments.
Subsequently, this programme was re-oriented in keeping with the
changing needs of the industry and the new scheme of training introduced
in 1978 was more intensive and provided opportunities for specialising
in a particular discipline.
It also recognised prior learning, which benefited those who had
gained knowledge and experience in the industry who whished to develop
their professionalism.
Having taken into account the challenges the industry would be faced
with in the near future, the institute once again embarked on a
restructuring programme towards the latter of the year 2006.
The three-year Hospitality Management Programme was launched in
February 2006 with an intake of 30 students and has now progressed to
the second semester of its course of studies.
The curriculum of this management programme was jointly developed by
the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management and the
Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management of Salzburg Austria, after
signing an MOU between the two Institutes sponsored by Hilfswerk,
Austria, a donor agency.
The entry criteria for this study programme is two passes at G.C.E.(A/L)
and a Credit pass in English at G.C.E (O/L) or a simple pass in English
at G.C.E.(A/L). On successful completion of the three-year diploma
programme in Sri Lanka, the students who wish to further their studies
to higher levels will be eligible to enter at the fourth year of the
Bachelors Degree Programme in Hotel Management conducted by the
Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management of Salzburg.
On completion these graduates will join the industry at middle and
junior management level in Sri Lanka.
The Institute also offers a One Year Diploma in Travel and Tourism
Management Programme on a part-time basis which commenced in August
2006, mainly targeting those already engaged in the industry.
This is the first time the SLITHM will be offering a professional
training programme to the Travel and Tourism Industry of Sri Lanka. |
