Schols for 15,000 in tourism studies

Ministry signs MoU with LCCI :

Suraj BANDARA

The Tourism Ministry will grant over 15,000 scholarships for youth willing to pursue studies in the field of tourism.

The MoU in this regard was signed between Ministry Secretary George Michael and the LCCI's Asia Pacific International education division Chief Operational Officer Mark Disney at the Ministry on Tuesday.

Tourism Minister Achala Jagoda said this foundation course will help enhance human resources in the country not only for foreign job seekers but also for the job aspirants in the local job market.

It is a timely need to empower the youth with human resource knowledge to be on par with other countries in the the tourism field.

"The arrival of tourists have cumulatively increased in the country after the dawn of peace. There is a potential to commence overseas job oriented courses among the educational institutions in the country", Jagoda said.

There has been a steady increase in foreign employment over the years contributing significantly to foreign exchange earnings and reducing the pressure on unemployment in the country.

The Ministry is keen to create disciplined entrepreneurs with a sound knowledge and good understanding about tourism industry in the country, he emphasized.

The continued efforts to streamline procedures and prepare job aspirants to suit employment have improved opportunities in the overseas job market significantly during the year.

Being a major source of foreign exchange earnings of the country, the total foreign remittance has been increasing due to the proper initiatives taken by the government after the war said Minister.

Disney said that LCCI hopes to train over 5000 students in around 75 training centres all over the country. Presently, the institution is in progress around 120 countries and has set up almost 5,000 training schools all over the world.