New Skills Development office at the Taj
It is no secret that, for centuries Sri Lanka has been a great
tourism destination. With the end of the 30 year civil war - an
awakening of that initial potential has come alive in the Island. In
2010 immediately after the end of the war Sri Lanka had a growth of 46
percent in Tourism arrivals. From 2009 to 2011 the Tourism
From left Yannik Poupon, Binod Chaudary, Tilak De Soyza,
Mr. Bandara, Hirantha Jayamanne, Raymond Bickson,
Rohit Khosla and Veer Vijay Singh |
arrivals got
doubled with the number of arrivals reaching 855,975 as at end 2011.
Identifying its great potential for tourism, the Taj Group was one of
the first International hotel chains to set their footprint in Sri Lanka
with investments since the early 80s. It's to date the only
International hospitality chain to operate three properties in some very
unique locations in the island. Having had its operation in Sri Lanka
for over 25 years, the Taj feels that this is an opportune moment to
re-invest in training and skills certification of its employees.
A new Skills Certification Centre was recently established at the Taj
Samudra Colombo, equipped with the latest technology and resources to
offer world class training to its employees. The Taj considers its
employees among its most important stakeholders in taking it to new
pinnacles of service standards and guest delight.
Chief Guest at the inauguration ceremony Taj Hotels, Resorts and
Palaces MD Raymond Bickson addressing the Taj Samudra's employees said,
"We provide you with the tools necessary to become successful. And with
these tools and a host of developmental options, how you grow with the
Taj is only limited by your imagination".
The Learning and Development Manager Eranga Bandara added, "in this
industry, it is all about competence of our people, and their qualities.
It is their knowledge, skills and thoughts which lead to guest
satisfaction, survival and development of the hotel and ultimately the
escalation of Sri Lanka's Tourism Industry. Therefore, staff training is
essential in many ways; it increases productivity whilst leaving the
employees armed with professional knowledge, experienced skills and
critical thinking abilities" With the influx of the number of tourists
arriving to Sri Lanka and market information indicating the entry of
many reputed International hotel chains in to the Island in the coming
years, the Taj is committed to continue improving its employee training
and development tools and strategies in order to maintain its world
renewed and legendary service standards. |