SLITHM Chief assures high quality, affordable and relevant education for hotel industry aspirants

The Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association Trophy for the most Outstanding Student for the Year 2015 Asangi Saunders – Pix by Lasantha Kumara

The Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association Trophy for the most Outstanding Graduate for the Year 2015 Yasith Keshan Kokuhennadi

Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Chairman Sunil Dissanayake

Our Chief Guest John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Lands and Christian Religious Affairs, Our Guest of Honour Desmond Fernando, Ministers, Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando, Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Development, Chairmen of Sri Lanka Tourism, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Heads, distinguished invitees, ladies and gentlemen, 

It is with great pride and honour that I welcome all of you here today to the 37th Graduation Ceremony of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM).

Today’s graduation is a momentous occasion and marks a significant milestone in our annual calendar.

To our Chief Guest John Amaratunga, on behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and the students of SLITHM, allow me to express our deep appreciation for your kind consideration in honouring us with your presence today. We are fortunate to have as our subject minister a person in the stature of John Amaratunga. 

He has brought a far sighted vision to the industry with his mature and patient approach. A feature in his management style is that he has appointed professionals as chairmen to the four boards under Sri Lanka Tourism and his directive to us is to advertise and hire the best. On that score we have selected an experienced academic – a Professor from the University of Kelaniya as the Director General who will join us effective 1 July. This is the first occasion that an Alumnus has been appointed as the Chairman. I also happen to be a former faculty member having been a Senior Lecturer from 1979 to 1982. My friend Paddy Withana who is the Chairman of SLTDA is an Alumni too belonging to the second batch. 

Our institute boasts of a rich history of innovation, growth and change. Inaugurated in 1966, today we have earned local and global recognition as the premier institute for Hospitality and Tourism management education in Sri Lanka and the region that has produced leaders for employment in the industry not only nationally but also internationally. We have been the backbone of the Hospitality industry of Sri Lanka from its infancy, producing the required professional human resources for the Hospitality industry. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to Madam Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge the Former President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka who was instrumental in having the current SLITHM purpose built facility constructed during the ministership of late Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake in early 2000s. 

We are also proud to have with us today, as Guest of Honour Desmond Fernando, an Alumnus from the inaugural batch who passed out in 1969. Won a scholarship to Germany and returned to join the faculty of the then Ceylon Hotel School and continued as a faculty member for a very long time heading the Food and Beverage faculty. I happened to belong to the sixth batch being an Alumni of SLITHM passing out in 1974. I had the good fortune of being one of his students.

We are pleased to note, with the appointment of the new Minister of Tourism, Hon John Amaratunga, Sri Lankan tourism is geared to be more responsive to the increased demands and changing trends within the global tourism market. Under his leadership Sri Lanka is positioning to receive four million leisure travellers by 2020. 

Aligned to the campaign to improve the country’s tourism sector, a Chairman and a New Board of Directors were appointed to the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management with effect from November 2015.

Keen to play a leading role in the invigoration of the tourism industry, the New Board set in motion a restructuring programme by implementing a three-year Strategic Direction Plan from this year to 2018. Immediate measures were taken to fill vacancies of Academic and non-academic staff. Similarly the pool of visiting lecturers is being enhanced. 

A suitable candidate to fill the vacancy of the Resident Manager of the Samudra Training Hotel has also been successfully achieved.

The hotel is now being effectively used for commercial and for students’ practical training purposes, providing our students with a training venue to gain experience and learn in a real-life environment.

With the industry estimating high capacity requirement of thousands of trained personnel to serve Sri Lanka’s growing visitor base, last year alone 3,100 students of SLITHM, of which 87 were graduate students, successfully passed out. This year, SLITHM has succeeded in doubling the planned output to 6,200. This is to cater to the industry Human Resources requirements of 23,560 between now and end 2017 and the Human Resources requirement by 2020 is an additional 110,000 persons; of which the SLITHM is planning to cater to approximately to 70% and the hotels themselves and the other private hotel schools and vocational training institutes will close the gap with their output.

To cater to the industry manpower requirements we have expanded our reach by establishing new colleges to attract young students into the industry and train unemployed youth in rural and suburban areas.

We opened facilities in Hambantota, Passikudah and Negombo. We plan to commence a new school in Polonnaruwa next month and Jaffna later in the year. This is in addition to our existing facilities at Colombo, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Bandarawela, Ratnapura, Koggala and Kurunegala.

On the directive of the Hon Minister we launched in December 2015 an Apprenticeship Course of one month’s duration to cater to the employment needs of rural youth who on completion join the industry as trainees at operator level and they can then with industry experience progress to rejoin the SLITHM for further professional education.

As a primary goal we aim to provide high quality, affordable and practically relevant education for the industry and in doing so we aim to achieve degree awarding status for an academic (Hons) Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management whilst focusing on achieving National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) levels for professional courses.

Towards this target we are in the process of reviewing and amending the current SLITHM curricula to align them with current industry requirements. 

Among other initiatives we are focusing on is enhancing the quality of faculty; engaging high quality visiting lecturers and attracting established industry professionals to join the SLITHM faculty and in addition induce the best students to join the faculty on graduation. 

We are also keen to establish a research and development unit and create a job portal (talent hub) for students. We hope to complete the computerisation of the SLITHM network too in the near future. 

We will be launching structured public awareness programs for career choices. We will be timing our student intake to coincide with release of the A/L and O/L results.

I must also appreciate the contribution and support extended by the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association of which I happen to be the President of the current term. In addition to the awards they have donated for today’s convocation they have also presented 200 scholarships to needy and deserving students from rural and remote areas of the country. 50 of the scholarships have already been presented to the needy and deserving students who followed the first Apprenticeship course in Hambantota. 

I take this opportunity to call upon the members of the CHSGA primarily the veterans from the pioneering batches with their vast experience and competencies to individually play a greater role by voluntarily engaging as visiting faculty of the SLITHM.

Many of you may not be aware that the SLITHM may be the only higher educational seat of learning with two significant milestones in the 50 year history of its existence. First, that it has not had to shut down a single day due to student unrest and secondly, that every person who have passed out is and was employed with none of the students being unemployed. It is same with the batch that is graduating today all of whom are currently employed since they left the institute in January this year.

Special mention of our genial Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando, the secretary of our Ministry Sugathdasa, Shirani Weerakoon and Deepthi Fernando, the two additional secretaries Felix Rodrigo and Lal Ratnayake, the Ministers Advisor and Private Secretary respectively, and Dinesh Weerakkody – the advisor to the Prime Minister, who are a constant support to our activities.

And now to those graduating today – The world is your oyster. Imagine yourself 20 years from now, invited to speak at your former institutes convocation ceremony. What will you have accomplished, what will you speak of, what words of wisdom, forged from your own experiences will you share with generation Z who are yet to be born?

I end with a quote from the famous American writer Mark Twain; “20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you did not do than by the ones you achieved or did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Before I close, allow me to thank my fellow Board Members for their support, Prabodh Kulatunga, Deputy Director General – SLITHM, together with the Principals, Cluster Heads, Academic and non-academic staff who are the backbone of SLITHM for their excellent passion, commitment and dedication which has contributed to our success. 

Let me also thank Minister John Amaratunga once again for taking time to grace this occasion and for his constant guidance, advice and direction and all those present here today. 

Wish you all a pleasant afternoon and an enjoyable convocation.

Thank you!