Vivacious from the village

In a ground breaking move SriLankan Airlines has created a magical future for dozens of young ladies from rural Sri Lanka, transforming them through a special personality development programme and creating opportunities for them to embark on rewarding careers as cabin crew.

SriLankan’s Head of Service Delivery G.T. Jeyaseelan said: “For the first time in the history of our National Carrier, SriLankan Airlines has gone out to the villages to recruit promising young women, and our instructors have transformed them to be as good as we want them to be. Having gone through this specially designed programme, we expect them to be as good as anyone else from anywhere in this country, or even better.”

The National Carrier’s recruitment team recently visited the Southern Province, Uva, Central Province and the outreaches of the Western Province. Thousands of young women flocked to the recruitment centres in towns such as Tissamaharama and Tangalle, hoping for a chance for an international career and lifestyle that few in Sri Lanka ever have the opportunity to achieve.

 “These young ladies can now prove to the rest of Sri Lanka that our nation is not just about cities, but embodies our rural areas as well. We would like all of them to become our heart and soul in the air. It’s in their hands now. And if they succeed, they will inspire our people in the villages,” said Jeyaseelan.

While a large number of young women were selected outright for entry to the airline’s rigorous 65-day Cabin Crew Training Programme, 27 of those who did not quite meet the required standard but nevertheless demonstrated potential were chosen for the special Personality Development Programme.

Rashmore Ferdinands, Manager In-flight Service Delivery, said: “SriLankan has invested significantly in this programme, and we are glad to see that our efforts have been successful. We are confident that all of these young ladies would be welcome additions to our cabin crew, and they will now go through the recruitment process.”

In three-months a group of instructors who included the airline’s own staff and external experts in relevant fields taught the girls everything they needed to raise the level of their personalities and capabilities – including English, Grooming, Etiquette, Teambuilding, Role Play, Customer Service, and Airline Industry Orientation.

Pavani Punsara, one of the young participants, said: “We are stepping out now with a lot of confidence and knowledge, and we thank SriLankan Airlines for giving us this wonderful opportunity and investing in us.”

They now have an opportunity to go through the interview process for new Cabin Crew. If chosen, they would go into the Cabin Crew Training Programme and would need to pass several tests before qualifying to wear the exalted uniform of SriLankan Cabin Crew.

Gayesha Senani, another of the young participants, said: “We’d like to thank our National Carrier for giving us this opportunity, and all those involved in this programme, especially the instructors who committed their time and effort. We gained many skills, and above all learned how to become better citizens of our country.”

With the districts of Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Badulla, Kalutara and Kandy already covered, as well as Colombo, SriLankan intends to carry out similar recruitment programmes in other districts.

The airline is planning more programmes for those selected during recruitment drives in other parts of the country.