Limitless skies open up for youth courtesy of Elephant Corridor
Tuesday, 8 October 2013 00:11
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Elephant Corridor launched its inaugural Youth Training Program yesterday at The Elephant Corridor Hotel in Sigiriya. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Director Board of Sierra Group and also present at the ceremony as Guest of Honour was renowned chef Dr. Publis Silva. Also in attendance as special invitees at the event were the parents of all participant trainees.
The Youth Training Program is a unique initiative started by The Elephant Corridor Hotel to provide the youth in Sigiriya and its surrounding areas with an opportunity to find their footing and grow in the hospitality industry.
The training program, henceforth to be conducted biannually each year, is targeted at school-leavers from the rural areas surrounding The Elephant Corridor Hotel in Sigiriya and will see the recruitment of 15-20 youth each session. These youth will be trained in four different disciplines: housekeeping, front desk service, goods and beverages, and in the kitchen. The trainees will also be taught English to further improve their communication skills and help them advance in the industry.
During the six month training period, all trainees will receive food and accommodation, as well as an allowance. The conclusion of the training program will see all trainees receiving a valid certificate of participation and the trainees who excelled during the training program will be granted a position in the ranks of the Elephant Corridor staff.
This program is the first of its kind by Elephant Corridor hotel but is also slated to be the first of many. Elephant Corridor is Sri Lanka’s first luxury boutique hotel and is currently under the management of Sierra Group. The combination of the renowned hotel’s eagerness towards conducting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and the priority Sierra places on the education of the young generation has given birth to a training program of such magnitude.
“This training program will be a career opening for the future of many young people,” said Thakshila Galappaththy, Head of Business Development at Elephant Corridor Hotel. “The trainees who start from the bottom can work their way all the way up to the pinnacle of the hotel industry.”
Training programs of this nature not only benefit the aspiring youth of today but also provide much-needed support to the expected tourism boom under the Government and the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’.
