Kerala has succeeded in finding a place for itself in the global tourism market, emerging as one of the 50 “must-see destinations” in the world. God's Own Country's covetable position has been made possible by, apart from the gift of nature, the innovative programmes adopted by the State, which have set models worthy of emulation.
The stage is now set for a professional certifying and monitoring body, the Council for Quality Education System in Tourism (C-Quest), to improve the quality of training and education of tourism manpower in the State.
The proposed entity under Kerala Tourism has been modelled to follow the accreditation, affiliation, and approval process of key agencies involved in setting and monitoring education standards. Well-developed educational frameworks and human resource development are its bases. C-Quest will address quality issues, a second-generation problem faced in the development of the tourism industry of the State.
Job potential
The council is aimed at eventually equipping the youth to tap the vast employment potential in the sector worldwide. World Travel and Tourism Council statistics released in May estimate that the industry offers approximately 258 million jobs, which is projected to grow to 323 million in 2021.
An institutional mechanism such as C-Quest was mooted in the wake of the findings of the “Study of human resource development in the tourism sector in Kerala” carried out by Hewitt Associates for Kerala Tourism.
The study, which examined various aspects of the hospitality and tourism education in the State in detail, revealed that most institutions offering tourism courses had poor infrastructure and under-qualified faculty and offer little or no practical training and irrelevant syllabi.
Every year, 8,827 students pass hospitality courses; 7,107, tourism and travel courses; and 1,939, Ayurveda courses in the State. But the employability of a majority of these candidates is “very poor due to the poor quality of the education given and the incompetence of the institutions running or regulating such courses,” the study said.
The students are not properly aware of the opportunities in the sector and hence unable to make informed decisions. A few good institutes offer courses of repute, but with a limited number of seats. And large companies outside the State recruit the talent passing out from them.
The eligibility criteria, admission process, curriculum, quality of faculty, and teaching methodology followed by the institutions have not been standardised, and the government and semi-government agencies offering the courses coordinate poorly.
Besides, the salary and working conditions in tourism are considered below par vis-à-vis similar sectors. The study revealed that the State had a poor presence on the tourism education map in the country and abroad and development of education infrastructure did not follow a systematic approach.
Certification
In its recommendation, the study mooted a certification programme conducted by a monitoring agency with a long-term objective of improving the quality of tourism education. A phased and time-bound approach with certification in the first phase, advanced certification and affiliation in the second, and an approval system in the final were mooted.
The State government considered the labour-intensive nature of tourism and tourism as an effective tool to address the problem of unemployment in Kerala before giving the nod for C-Quest. It is estimated that an investment of Rs.10 lakh can create 18 jobs in industry, 45 in agriculture, and 78 in tourism. The annual demand for manpower in tourism in Kerala is two lakh, whereas the students passing out from various institutes number only 12,000.
At present, the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), the food craft institutes, the State Institute of Hospitality Management, Kozhikode, and the Institute of Hospitality Management and Catering Technology, Kovalam, which is under the Union government, are the major institutes in the State offering courses in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, in addition to other educational institutes.
A tourism and hospitality education fair, “Level Next,” organised by KITTS for the first time in the country was one of the steps initiated for plugging the demand-supply gap faced by the tourism industry in the State and to ensure quality service, U.V. Jose, KITTS Director, says.
C-Quest has been mooted as a registered society working as an autonomous body under KITTS functioning from the Residency premises in the capital. It will have a 10-member governing body headed by the Secretary, Tourism, as Chairman and the KITTS Director as Vice-Chairman. The council work on a self-sustaining mode.
Examinations
Initially, C-Quest will conduct examinations for the 12 food craft institutes. A common exit examination will be conducted in January and July for students who have done short-term courses — certificate or diploma — in other institutes. Those clearing the exam will thus be certified to have attained a certain standard of proficiency. Another tier has been proposed for those who do not have the minimum prescribed training.
The institutes presenting students for this examination will be given three years to improve the infrastructure and faculty situation, failing which their candidates will not be permitted to appear for the exit examination. C-Quest will also be involved in placing successful candidates in hotels for apprenticeship training and in ensuring good pay and perks.
In the second phase, the council will take steps to ensure the quality of infrastructure, faculty, and other facilities in institutes conducting various vocational courses in tourism through an accreditation programme. At a later stage, C-Quest will conduct examinations and issue certificates for experienced tourism professionals in their areas of specialisation.
“It will emerge as a centre of excellence for imparting education in travel, tourism, and hospitality. The council will give the stamp of Kerala and the certificate will be the most important endorsement of their skill,” says V. Venu, outgoing Secretary, Kerala Tourism, who, along with M. Sivasankar, Director of Tourism, was instrumental in setting up C-Quest.
Providing quality education on a sustainable basis has always remained a challenge throughout the world. C-Quest is expected to enjoy a high degree of credibility and acceptance in the tourism sector, not merely of Kerala but across the country and abroad.
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