Lonavala (Maharashtra), April 19 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Friday inaugurated an Indian Hotel Co. Ltd. (IHCL) facility here which will impart vocational training to around 1,000 underprivileged youths from rural areas.
The facility is housed in the state government's Industrial Training Institute (ITI) campus in this hill-station and will provide skilled work force to industrial units in and around Lonavala, Kanhe, Talegaon and Dabhade areas of Pune district.
The youths will be trained to develop cookery, bakery, steward skills and other technical skills through short-term courses of three to six months duration.
The facility will train around 1,000 youths from the surrounding rural areas in the first year of its operations, and then the capacity will be increased to train about 5,000 youths per annum.
"We are proud to partner with the Taj Group and provide the underprivileged youth in the state an opportunity to develop necessary skills sets for employment in the hospitality sector. It is a noble step by a brand synonymous with Indian hospitality to give back to the society," Chavan said at the inaugural ceremony.
IHCL's managing director and chief executive Raymond Bickson said it would be the company's endeavour to facilitate access to the less-privileged, school dropouts and youths in backward areas to work opportunities in the hospitality industry.
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Experts from several Tata Group companies like Tata Housing, Croma Retail and Voltas will help the candidates develop vocational skills as part of the group's corporate social responsibility.
The Taj Group currently has over 36 skill training centres in India in partnership with government, foundations, national NGOs and has trained 9,000 youths since 2009.
The ITI Lonavala, established in 1978, has achieved a milestone by setting up a Centre of Excellence for Hospitality Skill Training with partners like World Bank, Maharashtra government and Taj Group of Hotels.