CII and ITC Hotels Join Hands with EHL Group to Offer Swiss Professional Diploma in Hospitality to Indian Youth

· The 18-month VET by EHL Swiss Professional Diploma program, , is a product of the renowned EHL Group of Switzerland

· The Program will be delivered at four ITC Hotels across the country, by the best of industry experts as faculty at the luxury properties

· Students who have finished schooling can enrol in the program. There is assured job placement after successful completion

ITC Grand Central,Mumbai / March 8, 2021: In a significant initiative for skill development in Indian hospitality undertaken by industry body CII, an 18-month Vocational Education and Training (VET) Professional Diploma program by the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne/EHL Education Group of Switzerland will be delivered at four ITC Hotels across the country.

A total of 200 students who have passed 12th standard in school will be enrolled in the first batch across four luxury properties including ITC Maurya (New Delhi), ITC Sonar and ITC Royal Bengal (Kolkata), ITC Maratha (Mumbai) and ITC Grand Chola (Chennai), with 50 students being taught at each hotel. CII has assured 100% placement to students upon successful completion of the VET by EHL Swiss Professional Diploma program that is recognized by all major hospitality chains worldwide.

“At CII, we intend to address the need of the Indian hospitality industry for skilled, globally benchmarked talent. Hence this partnership with the 127-year-old EHL Group, which is ranked as the No. 1 hospitality and leisure management school in the world. We also wanted to partner with stalwarts of Indian hospitality to impart training to students as part of this program, and ITC Hotels was the natural choice. India has not only a sizable youth population conversant with English, but also exponentially growing accommodation offerings across tourist destinations in the country.”

Sougata Roy Choudhury, Executive Director, CII:

“The current demand-supply gap of trained workforce in Indian hospitality sector is at a shortfall of about 80%. Hospitality employers find the workforce being supplied below the industry's high expectations. There is a definite need in India for globally recognized vocational training that can create a pool of talented hospitality professionals. The VET by EHL program will bridge the skill gap and strengthen India's position as the global hospitality

Sougata Roy Choudhury, Executive Director, CII:

workforce supplier of choice. It will train the youth to world-class standards for careers in the hospitality industry, including hotels, airlines, cruise-lines, catering and travel industry, not only in India but around the world. The program is a unique training model in partnership with the industry, delivered at industry premises and facilitated by industry experts, to prepare the youth for quality employment within the industry. Nothing like this exists in India currently.”

The VET by EHL Swiss Professional Diploma program, including training, will be delivered at ITC Hotels by the best of industry experts as faculty. “We have an excellent faculty for this program. At ITC Hotels we consistently upgrade the training skill set and integrate new learnings to the modules. Our faculty at each ITC Hotel has been trained and certified by VET by EHL and CII. They bring with them immense experience and knowledge. Moreover, students will be able to learn through interactions with guests in real work settings at ITC Hotels. The Program will allow us to strengthen our talent pipeline as we continue to expand our presence in the country. We intend to add more hotels to this Program in 2022.”

Nilesh Mitra, Vice President, Talent Management, ITC Hotels:

“This program provides students a splendid opportunity to skill and reskill themselves with an international curriculum closer to home and contribute to the immense hospitality and tourism potential of the state. This Swiss Professional Diploma Program will place them on par, if not above, with students from leading hospitality schools in India, with the benefit of On-the-Job training.”

Nilesh Mitra, Vice President, Talent Management, ITC Hotels:

Said Aman Aditya Sachdev, Director & Regional Head at EHL Advisory Services for South Asia, Middle East & Myanmar: “The VET by EHL program is based on principles of the world-renowned Swiss Competency Framework. It has been developed over a two-year period with the involvement of EHL subject matter experts and faculty members, as well as with global industry feedback. The objective is to prepare the youth worldwide for frontline job roles in the hospitality industry at global standards. Students of the program in India will be at a significant advantage with future employers, in global mobility and in their career progression. They will acquire the relevant knowledge and competencies required by the industry at par with international programs.”

Added Praveen Roy, Associate Director and Regional Head of VET by EHL for South Asia, Middle East & Myanmar: “India has always been a high priority country for the EHL Education Group. There are several factors behind

this such as the significant demographic dividend, the pro-hospitality mindset of the youth, the current size and projected growth of the hospitality industry in the country resulting in high levels of demand for a qualified workforce, India’s unique position in the global supply of skilled manpower for the hospitality industry and the quality of the current skilling programs available to the Indian youth.”

About the Program

The VET by EHL Swiss Professional Diplomais spread over 18 months, divided into three levels of learning - Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. The Program will offer learning in three distinct streams: ‘Culinary’, ‘Food & Beverage Service’ & ‘Rooms’ that follow VET by EHL’s world-renowned quality-assurance standards. Each certificate level builds skills on top of the previous and culminates into a Professional Diploma.

Students will get online access to the world-class global Learning Management System. They will be assessed on both theoretical knowledge on the Learning Management System as well as on practical skills acquired during training. On completion, the students will become a part of the prestigious VET by EHL Global Alumni Network. Furthermore, they are also offered an option to enrol for and pursue a UGC recognized degree.

The students are assured of 100% placement after successful completion of the Program. Backed by the international diploma, being job ready in 18 months and with real-life learning experience at luxury hotels of ITC, they will be sought after by all 5-star hotels in the country and abroad.

The total fee for the program is Rs 300,000 (plus taxes). Student must have cleared 12th standard from a recognized board in India with minimum 50% marks in English.

For more details about the program:

Call: 8700554435

Email: admissions@ciiskills.in

Website: www.ciiih.com

About CII

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering industry, Government and civil society through advisory and consultative processes. CII works closely with the top 86 hospitality member organizations.

About ITC Hotels

ITC's Hotel Group is India's leading luxury hotel chain with more than 100 hotels in over 70 destinations in India. Embodying ‘Responsible Luxury’ as its guiding premise, ITC’s hotel group operates under six distinct brands; ‘ITC Hotel’ at the Luxury end, ‘Welcomhotel’ in the 5-star segment, ‘Fortune’ in the mid-market to upscale segment and ‘WelcomHeritage’ in the heritage leisure segment. Brand Mementos in the Luxury segment and brand Storii in the premium segment are the latest addition to the ITC Hotels portfolio. Learning from the experts at ITC Hotels will provide the best experience to students. ITC Hotels have become synonymous with Indian hospitality, which ensures top-notch quality of education.

About Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL)

EHL is the world's leading hospitality university that has pioneered the methods of Swiss hospitality education for over 125 years. The VET by EHL programs use a balance learning approach that combines hands-on courses with blended learning courses to develop operational skills for the industry and transferable skills for future growth and learning.

-----