India is set to have the largest working-age population in the world by 2030. Leveraging its demographic dividend and aiming at addressing the demand for industry-relevant workforce, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is strengthening skill development efforts to upgrade skills of the existing and the future workforce.  Driving forward the vision of Skilled India, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), one of the sector skill councils approved by NSDC, has announced its collaboration with Marriott India to promote Apprenticeship in Tourism and Hospitality sector. As part of the collaboration, Marriott will engage 5000 apprentices through its network of 90 properties in the country. The apprentices will be provided with an opportunity to receive hands-on experience at Marriott hotels for developing broader expertise in the sector, preparing them to cater to the demands of the tourism and hospitality sector.

The MoU was signed today between Mr Rajan Bahadur, Chief Executive Officer, THSC, Mr Neeraj Govil, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International and Mr. Gurmeet Singh, Senior Area Director of Human Resource, South Asia, Marriott International Inc., in presence of Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC and Mr. Rattan Keshwani, Chairman, THSC.  The partnership will provide aspiring professionals an opportunity to get access to quality training and further, receive job prospects at Marriott.  The apprentices may seek opportunities in industry-relevant portfolios or through self-employment.  The goal is to instil economic security and stability among the country’s youth through world-class skill training.  The partnership will enable the youth in accessing employment opportunities and make their growth more inclusive. 

• Marriott commits to engage 5000 apprentices in Tourism & Hospitality Sector
• NSDC is executing Apprenticeship in Optional Trades

Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC said, “Apprenticeship has been recognized world-wide as the key to providing right training and acquiring world-class talent.  The introduction of optional trades widens the scope of Apprenticeship in sectors such as services, retail, tourism, IT& ITeS among others, enabling the industry to design their own courses and creating a skilled workforce matching their needs.”

Mr. Rajan Bahadur, Chief Executive Officer, THSC expressed his views on the partnership and said, "Tourism and Hospitality industry has a huge potential to absorb the best-class talent in the country and our objective is to empower the youth by making them industry-relevant.  The service sector is a great contributor in the country’s economic growth and our aim is to impart global standards of training to build the capabilities of semi-skilled and unskilled workforce through Apprenticeship.  Our objective is to scale up apprenticeship program in the country in collaboration with the industry to bridge the gap between the industry-demand and availability of skilled manpower.”

Mr Neeraj Govil- Senior Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International sharing his thoughts on this collaboration said “We are pleased to partner and support this pioneering initiative with the National Skill Development Corporation and The Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council. Our combined forces is a step forward in our commitment to building the next generation of hospitality professionals and equipping them to operate in a dynamic & challenging business environment.  It is an honour to partner with such esteemed government bodies to effectively create the next generation talent pool for the industry.”

The MoU between THSC and Marriott India underscores commitment to address the skilling gap in the job market in the sector. Marriott India will run the training curriculum aligned to National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) designed by THSC.  Once the training is completed, the apprentices will be jointly assessed and certified by Marriott and THSC. THSC will also offer operational support in implementing the training program.