Sri Lanka’s first Institute of Hospitality & Banking opens for business

The Swiss Institute of Hospitality and Banking was launched by Minister for Tourism John Amaratunga on 5 May amidst a distinguished gathering including the Swiss Ambassador Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Samantha Ranatunga, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Paddy Withane, industry veterans Prema Cooray, Chandra Mohotti, Malraj Kiriella and others.

Also in Sri Lanka for the opening were Swiss Institute Deputy CEO Michael Bardon, Academic Council Chairman and University of Applied Science St. Gallen President Professor Sebastian Wörwag, BBZ Academy for Banking in Switzerland Head of International Business Development and IWMSDB Chairwoman Andrea Kuhn-Senn and Swiss Hospitality Management Academy Lucerne Head of Operations Bart Ferwerda.

Swiss Hospitality Management Academy Lucerne Head of Operations Bart Ferwerda,  Academic Council Chairman and University of Applied Science St. Gallen President Professor Sebastian Wörwag, Swiss Ambassador Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn, Swiss Institute Deputy CEO Michael Bardon, Minister for Tourism John Amaratunga, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Chairman Paddy Withane, BBZ Academy for Banking in Switzerland Head of International Business Development and IWMSDB Chairwoman Andrea Kuhn-Senn and Swiss Institute CEO Dr. Rohith Delilkhan

The institute which will focus equally on both industries, but each in their own way, as the needs of the two industries differ, will be headed by Dr. Rohith Gerald Delilkhan. 

The Swiss Institute has its headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland, from where it has run world-leading training and development programs in many different countries and regions of the world.

“The Swiss Institute is the first service school to cover all service industries anywhere in the world. This should undoubtedly give us the lead in Asia, if not further afield,” said Dr. Delilkhan addressing the gathering.

The vision of the Swiss Institute is to set a standard for the Sri-Lankan service industry across the board, with enormous benefits for Sri Lankan businesses, for individuals and for the country. The benefits will also be for non-Sri Lankans, as the Institute works to make Sri Lanka the springboard for best in class service industry professionals for the whole of Asia. “We want to put professional development in Sri Lanka on the map in Asia, so that everyone will look to this country when it comes to training bankers, logistics and transport experts, hoteliers and tourism managers, facilities managers etc,” said Michael Bardon.

Sri Lanka needs capability in its workforce, not status driven hierarchies without serious economic benefits. The emphasis of the Institute will be on vocational rather than theoretical training, designed to deliver immediate results, as Sri Lanka needs capability in its workforce, not status driven hierarchies without serious economic benefits.

“When an economy picks up speed and grows, it places an increasing demand on the labour market for highly qualified labour.  Here in Sri Lanka, there is a shortage of well trained and skilled labour in key industries such as tourism and the financial sector, a shortage that is exacerbated by the fact that many talented individuals in these industries are leaving the country in search of better prospects elsewhere, hence training is the need of the hour,” said Prof. Sebastian Wörwag.

The institute’s role is to support the development of the service industry in Sri Lanka – all the way. The team comprises experts who have helped shape tourism in the Middle East and Europe, who have improved yield management at hotels, and have changed the way banks work to the benefit of their shareholders, customers and the workforce. They would advise on subjects as varied as pricing strategies, to best in practice approaches, to seasonality. In fact, the Institute is in the process of conceptualising a portal dedicated to Sri Lanka on the sustainability theme – for all its industries. 

By addressing these fundamental training needs, The Swiss Institute of Hospitality and Banking will put Sri Lanka on the educational and training map in Asia.

The other half of The Swiss Institute of Hospitality and Banking, is banking. With banking systems being under threat today in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, and the digital world and non-banks still being threats banks face today; it has become even more imperative that banks remain customer driven organisations where advisory skills make a difference. “This is why Singapore introduced its ‘Financial Industry Competency Standards’ scheme a decade ago – in order to position its workforce on the pathway to financial industry competitiveness. It is a professional, not a university initiative,” said Andrea Kuhn-Senn.

“The training requirements we see for the banking industry of the future though digitally driven, is essentially a people business, and advisory skills, customer service, and a strong understanding of products, portfolios and processes is indispensable. People need to thoroughly understand today’s global products and services, not only those of their own environment, so they can grow and develop the business innovatively to overcome the challenges of the non-bank threats. 

“The Swiss Institute of Hospitality and Banking will build capability in Sri Lanka to address these challenges and help develop the pro-active approach to innovation and specific skills required to make banks more successful and valuable for the economy. With this in mind, we have developed a number of specialist banking programs, already proven and tested with leading banks in Asia and tailored to Sri Lanka, including a management associate program which will bring high performers up to top international standards and a client advisor program for corporate bankers, retail bankers, and wealth managers, inspired by Swiss and Singapore standards which we helped articulate and put into practice in those countries.”

With regards to the Institutes future plans; by the end of year two the Swiss Institute plans to have a campus with a budget hotel as a training hotel, while by the end of year three foreign students will be accepted onto the campus in Sri Lanka.

“Five years from now, we would like to think that we will all convene here again to celebrate five years of impact of The Swiss Institute in Sri Lanka. We look forward to embarking on this wonderful project together and making it a tremendous success,” said Dr. Delilkhan. 

More information is available on request and at www.passport2career.com.