Cinnamon Hotels inks MoU with Skills for Inclusive Growth

From left: Nishani Liyanage, Dayenkie Chandrasekera, Lavanya Christy, S4IG Team Leader David Ablett, CHML COO Hishan Sinhawansa, Kamal Munasinghe, Steven Wilson, Patrick Pereira and Ishara Naufal

Cinnamon Hotel Management Ltd. (CHML) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Government-funded Skills for Inclusive Growth Program (S4IG), managed by Palladium International Group, to achieve several strategic results through cooperation recently signed at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo. 

S4IG is a program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in accordance with the terms of a subsidiary agreement signed on 31 March 2022, between DFAT and the Sri Lankan State Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational Training, Research, and Innovation.

The MoU sets out the terms on which S4IG will plan and implement specified activities to support the reality TV show Supreme Chef Season three. It is an exciting collaboration between the Australian Government’s aid program and the Sri Lankan Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training. The intervention’s goal is to promote the hospitality industry, specifically cooking, as a viable career option for Sri Lankans. 

Following the success of seasons one and two, this season is being delivered on a national scale. Through food experiences and culinary art challenges, the season brings together Government agencies and private training institutes to support industry and highlight tourism in the country and specifically to address chronic skills shortage in kitchen.

By signing the MoU, CHML acts as the hospitality partner in providing a location for filming related to the show and assisting with the wider goals of the show, mainly to promote the local destinations and regional food specialties as well as provide internship and employment opportunities to the public. 

CHML will provide six-month internship opportunities for on-the-job training for the top 20 contestants of Supreme Chef Season three, with the possibility of long-term employment at the end of the internship, and also one-year of guaranteed employment for the top three female contestants of Supreme Chef Season three. 

The future of the hospitality industry and indeed, the economy depends on the quality of its human capital, and this partnership aims to elevate the skills and knowledge of the youth. Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, as a hospitality trendsetter, intends to remain at the forefront of improving and upskilling the industry where possible and this partnership with S4IG is one such shining example.