Deputy High Commissioner of Australia launches ‘Welcome Back Better’ campaign

The Welcome Back Better campaign was introduced to the public by Deputy High Commissioner for Australia Lalita Kapur, and the program’s skills advisor Stephen Lodziak

The Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives Lalita Kapur launched the ‘Welcome Back Better’ campaign at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo which is a brainchild of the Skills for Inclusive Growth program, a project of the Australian Government in Sri Lanka. 

Skills for Inclusive Growth is working with the Sri Lankan Government and industry to attract businesses to reopen and for staff to return to the industry now that monthly visitor arrivals of 50,000 are coming. To attract more visitors and ensure they have the best experiences of Sri Lankan hospitality, quality skills are now required. S4IG is supporting government policies aimed at ensuring greater participation of female workers in the industry and improving access to training and jobs for people with disabilities.

‘Welcome Back Better’ is a variation of the often-repeated COVID era slogan ‘Build Back Better.’ As the tourists return after a two-three-year absence, Sri Lanka should focus on welcoming them back and welcoming them better than they have before. This implies a more professional approach to hospitality from the country’s many micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises that are engaged in it. The Welcome Back Better with Skills for Inclusive Growth exhibition was also a chance to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Sri Lankan and Australian government cooperation and emphasise the Australian government’s support for the skills development and broader education reform agenda in Sri Lanka, specifically the Decade of Skills Development, which runs from 2021 to 2030.

Deputy High Commissioner Lalita Kapur said, “I am delighted to celebrate with you this Welcome Back Better Skills exhibition and encourage you to visit each stall and engage with the presenters.” They will be able to highlight how these skills, products, and models can be accessed and replicated for use across Sri Lanka and ensure diverse participants benefit at this time of industry recovery. I really acknowledge and thank the industry players that have supported and sponsored this program. Industry brings legitimacy to vocational training and ensures that the workforce can deliver the goods to generate improved visitor flows across Sri Lanka. Australia’s support for tourism recovery will continue. We will continue to work with you to support quality, relevant, and inclusive skills development that meets industry needs and provides employment opportunities for the diverse communities in Sri Lanka. We are pleased to celebrate with our partners from the Government of Sri Lanka’s Ministries of Education and Tourism, who have come together and are working together to support tourism and hospitality industry recovery in Sri Lanka to be able to welcome back better visitors and generate revenues and incomes for Sri Lankans.”

On display were innovative skills models prototyped and tested by industry partners that are now available for national implementation and have been adopted by key government and private sector stakeholders. Training materials, including high-quality self-study training videos developed by S4IG, are now accessible and can be downloaded online by the industry. For those wishing to improve their skills, you can access these materials by visiting NAITA, SLITHM, and VTA for more information. There are also resources available for training institutions, employers, and interested communities seeking employment for people with disabilities.