SLITHM making strong presence in Jaffna Peninsula

SLITHM Jaffna 13th year Guaranteed Education Program students with the dignitaries during the launch

Chief Guest Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister Tourism Development Wildlife and Christian and Religious Affairs John Amaratunga during the 13th year program launch

SLITHM Jaffna medal winners Vijinthan Sukumaran (1 Silver 1 Bronze), Senior Lecturer Lakmal Perera, Vijitha Vijayakumra (Siver medallist) and Thuthiraj Mahalingam (Bronze Medalist)

Chefs Guild medal winners with SLITHM Jaffna students and faculty Lakmal Perera and Niranjala Francis Bastian

Since commencing training activities in Jaffna in 2018, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) is making a strong presence in the Jaffna Peninsula with the introduction of the 13th Year Guaranteed Education program for school leavers introduced by the Ministry of Education. It was inaugurated at the SLITHM Jaffna School on the same day the Jaffna International Airport was commissioned. 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Tourism Minister John Amaratunga graced the occasion together with local and inter-state dignitaries.

30 school leavers from Jaffna Peninsula schools were selected to undergo training in Front Office Operations, Hotel House Keeping, and Food and Beverage Service for a period of three months. After the completion of Off the Job training at SLITHM Jaffna School, the students will be placed in star-rated hotels island-wide for a period of one year to gain valuable ‘On the Job’ experience. Once the industry internship is successfully completed the students will receive the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 4 certification which is equalling to GCE Advance level certification.

With the introduction of international flights from Chennai, India three times a week, Jaffna is going to experience both inbound and outbound tourist traffic bringing a much-needed boost to the battered tourism industry. In addition to the handful of star-rated tourist hotels currently operating in the northern district, several new hotel projects are in the pipeline to cater for the expected tourism boom in the north in the years to come. 

In this regard SLITHM under the Tourism Ministry has taken a proactive role by securing a block of prime land in the heart of Jaffna town to construct a purpose built state of the art tourism and hospitality centre of excellence with student accommodation, recreation facilities, etc. “We hope to partner with an international donor organisation soon to commence the construction of the Jaffna campus,” said SLITHM Chairman Dilip De Silva. 

“We understand the great potential Jaffna has to contribute to the development of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. As such we will invest time money and energy to develop the tourism potential not only in Jaffna but also in the east coast covering Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Passikuda and Ampara regions. We have already ear marked suitable locations for future expansion,” said the SLITHM Chairman.

The Human Resource skills potential in Jaffna Peninsula was evident in the recently concluded Chefs Guild Culinary Skills competition at BMICH where SLITHM Jaffna students won five medals comprising two Silver and two Bronze medals. “We are fortunate to have the support of professional hoteliers like Christopher Ponnadurai, General Manager Jetwing Hotels Jaffna and. Karthigan Sriskanatharajah, Manager/Consultant of Green Grass Hotel to develop our operations in Jaffna,” said SLITHM Chairman Dilip De Silva. 

“We are also grateful to the Jaffna Hoteliers Association for their support and enthusiasm to develop manpower in the northern districts,” said the SLITHM Chairman.