SHMA facilitates drive to upskill hospitality professionals in the country

The Swiss Hotel Management Academy (SHMA) of A. Baur & Co. Pvt Ltd, which is licensed to deliver the VET (Vocational Education Training) by EHL (Switzerland-based Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne ) Professional Diploma programme from the pioneer in hospitality education since 1893 with over 25,000 alumni worldwide and over 120 nationalities, École hôtelière de Lausanne, recently partnered with Nestlé Lanka PLC, as part of its private sector synergies aimed at upskilling young and rising talent in the sector.

The agreement was signed on December last year between Rolf Blaser, Managing Director & CEO of A. Baur & Co. Pvt Ltd (Baurs) and Jason Avanceña, Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka PLC in the presence of officials representing both Baurs and Nestle Lanka including senior delegates from Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association’ (SLHGA).

‘We are excited about our partnership with Nestlé Lanka and the drive to equip our vibrant talent pool in the country with the necessary knowledge and skills from the world’s most sought-after hospitality education provider. This is the first of the many collaborations to come, and we are proud to be a part of such initiatives that will go on to uplift and showcase our diverse and international quality hospitality standards to the world,’ said Blaser.

Avanceña also highlighted the importance of the country’s hospitality sector and the challenges in the recent years, and the timely need to support future hoteliers and professionals in the food service industry, by collaborating with other organizations who share the similar vision and values.

The participants were exempted from the foundation level based on their previous industrial experiences and skills, allowing them direct enrolment to the Intermediate level, following the advanced diploma programme through an apprenticeship approach in their current workplace, which will be monitored and evaluated by SHMA.