Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /usr/www/users/urnnet/a/story.php on line 43 Crested Crane Training Institute Gets World Bank Boost :: Uganda Radionetwork
Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary of the Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities ministry told Uganda Radio Network that the bids for firms seeking to take up the USD 6-million task were opened last week and are now being evaluated. She hopes that the winning bidder will be announced by mid next month for construction to take off early January 2018.
Chefs Trained from the Hotel And Tourims Training Institute Jinja. It is hoped that training more of them would solve the existing skills gap in the industry.
The Uganda Hotel and Training Institute in Jinja is set for a major renovation thanks to a 21 billion Shillings loan secured from the World Bank.
Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary of the Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities ministry told Uganda Radio Network that the bids for firms seeking to take up the USD 6-million task were opened last week and are now being evaluated. She hopes that the winning bidder will be announced by mid next month for construction to take off early January 2018.
The institute, initially funded by United Nations Development Programme –UNDP and International Labor organization-ILO when it opened in 1998 is the only government facility specialized in training for hospitality and tourism in Uganda.
It was initially located at Fairway Hotel in Kampala but later relocated to Crested Hotel in Jinja after the owners of Fairway hotel repossessed the buildings. The institute has the mandate of training for the tourism sector offering diplomas, certificates and other tailor-made courses.
Its planned facelift has been pending since the Eight Parliament. The MPs then approved a World Bank Loan aimed at redeveloping the institute to international level.
Kanene Moses Stephen, the Head of Tourism training at the institute in an interview was excited that the plans for redevelopment are finally kicking off.
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Plans to redevelop the institute come amidst a reported shortage of skilled Ugandans in the hotels, tourism and generally hospitality sector. Kanene hopes that upgrading the institute with more training space and facilities will boost the hotels and tourism industry.
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He says the training offered in future could end foreigners dominating Uganda's hotel jobs.
The National Tourism Sector Development Plan 2015/2106-2019/20 identifies skills gap number two among the priorities to be worked on to move the sector.
It says training people who deliver tourist services and products makes the tourism industry competitive. Studies show that direct employment in tourism in Uganda reached 191,500 employees in 2014 corresponding to 2.8% of total employment in Uganda.
