KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER
C-Quest - a council for quality education system in tourism sector
Kerala Tourism would soon start a professional certifying and monitoring body to address the quality issues faced in the tourism sector. The Council for Quality Education System in Tourism (C-Quest), the new proposed monitoring body, will help to improve the hospitality education in tourism sector and will also provide employment opportunities for the youth.
As part of forming C-Quest, the state government has decided to de-link the examinations conducted by the Food Craft Institutes from the Director of Technical Education. On the contrary the proposed C-Quest will conduct a common exit examination. The same can be attempted by students who have done a short-term course - either certificate or diploma -from an institute other than the Food Craft Institutes under the state government. Those who clear the examinations will be certified to have attained a certain standard of proficiency, which will help them to improve their employability in the tourism sector.
The institutes that present students for the examination will be given a period of three years to improve infrastructure and faculty. Those centres that fail to comply will not be allowed to enroll their candidates for the examination.
"The council will give the stamp of Kerala and will increase employability and build brand equity. The certificate will be the most important endorsement of their skill. The message is look for symbol, if you look for quality," said Dr. Venu V., former Secretary, Kerala Tourism.
Considered on the basis of a study carried out by the state government on human resource development in the tourism sector of Kerala, the council is expected to work on a self-sustaining mode. The fee collected for various examinations and accreditation for institutions will form a major source of revenue for the council. C-Quest will be involved in placing successful candidates in the hotels for apprenticeship.
The council will be a registered society working from the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) in Thiruvananthapuram. By constituting C-Quest, the tourism sector can enjoy a high degree of credibility and acceptance not only within the state but also across the country and abroad.
