The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the implementation of the “Hospitality Labour Force” programme aimed at training more than 800,000 skilled workers to meet the government’s target of attracting five million tourists annually by 2030.
Recognising the limited training capacity of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), the programme will provide six-month National Vocational Qualification (NVQ Level 3) training using facilities and trainers from accredited public and private institutions across the country.
The initiative will offer both theoretical and practical training to youth interested in careers across the hospitality sector — from micro to large-scale operations. Each training group will comprise 30 students and cover 360 hours over 60 days, with SLITHM responsible for academic, management, and quality assurance. The estimated cost per participant is Rs. 55,832.50.
The first phase will train 20,000 youth from Samurdhi beneficiary families, funded through the Department of Samurdhi Development’s empowerment allocations, with the programme running from 2025 to 2026. The remaining 80,000 participants will be trained through public-private partnerships, inter-organisational cooperation, and co-sponsorship funding.
