Finland to help set up centers of excellence in hotel industry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Finland have agreed in principle to establish a center of excellence at the National Skills University (NSU), which will focus on hotel and restaurant industry in addition to construction, IT, teacher training and engineering studies with the help of the Turku Municipality of Finland. 

This was stated by Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Madad Ali Sindhi after meeting Ambassador of Finland to Pakistan Hannu Ripatti at the education ministry.

Similarly, a center of excellence will also be established at the Pakistan Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (PITHM) in collaboration with the Turku Municipality of Finland.

The minister said that in the field of non-formal education, National Skills University (NSU), Islamabad, is providing technical skills to the Pakistani youth, which can be enhanced to be a Skill Learning Centre for current and aspiring Pakistani youth to work abroad.

The ambassador informed the minister about the ongoing collaboration between the government of Finland and Pakistan, adding they are already providing vocational training at NUTECH and NUST. 

He told the minister that two Finnish universities were already providing technical and human expertise to these institutions. Approximately 500 people are already under training. He said with the help of the government of Finland, NUTECH had already expanded its one year diploma course to three-year course in the field of hotel and restaurant management. 

The minister praised the literacy rate of Finland and the high quality of education that their public sector provided to its population. He raised the pressing concern of out of school children in Pakistan and said it was one of the biggest challenges that Pakistan was facing.

The ambassador shared the experience of Finland and apprised the minister about the policies adapted by the government of Finland to overcome these problems.