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Famous Austrian Hotel school to build links with Lankan students
Wednesday, 21 September 2005 - 2:01 AM SL Time
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The highly esteemed Klessheim Hotel School of Salzburg in Austria has encouraged through their support to establish a past pupils association in Sri Lanka and later in Asia.
This would be carried out through the efforts of a chairman of two companies and a director Mr. Prasanna Wijesinghe Jayawardene who is presently better identified as being the chief of the famous hotel Elephant Corridor.
Speaking to Daily MirrorFT last week he recalled that it was he together with another friend of his Mr. Lester Fernando were one of the first Ceylonese to obtain scholarships to this reputed school towards which he owes much to his success today.
It is in view of 'paying back' to the school that he together with some of the other past pupils of the school, many of whom are currently working overseas, agreed to establish an association to encourage the younger generation and bring about various activities.
Today there are about 86 past pupils of this school and observed that following in their footsteps many Sri Lankan students have joined this school which is now considered to be one of the best hotel schools in the world.
'We would like to bring forward the elitist students for this special institute,' he said pointing out that it was as part of studying through this school that a lot of Sri Lankans have contributed in other countries in this industry.
In addition, younger people can obtain support from the association as they are dynamic and forward looking ad because the institute is studying the new concepts emerging today as well, he noted.
Through this association Mr. Jayawardene said the association would be hoping to conduct training programmes towards which they are presently in discussion with upmarket hotels.
Also the association would be carrying out social service programmes and ensure they encourage the youth who are interested as well as those not so interested to enter this profession.
In this respect they would be able 'to show the people that anybody can do it and go a bit elitist and put on a show' at the end of the day, Mr. Jayawardene said.
This country has the potential and Sri Lanka has the capacity, he asserted adding that industry should be developed and this was something that the school had displayed in establishing within them a career for the future with passion. (SD)
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