Hilton in partnership with the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) launched Hilton Liya Diriya¬ – a specially created female development program in Sri Lanka.
Translating to ‘female courage,’ Hilton Liya Diriya aims to provide training opportunities for local female students keen to build a career in hospitality. Selected participants will undergo two training phases to pick up practical knowledge, skills and experiences, involving a one-month period dedicated to theoretical training with SLITHM and a six-month industrial traineeship at one of Hilton’s properties in Sri Lanka.
The current local job involvement in women in Sri Lanka is around 10% while Hilton has around 14.5% female workers which are above the industry average.
The establishment of the program is in line with Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 goal of doubling its social impact investment, and underscores its continued commitment to ensuring inclusive growth, sustainable solutions and economic opportunities for all, even during these unprecedented times. Furthermore, by empowering its female participants and enabling them to pursue a career in hospitality, Hilton Liya Diriya also aims to create a positive impact on the community by increasing the historically-lower labor force participation rate for women in Sri Lanka.
On top of the training, participants will receive support from Hilton throughout the duration of the program, in the form of accommodation, allowance and mentoring. Upon graduation, they will also be awarded certifications, as well as employment opportunities at a Hilton property in Sri Lanka or abroad.
“Sri Lanka has shown immense potential for us over the years, evidenced by the resilience of the country, its promising tourism sector and ongoing improvements to infrastructure which have laid a strong foundation for us to kickstart our robust expansion plans,” said Paul Hutton, vice president, operations, Hilton in South East Asia.
“Despite the challenges caused by the health pandemic, we continue to recognize its long-term prospects and have doubled down on our commitment to putting Sri Lanka on the global roadmap with the recent opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Weerawila Rajawarna Resort in November – our third Hilton property in the country.” Hilton will add two more properties in Yala and Negombo soon.
“Through the introduction of Hilton Liya Diriya, we hope to leverage our scale and capacity to advance women’s economic empowerment in the country by identifying and developing the best local talents, and I look forward to seeing them excel in their careers with us.”
Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism, said: “We aspire to achieve a higher level of female participation in Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry, especially in the skilled and value creation areas which would provide more opportunities for them to further their careers in the longer term. Currently women make up less than 10 percent of the hospitality workforce locally, compared to the 54 percent globally. This is a strategic change for Sri Lanka Tourism.”
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