Tourism, hospitality sector offers jobs to the disabled

The wide range of employment opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector offers an excellent job prospect for the people with neurodevelopmental disabilities, said speaker at a seminar yesterday.

“Tourism and hospitality is an important sector and provides a range of excellent work opportunities for those with neurodevelopmental disabilities,” said Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon.

He said the government is committed to ensuring the inclusion of people with disabilities into the workforce.

He spoke at the seminar titled 'Employment for Persons with Neurodevelopment Disabilities in Tourism & Hospitality Sector' organised by the International Labour Organisation's BSEP project in collaboration with the Tourism & Hospitality Industry Skills Council and the PFDA-Vocational Training Center Trust.

Representatives from the hospitality and tourism sector in both India and Bangladesh provided their insight and experience into how they had successfully employed people with neurodevelop-mental disabilities.

Md Zillar Rahman, social welfare secretary, highlighted the positive contribution people with disabilities can make to any business.

“The business case is well-known. Companies should not think that they are simply being charitable. People with disabilities make excellent employees who are loyal and hard working. They should be given every chance to prove their worth.” 

Kishore Kumar Singh, chief technical adviser of the BSEP project, said, “It is important that the private sector becomes more aware of the potential of people with disabilities, how they can recruit them and what type of changes they need to make to their business to recruit these staff.”

“Hospitality and tourism offers excellent opportunities but we should also consider other industries in other sectors too.”