Hospitality sector experts have emphasized the need for a robust public–private partnership to produce skilled and competent human resources for Nepal’s hotel industry.
Speaking at the Human Resource Conference jointly organized by Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) and the government’s ENSURE Project on Tuesday, speakers underscored that promoting productive sectors is not possible without a sufficient pool of trained manpower.
Mahesh Bhattarai, Member Secretary of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), stressed the importance of developing time-relevant curricula in collaboration with the private sector to meet evolving industry demands.
Suresh Kumar Joshi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, pointed to a growing gap in skilled labor in the job market, while Dambar Sunuwar, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security, highlighted the need to better link education and skills training with employment opportunities.
HAN’s legal advisor, Gandhi Pandit, gave a presentation on policies, regulations, legal frameworks, and industrial relations in the hospitality sector. ENSURE Project team leader Rabindra Bahadur Singh presented the role of industrial trainees in workforce development.
Speaking at the event, HAN President Binayak Shah said the conference aimed to shed light on the persistent shortage of skilled human resources, noting that it is concerning even a third of the hotels operating in the country are facing manpower shortages.
The discussions also covered the increasing number of star-rated hotels in Nepal, the growing influx of Indian and Chinese tourists, and the challenges posed by the outflow of the labor force to foreign employment. Speakers stressed the need for coordinated efforts by the government and private sector to enhance workforce capacity and productivity in this context.
During a panel discussion moderated by HAN Treasurer Yubaraj Shrestha, key stakeholders including Sangeeta Ojha, Executive Director of the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM); Binod Badal, Director at CTEVT; and Khem Paudel, Human Resource Director from the private sector, shared perspectives on the lack of skilled labor, the impact of foreign internships and employment, and the urgent need for curriculum reform.
The conference concluded with a decision to establish the HAN HR Club, a dedicated platform for HR professionals working in hospitality, aimed at promoting integrated efforts toward the development of the sector’s human capital. -- RSS
