COLOMBO, July 9 -- The Ministry of Tourism and the Department of Samurdhi will jointly identify young men and women from low-income families across Sri Lanka for a new training program aimed at building the skilled workforce needed for the country's growing tourism industry, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe said.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), Ranasinghe said the program, named Sathkaraye Shrama Sena - Hotel Operations Multitasker Program, would provide proper training to disadvantaged youth, improving their family incomes while addressing the human resource needs of a tourism sector expanding on the international stage.

The deputy minister said the ini...