Hassan: The Food Craft Institute (FCI) at Belur is looking to shift from its present location to a convenient place in Hassan city so that it can offer both short-term and diploma courses in tandem.
Started a year back, FCI is jointly sponsored by the Union and state ministries of tourism and offers short-term courses of 48 days duration in food production, food and beverage service and house-keeping. Those who complete the course get placement opportunities in hotels, home stays and star hotels.
According to the Institute principal, Mr Jagadeesh, Belur is not the ideal place for the Institute as it is 38 km from Hassan city and about 30 km from Chikmagalur. “It is difficult for students to travel to and fro owing to inadequate bus services, besides, to fetch raw material such as mushrooms and Khovas, we have to go to markets in Hassan or Chikmagalur.”
“If the Institute is shifted to Hassan, then more candidates from various taluks can enroll for the courses,” Jagadeesh told Deccan Chronicle adding, “We can offer diploma in five courses to in various aspects of the hospitality industry. The building we have now is suitable only for short-term courses because of inadequate classrooms and labs.”
So far, the Institute claims to have trained as many as 395 candidates. The principal says that some of the candidates who have completed short-term courses are employed in hotels in Mysore, Bengaluru and Chikmagalur apart from Hassan. Hoping to find a suitable location in Hassan city, Mr Jagadeesh says a search is on to find a building preferably a government building.
