A joint Thai-Australian initiative is attempting to solve the severe shortage of trained personnel for the tourism and hospitality industry in tsunami-affected provinces in the South.

"There are about 1,000 establishments that require an estimated 20,000 new employees. Vocational institutions have provided about 7,000 employees so far. The industry is growing by almost 500 hotel rooms per year. This expansion will put further pressure on the skilled-labour situation," said Siwa Sirisoawaluk, governor of Krabi province.

Some vocational schools in Krabi have shortened their courses from two years to 18 months in order to increase the supply of trained workers for the industry.

Another problem is that some of the region's trained workforce has opted to work elsewhere after the 2004 tsunami, fearing a repeat of the tragedy.

To cope with the shortage, the Thai-Australian Tourism and Hospitality Professional Devel-opment Centre was set up to help directors and teachers at vocational schools to produce more qualified workers for hotels and tourism businesses.

Officially opened on May 23, the centre is overseen jointly by Thailand's Vocational Education Commission and Australia's Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. It has trainers from Australia.

Apart from gaining more knowledge of the business, trainees also improve their English skills.

"My English improved after starting the training in February," said Wannisa Butlang, 32, a teacher at Krabi Polytechnic College. "I learned teamwork, too, from the trainers. I will apply techniques they taught me and other vocational teachers to teach teamwork skills to my students, as they are important in hotel work."

Besides English, Wannisa says she has learned to compare the strong and weak points of the Thai and Australian training for hotel work and how each section of a hotel works in real life. She will be trained in tourism in June.

Australian Ambassador William Paterson said the centre would make sure that the skills and knowledge taught would be applicable to local and regional needs.