``Bearing this in mind, we have chosen to help this element of the society which retires at a comparatively young age from the armed forces,'' says SSH Rehman, managing director of ITC Hotels Limited. ``Since there's a large number of such officers and men, we cannot allow them to be wasted. And our aim is to demonstrate to the other big corporate houses that resettling these men is possible,'' he says.

``And in recognition of an imperative need to provide gainful employment to this high potential manpower resource, ITC Hotels Ltd has undertaken a number of schemes aimed at rehabilitation of ex-servicemen in the private sector,'' he says.

``What we are doing is to create a model, and would like to see other hotels to look at these models and imbibe them andspread them to other industries,'' Rehman says. These programmes are quite flexible and can be tailored to suit the needs of other industries, he adds.

``It will satisfy me immensely to see a large number of men and officers, who till the other day were guarding the nation are now actively involved in nation-building, trade and industry,'' he says. But he admits that the progress is modest. There's a long way to go, like creating institutes that can convert more caliberated training programmes, Rehman says.

``The schemes undertaken are intended to act as a catalyst and, thereby, trigger in the private sector a wide recognition of the gainful employment of the ex-servicemen to the mutual benefit of the industry itself,'' says Brig IC Kewlani (retd), advisor, corporate services, ITC Hotels Ltd.

A pioneering scheme undertaken to demonstrate to the private sector the vast potential of ex-officers of the army entails running a programme to reorient released short service commission officers into thePersonnel Management stream of the ITC Hotels Limited.

``We carried out such programmes initially at local levels where we have our hotels, like in Bangalore, Hyderabad etc.,'' says Kewlani. ``And as the word spread, we got involved with the Army headquarters in 1994, for imparting the officers with training in hospitality,'' he adds. Today, the hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing sectors and has immense potential for recruitment, even for ex-servicemen, who can find jobs in areas close to their home after retirement.

``With this in mind, a scheme providing pre/post-release training for junior commissioned officers and other ranks has been implemented, '' says Kewlani.

The trainning programme of six months' duration provides training in housekeeping, kitchen stewarding, kitchen work, store keeping and security, thereby providing them with know-how to be able to independently manage a hotel.

This was done with the intention of making sure that they find placements in hotels outside, hesays.

ITC Hotels have organised a few programmes of absorbing the short service commissioned officers and their wives. ``The company upgraded its interest and incorporated these schemes as `Corporate Objectives' so that we become the trail blazers, and bring a certain amount of discipline in the working sector,'' Kewlani adds.

``While the schemes were stabilising, we started some new ones such as skill enrichment programmes for cooks and stewards. This programme is run on two levels. One is for the raw recruits who join the army and we provide them with a 12-week on-job training, where he picks basic skills of cooking. So far we have trained 90 such men, in two years.'' Then there is the skill enrichment programme for 12 weeks for those who have put around 8-12 years in the services and work in mess.

ITC Hotels has done similar programmes for the Indian Navy too. ``Recently, we started such programmes at INS Hamla, and are providing training to cooks and stewards as pre-released programmes,'' hesays.

In an attempt to energise the spirit of self enterprise in the ex-servicemen, a scheme called the `Welcom Stop' `Welcom Shop' has been created, says Kewlani. This scheme is based on the concept of a tourist facility providing basic amenities along highways and routes frequently traversed by the tourists, he adds.

The scheme aims at providing the ex-servicemen entrepreneur the requisite assistance and training in establishing and running such a tourist facility where the traveller can expect a standardised level of service. ``We provide the knowhow, train the staff, and help them get loans,'' he says. The ex-servicemen are allowed to use the hotel logo to give them marketing protection, thereby compelling them to abide by the company standards, he says.

Ladies' talent is another bank that ITC Hotels is looking at. By virtue of the environment in which the service officers' wives interact socially, they have an extraordinary flair for good housekeeping. Besides, they also pick up various managementtraits of discipline and leadership.

``ITC Hotels Ltd looked at this talent bank of ladies for developing a career in housekeeping,'' says Rehman. ``And a scheme for training them as executive housekeeper was first launched in 1994. After successful completion of training, the ladies have a choice of employment in any of the company hotels countrywide depending on their husbands' posting or in the station where they choose to settle after retirement,'' says Kewlani.

And there is an encouraging news for the both the physically challenged and the widows. ``The ITC Hotel realises its commitment towards them, and in all our programmes, we try to take them in and if the need arises, mould the training according to their needs,'' says Kewlani.

The children of the retired personnel too are given an opportunity to go in for such programmes. ``We have a rigid selection process, and we do give them stipends.'' For the first six months of training, they get stipened per month,'' says Kewlani. And the training isfree, he adds.

There is no philanthropy behind our programmes, he says. The mission is twofold: To extend to the ex-servicemen the recognition that is his due from every citizen, enterprise and institution in the country; to spread awareness in the private sector that it can only gain by utilising the large talent bank of disciplined, motivated and experienced body of ex-servicemen,'' Kewlani concludes.