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The company, which is headquartered in Coleraine, is teaming up with a leading training and education institution in Mumbai to train staff there to recognised British qualifications for the hospitality industry.

The new partnership is scheduled to begin in June when Rutledge Joblink managers will travel to India to train staff there to deliver the courses. Rutledge Joblink will then seek to place graduates of the training programme in hotels in centres such as Dubai, where it has an office in Invest NI's Technology and Development Centre.

Rutledge Joblink's Managing Director Jonathan Doherty took part in the Invest NI business mission which visited Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai from 8-14 April. The company also has a similar training partnership at Manila in the Philippines. It has extensive experience in providing nursing staff from India for hospitals and clinics throughout Northern Ireland.

Mr Doherty said: "We've been researching India as a source of staff for the hospitality industry from our base in Dubai for some considerable time. I joined the Invest NI mission to follow up a number of initial contacts with education and training institutions in Mumbai and other centres. It was a very effective way to develop contacts there and these subsequently led to the partnership agreement.

"We will assist our new partner to develop its training programmes that will provide us with the skilled people we need to supply our clients in Dubai and other Gulf centres, where demand for staff with recognised British qualifications is exceptionally strong because of the ongoing investment in tourism and the hospitality industry.

"We've also used Invest NI's Explorers Programme as an integral part of the expansion plan that we are implementing in Dubai in response to the demand for our expert services and experience," he added.

Trainees in India, with help from Rutledge Joblink, will be able to achieve recognised qualifications such as NVQs in Hospitality Service covering a range of various disciplines.

Rutledge Joblink was one of 16 companies taking part in the business mission with the Secretary of State.

As one of the biggest training providers in Northern Ireland, Rutledge Joblink specialises in providing a range of vocational qualifications to meet the needs across a number of manufacturing and service sectors. The company has 19 offices in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, employing 105 staff.

Rutledge Joblink is currently the sole provider of Jobskills training on behalf of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and Northern Ireland Court Service. It offers specialist vocational training for the Department for Employment and Learning and is heavily involved in the medical sector, with a specialist nursing division for medical and non-medical staff on behalf of a number of health trusts throughout the island of Ireland. As well as the public sector, Rutledge Joblink recruits permanent and temporary staff for a wide range of companies in the private sector.