{"id":152077,"date":"2025-09-19T13:05:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T20:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=152077"},"modified":"2025-09-19T13:05:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T20:05:56","slug":"policy-paper-strengthening-vocational-training-and-technical-skills-development-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/09\/19\/policy-paper-strengthening-vocational-training-and-technical-skills-development-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy Paper: Strengthening Vocational Training and Technical Skills Development in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Ex CEO Cololmbo Dockyard Pvt Ltd and chairman advisory board under EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

1. Introduction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its economic and industrial development. The current Government\u2019s development priorities, especially under the NPP administration, recognize that a robust and skilled workforce is indispensable for sustainable economic growth. While university education remains important, the country faces a significant gap in skilled labour, technicians, and blue-collar professionals essential for industrial, maritime, and service sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Rationale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Workforce Imbalance: Overemphasis on university degrees has resulted in insufficient numbers of technically skilled workers and technicians.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Industrial Demands: Strategic sectors such as shipbuilding, offshore engineering, manufacturing, construction, and high-value services demand a large pool of skilled workers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Global Competitiveness: Countries that prioritize vocational training have demonstrated higher industrial productivity and foreign investment inflows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    3. Policy Objectives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Prioritize Vocational Training: Elevate vocational and technical education to the same level of importance as university education.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Increase Skilled Labour Supply: Produce a pipeline of well-trained technicians and service professionals to meet current and future demand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Support Economic Growth: Strengthen critical sectors such as shipbuilding, offshore industries, and the service sector to drive industrialization and export earnings.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      4. Policy Measures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      4.1 Financial Support Mechanisms<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Allocate a sizeable budget for vocational training programs in the annual national budget.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Provide grants to public and private vocational training institutes to enhance facilities, curriculum, and instructor quality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Offer low-interest loans or interest-free student loans for trainees, with options for repayment after employment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Introduce collateral-free loan schemes for youth from low-income backgrounds to access technical training.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        4.2 Institutional Capacity Development<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Strengthen existing institutions such as NAITA, DTET, and Vocational Training Authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Encourage public-private partnerships (PPPs) to establish new training centers in high-demand sectors (marine, offshore, construction, ICT, hospitality).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Introduce industry-led apprenticeship programs with recognized certifications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          4.3 Curriculum and Standards<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Align training curricula with international standards and emerging industry needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Focus on practical, hands-on training in addition to theory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Regularly review and update curricula with input from industry stakeholders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            4.4 Sector Focus<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Shipbuilding and Offshore Sector: Develop specialized training programs in welding, mechanical and electrical maintenance, offshore safety, and environmental management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Service Sector: Hospitality, logistics, health care, and ICT support services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Green and Blue Economy: Skills for renewable energy, marine resource management, and sustainable fisheries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              5. Implementation Strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Establish a National Vocational Skills Development Council to coordinate and monitor progress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Set annual targets for trainee enrollment, certifications, and job placements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Introduce a skills passport system to certify and track worker qualifications nationally and internationally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Mobilize foreign and local investment to upgrade training infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                6. Expected Outcomes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Creation of a skilled workforce ready for domestic and international employment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Reduction of youth unemployment by channeling school leavers into high-demand vocational careers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Enhanced foreign direct investment (FDI) due to availability of skilled technical labour.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Boost to the shipbuilding, offshore, and service industries, accelerating industrialization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  7. Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                  By prioritizing vocational training and technical skills development, Sri Lanka can ensure a balanced, inclusive, and sustainable path to industrialization. This policy will create the foundation for long-term economic growth, empower youth with employable skills, and position the nation as a regional leader in technical excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


                  Dr Sarath Obeysekera<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Ex CEO Cololmbo Dockyard Pvt Ltd and chairman advisory board under EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Dr Sarath Obeysekera Ex CEO Cololmbo Dockyard Pvt Ltd and chairman advisory board under EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry\u00a0 1. Introduction Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its economic and industrial development. The current Government\u2019s development priorities, especially under the NPP administration, recognize that a robust and skilled workforce is indispensable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sarath-obeysekera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152078,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152077\/revisions\/152078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}