The youth came, they saw and were empowered
View(s):EDEX EXPO 2013 Colombo event concludes on successful note.
The EDEX Expo 10th Anniversary was declared open on January 18th 2013, which witnessed thousands of youth thronging to visit the exhibition during the Colombo event and leave, informed and empowered.
School children, parents and multi-stakeholders of EDEX converged and participated in the much anticipated EDEX Expo 2013 – education and careers exhibition, which showcased more than 300 stalls both local and international.
The choices, options and opportunities at international universities were well represented numbering over 250, representing 21 countries. Special Indian and Malaysian pavilions added more choices for students who wished to pursue their higher studies overseas in these regions.
Vocational and technical training institutes from both government and private sectors were also participants on this giant platform and offered youth many options to gain advanced knowledge and enhance skills. Career guidance counsellors from representative 
exhibitor stalls assisted the discerning youth and eager parents in the selection of the best career paths.
One of the main attractions of the exhibition was the Careers stall, at which more than 2,000 Psychometric Tests, a tool for guiding youth in education and careers were administered to the students who had completed post-secondary education. The test results pointed the youth to their best suited stream of studies. Further counselling was offered to those who were awaiting their A/L results.
The mega exhibition was ceremonially opened by Minister of Youth Affairs Hon. Dulles Alahapperuma with Country Director of ILO Mr. Donglin Li and Senior Economist Mr. Tadateru Hayashi who represented Country Director of Asian Development Bank Madam Rita O’ Sullivan as guests of honour.
Mr. Bandula Gunawardena, Education Minister graced the occasion on the second day and took time to visit the stalls. He opined that that there were many job vacancies available in the market but there was a lack of good applicants.
The Hon. Minister was in favour of equal opportunity for both young men and women, citing the example of being piloted by a lady Pilot and being pleasantly surprised, recently. He also highlighted that an initiative was underway to establish thousand mixed-schools in Sri Lanka as a Government policy.
The Principal of Royal College, Mr. Upali Gunasekara, Secretary of Royal College Union, Mr. Manju Ariyaratne and Chairman of EDEX Mr. Kamal Abeysinghe and dedicated team of EDEX were instrumental in organising and executing this event.
Mr. Abeysinghe stated that EDEX has captured the aspirations of youth for a decade and has attempted to empower them to be globally competitive through right education and market relevant skills leading to gainful employment. He opined in a modern context that entrepreneurship was a smart option for youth.
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