USAID, YouLead to expand employment opportunities for Central Province youth
View(s):US Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for South & Central Asian Affairs, Daniel Rosenblum who was in Colombo recently, opened the Kandy YouLead office which will help expand employment opportunities for youth in the Central Province (CP).
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Skills Development & Vocational Training and the CP Chamber of Commerce & Industry, YouLead is a Rs 1.8 billion (US$12 million) programme launched in 2017, that creates a more market–oriented, skilled and flexible Sri Lankan workforce. YouLead supports youth employability and self-employment opportunities, and improves vocational skills and training initiatives in targeted sectors.
“For Sri Lanka to maintain inclusive economic growth, its youth must have the skills and opportunities they need for successful careers that align with market demand,” Rosenblum said. “The US Government, through the YouLead programme, looks forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka, the Chambers of Commerce, Business Community, and the region’s public and private training institutes.”
YouLead works in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Northern Provinces, which have some of the highest rates of youth unemployment. YouLead’s regional office in Kandy, located within the Chamber office, will work closely with Chamber members, as well as public and private vocational training institutes in the region, to develop partnerships and career development opportunities to support youth employment in the CP.