President aims for job-oriented youth training
View(s):President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has emphasised on job-oriented youth training to improve job opportunities.
“It is upto us to identify the needs in the international markets and provide training accordingly,” President Rajapaksa told newspaper editors and managers of electronic media, at a recent meeting.
President Rajapaksa took India as an example, and said they provide training for specific fields like developing apps for telecommunication devices and preparing video coding formats.
The President said one of his earliest meetings was related to the education sector, and one of his presidential aims is to provide training according to job requirements.
During the election campaign the President had met with a youth who had not passed the G.C.E Advanced Level Exams, but had developed skills in software. The President said this young man currently owns businesses in Australia and USA.
“He said the only requirement is a good English education and highspeed internet,” President Rajapaksa added.
The President also said Sri Lanka lacks trained graduates to teach in schools and plans are currently being made to address this issue.
“Some graduates think the government should provide jobs for them. When I was the Defence Secretary a batch of 800 graduates were sent to me, and I found it difficult to give them work,’ he said.
He said Sri Lanka has the potential to send trained nurses abroad as well, as there is a high demand for nurses, globally.
The President also said a Multipurpose Development Task Force is being set up to provide training and employment for those who have not passed the GCE O/L Exams.
“Unskilled individuals with no formal education or only primary education will be selected for this programme,” he said.
A statement from the President’s office said during the first phase of this project 100,000 jobs will be provided to youth around the country. Around 30,000 more indirect employment opportunities will also be generated.
More than 10,000 graduates will be recruited for the management and monitoring positions of this project.