Thousands of vocationally trained students ready for post-COVID overseas employment
View(s):Around 2000-3000 vocational training qualified people will be eligible for post-COVID overseas job opportunities next year, Vocational Training Authority (VTA) Chairman DamithaWickremasinghe said recently.
“At present there are about 30,000 students in vocational training centres island-wide; our target is to increase the number to about 75,000 in the coming year. There is a big demand from the Japanese job market which seeks about 160,000 trained persons. We have to compete with The Philippines who are leading in providing vocational training qualified people to Japan,” he said.
Mr.Wickremasinghe said the VTA and Foreign Employment Bureau were working together to enhance training in several trades to meet the overseas demand.
The VTA offers training in areas such as Information Communication and Multimedia Technology (ICT), beauty culture, hotel and tourism, textile and garment, automobile repair and maintenance, building construction, refrigerator and air conditioner repair.
With pandemic led closures and lockdowns, the VTA had introduced ‘SkillsTV’ on YouTube channel, with NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) lectures and training provided online, accessible to students and other people.
“From lessons on baking to electrician training, lectures with practical training are recorded in-house and posted on YouTube. We are presently recording videos under 85 trades to ensure students of the 2020 batch are not missing lectures,” Mr.Wickremasinghe said.
“A considerable portion of provisions have been allocated by the Budget 2021 for expanding the vocational education field by increasing student numbers annually enrolled from 100,000 to 200,000
rendering priority to sectors with an increasing market demand,” the Education Minister said in the Cabinet proposal.
(NF)