Holcim/NAITA sets up vocational school in Puttalam

Puttalam is considered one of the poorest and impoverished areas in the country which has been rife with its own share of problems such as a lack of secondary educational facilities, high unemployment, and extremely limited employment opportunities.
The lack of vocational training schools, not only in this region of the country but overall has prompted Holcim (Lanka) Limited, in partnership with the National Apprentice & Industry Training Authority (NAITA), to establish an Enterprise based Vocational Education (EVE) Centre at Palavi to service the youth in the Puttalam district.

An MOU was signed between Holcim and NAITA this week on the creation of the EVE Centre which will be launched at the Puttalam Cement Plant on February 1. Palitha Jayasinghe, Training & Development Manager of Holcim explained the EVE Centre at a press conference this past week where he said the Centre aims to contribute to the development of the national vocational education in Sri Lanka and enhance the employability of the youth in the Puttalam district as well as spot any promising talent that can be employed by Holcim. The project which is costing approximately Rs.70 million will be funded in part by GTZ, the German Technical Cooperation. The available training courses will be electrical and mechanical which are expected to efficiently train electricians and fabricators. The courses, which are open to both men and women from O level age up to 30 years, will take in about 12 – 15 trainees per course with 6 – 8 months spent on theory and another 16 – 18 months for practical training at Puttalam Cement Works and other industries. Students are provided with safety equipment, uniforms and food. In addition, an allowance of Rs.1600 per month will be allotted during theory session and Rs.1000 a month during practical sessions. The first batch of training courses is expected to commence in July 2007.

Amal Senalankadhikara, Chairman of NAITA, encouraged the private sector to join NAITA and work with them on vocational training. NAITA, established in 1971, has been responsible in recruiting trainees and Senalankadhikara urged the chambers as well as the Board of Investment (BOI) to follow the same line. Peter Spirig, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Holcim told the gathering that it is in everybody's interest to take education seriously. "Only the educated can maximize their potential," he said. Spirig continued that there are plenty of other companies who are also looking to hire educated and trained people and that this programme guarantees that Sri Lankans are properly educated. "We are making sure there is a pool of people who are well educated, craftsman, technical, and mechanical. We want to lift the productivity of the work force." Spirig said this makes sense for the country because this programme will be used to create winners.
(NG)