Construction Industry sector is one of the key industries in any country. It is the parameter to gauge the development of any country. However this Industry is facing critical labour shortages all over the world, due to the shortage of skilled labour. This is due to the fact that, only one person joins the Industry when four are leaving the Industry due to retirement, or going for lesser strenuous jobs etc. According to a recent estimate the construction Industry needs close to 240,000 new workers each year, for the next five years.

It is under these circumstances that the Government of Sri Lanka made a budget proposal in Parliament in the year 2005 for the Establishment of a Training Institute to meet the needs of the construction Industry. Accordingly the Government of Sri Lanka and the French Government provided the necessary funds for the establishment of the proposed Institute. Thus the birth of the Advanced Construction Training Academy (ACTA) became a reality.

The construction work of the ACTA began in the Year 2005 and was completed towards the end of year 2007. The seven storeyed building of ACTA includes classrooms, laboratories, a library and an auditorium equipped with the latest and the most modern equipment and will serve as the training arm of the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka(NCASL).

ACTA began conducting classes in year 2007 and all our courses have been structured according to the NVQ frame work. The Competency Standards and the training curricular of each occupation cover the latest industry requirement.

ACTA is also registered with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) as a training provider. Some of the full time courses conducted by ACTA, are Quantity Surveying, Construction Technology, and Building Services. Apart from these courses a number of other tailor-made courses are on offer at the request of the industry.

Already the students who have completed the ACTA course in Quantity Surveying are in very high demand in industry, because of the very high standards maintained by the Institution. Due to this reason the Northumbria University of U.K has already recognized ACTA courses. Accordingly those who have successfully completed the ACTA Level 5 programme and ACTA Level 6 programme in Quantity surveying, can enter the Bsc. (Hons) degree programme conducted by the Northumbriya University as a 1st year student or a 2nd year student respectively. Already ACTA is making arrangements to recruit a batch of trainees to follow the fast track programme in Quantity Surveying who will proceed to U.K to follow the degree programme and eventually these students could obtain the Chartership from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Furthermore ACTA also has entered into an agreement with the British Council, Sri Lanka as a centre for IETLS registration and conduct of exam sessions. Our future vision would be to get the franchise for the courses conducted by ACTA from some of the world’s prestigious Universities which would benefit Sri Lankan students immensely, who aspire to go abroad to get a recognized qualification at an exorbitant price.