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by Anura Maitipe

The Government has spent over Rs. 8000 million to set up Vocational Training Centres to develop skills of the youth, Minister of Vocational Training and Human Resources Development Amarasiri Dodangoda told the Daily News yesterday.

When the PA Government assumed office in 1994, there were only six training centres in the country. Even those centres were in a very poor condition due to lack of modern equipment. But since then infrastructure facilities for human resources development have been improved, the minister pointed out.

During the past few years over 15 Vocational Training Centres have been set up with modern equipment to provide training for young school leavers. Over 12,000 youth are annually undergoing training in different fields such as motor mechanism, electronics, welding, lathe machine operation, refrigerator repairing and air conditioning, pipe fitting and as bar-benders, plumbers, masonry and Carpentry workers, heavy machine operators and data entry operators, he said.

There is a growing demand for skilled workers from Middle East countries. Since 1994 over 45,000 workers trained by these Centres have secured employment in foreign countries. The ministry has planned to double this number to generate more foreign exchange by providing employment opportunities for the youth abroad, the minister assured.

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