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| Tuesday, 14 September 2004 |
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Learn-to-Earn pilot project links training to jobs in the North Three launch celebrations within 30 hours got the Learn-to-Earn training project off to a flying start last weekend in Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya. An innovative initiative to build capacities in the North-East construction industry, Learn-to-Earn promotes demand-driven training. Participating contractors seeking to upgrade their workforces sponsor unskilled labourers as trainees and define the specific skills they want them to master. The sponsoring contractors keep these employees on their payrolls during four months of training. Upon successful completion of this intensive course, the trainees are guaranteed a year's employment by their sponsors at increased skilled-labour wages. At the end of this 12-months' apprenticeship, the trainees can qualify for professional licensing. Addressing the inaugural batch of Vavuniya trainees, RRR Ministry Senior Advisor S. Sivanathan characterised this project as "a mini-revolution", bridging gaps that have deprived prior vocational-training schemes of employment delivery power. Project Manager of Learn-to-Earn for the National Construction Association (NCASL) M. Ramathasan said that the launch represents the realisation of a dream deferred for many years by North-East contractors. A public/private-sector partnership, Learn-to-Earn was designed by UNDP's Invest-in-Peace Project under the auspices of the North-East Contractors' Roundtable, a stakeholders' forum chaired by the RRR Ministry. Pilot-project implementation is being managed by NCASL's Northern Branch, with seed-money funding from the North East Provincial Council, the World Bank, and UNDP. Classroom and supervised on-the-job training are hosted by the Jaffna and Vavuniya Technical Colleges, the Buildings Department/Jaffna, Kili Tech and participating contractors. NCASL shaped the demand-driven syllabus, utilising Tamil-medium course materials contributed by ICTAD and ILO. At the Kilinochchi launch, Shiran Director Selvin Ireneuss called upon the trainees to aspire to the same standards of professionalism they associate with medical doctors and accountants. UNDP Project Manager Russell Sunshine defined that professionalism in terms of "technical knowledge acquired through training plus a personal commitment to excellence and integrity." Learn-to-Earn is starting out as a small-scale Northern pilot project training 120 initial participants in basic carpentry and masonry skills. Full-scale expansion is contemplated to other skilled construction trades islandwide. |
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