National Vocational Qualification System started

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

COLOMBO: The Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training has introduced a practical system to overcome the shortage of skilled manpower by starting a National Vocational Qualification System (NVQ).

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake was the chief guest at the inaugural NVQ Certificate Awarding Ceremony held at the BMICH.

"There is a huge demand for our skilled workers locally and internationally but we have failed to meet that demand.

Our women are going abroad without any training and getting into trouble.

I never approved sending housemaids like that, it has created huge problems in families. This would not have happened if they went with some training and also they could have brought more foreign currency," Prime Minister Wickremanayake said.

The Prime Minister stated the policy of the Government is to strengthen the people with skills and send them abroad including Western countries and earn more foreign exchange.

He pointed out that the country's education system has not created the required people. That is why there is a huge shortage of people in various fields.

He said the plantation industry is in a crisis due to lack of skilled manpower. Vocational Training Minister Piyasena Gamage said that the responsibility of a Government is to give a good education and guidance for suitable employment for the youth.

As such the Government under the Mahinda Chinthana allocated a large sum of money for vocational training and has planned to establish a College of Technology in every Province in the country so that our youth will get the opportunity of obtaining vocational qualification through them.

He stated that two Colleges of Technology in Maradana and Jaffna have already commenced work with Japanese and Korean funding. He pointed out that every year nearly 300,000 students who do not get the opportunity for higher studies have to find other options and it is necessary to identify their talents.

With the assistance of the private sector the ministry has done a great deal towards this but he regretted that some parents and students do not like to change their attitudes.

The ministry has conducted several courses, introduced a uniform, tool kit and payment of allowance for various technicians in order to change their attitudes, he said.

With the new NVQ system they could go up to degree level once the first ever Technical University at Ratmalana commences operations he said.

The Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training has been able to increase the number of trained people in the Government sector upto 70,000 per year compared to 40,000 a few years back and the target is to make it 100,000, according to Minister Gamage.

One hundred and twenty five qualifiers were awarded the NVQ certificates at the inaugural ceremony.

Director General of TEVC delivered a speech on Unified National Vocational Qualification System.