EDEX opens new career paths for students
Hathoon SHERIFF
DEEN
Public and private sector organisations in the education market are
collaborating to bridge the gap between the skills in demand and supply
of the employment market, through EDEX 2008 expo higher education and
career opportunities exhibition which opened yesterday.
“The Education Ministry has taken steps to reform the educational
system to match the demand of the global employment market. It’s
difficult since we have to reform the management in the education
sector. This is a crucial need,” Minister Susil Premajayantha said at
the inauguration of EDEX 2008 at the BMICH yesterday.
“Though many complain about the educational system, its risky to
change the system at once. We have taken some steps in quality knowledge
building of qualified English teachers islandwide in collaboration with
the US Embassy. This will improve the English literacy rate of job
seekers in the future,” he said.
EDEX opens choices, options and opportunities for higher education
and career building for students, parents and teachers, he added.
“The global employment market demands graduates in various sectors.
Sri Lanka is recognised for its human resources. Our graduates should be
trained to fit the global employment demand. That made EDEX successful
in a short time,” Project Chairman, EDEX 2008 Kamal Abeysinghe said.
“I don’t see any reduction in the number of graduates looking for
jobs in the public sector. The mentality is in-built from the starting
point of their education. The foundation is very strong. They have a
mountain of hopes till they finish their first degree. I don’t
specifically blame anybody on this point. I consider this as an error in
our system. It should be overcome with a solution with the support of
every body,” he said.
“Through this exhibition the younger generation is exposed to various
opportunities and choices within the country. The exhibitors and stalls
are segmented for easy access,” Abeysinghe said.
“We provide career guidance at our stalls on soft skills development.
This guidance will be provided for students and job seekers of any age.” |
