USAID boosts job opportunities for youth

The United States agency for International Development (USAID) yesterday marked the completion of the first two out of nine new vocational education schools in Southern and Eastern built with funds provided by the American people as part of USAID's Sri Lanka Tsunami Reconstruction Programme.

"Of all the initiatives by the United States to help Sri Lanka recover from the tsunami, promoting vocational training in many ways our most important project," US Ambassador Robert Blake said at the opening ceremonies.

"Training young people in the trades will help to provide good paying jobs in the near term, and will help boost both family income and economic opportunities in Sri Lanka,".

The schools in Koggala and Hikkaduwa will teach trade in high demand by the Sri Lankan workforce, such as apparel, masonry, plumbing, welding, carpentry and IT. In all, the two schools can accommodate over 700 students.

Tuition will be free of charge. In addition to constructing the buildings themselves, USAID and several private sector partners will also supply the schools with items such as furniture, tools, sewing machines and other commodities to make them fully functional.

Together with its contractors, Access International and CH2MHill, USAID is developing the school program in partnership with the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) under the aegis of the Vocational and Technical Training Ministry USAID has worked closely with the VTA, in consultation with Sri Lanka's private sector, to develop the curricula for the schools.