Sri Lanka keen to send skilled manpower - Consul General

The growing requirement of overseas skilled manpower for Saudi Arabia despite its ongoing Saudization was in focus at a seminar held at the Sri Lankan Consulate General in Jeddah.

Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Vice Chairman Mazen Batterjee and Secretary General Mustafa A.K. Sabri, as well as businessmen and company CEOs, including Dr. Hamed Mutabagani of New Jeddah Clinic and Hospital, were among those present.

Representatives of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, part of the Foreign Employment and Promotion Ministry presented the seminar emphasizing the availability of trained and skilled manpower for overseas employment. Sri Lankan Consul General Abdul Latiff Mohamed Lafeer said Sri Lanka was looking to explore the vast opportunity available for skilled manpower in the Kingdom despite its Saudization policy.

"The idea of this event is to provide a forum for potential Saudi employers to explore the possibility of meeting their manpower requirements from Sri Lanka," he said, adding that Sri Lanka had remained a major source of manpower for the world over, especially for the Middle East, because of having the highest literacy rate in Asia.

He added that Sri Lanka had been producing a great number of professionals including doctors, engineers, accountants, bankers, hoteliers and skilled workers.

The consul general said half a million Sri Lankan expatriates were working in the Kingdom, but a majority were domestic workers.

"While we thank the Kingdom for hosting our workers, we want to focus on the fact that we also have a growing reservoir of skilled manpower who could contribute to the Kingdom's on going development efforts.

The consul general said the idea of hosting the seminar was initiated by him during a meeting of the heads of Sri Lankan diplomatic missions in the Middle East held in January this year in Dubai under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, General Manager L.K. Ruhunuge gave a presentation on the procurement of manpower recruitment in Sri Lanka and P.G.S. Yapa explained the various training programs that are producing skilled manpower in the state. Ruhunuge said Sri Lanka was a prime source of "trainable, reliable, loyal and cost effective" manpower.

Arab News.