Showcases education, skills options

EDEX 2011 the National Higher Education and Careers Expo will be unveiled on January 22, 23 and 24 at the BMICH followed by its twin exhibition at the Kandy City Centre, Kandy on January 26 and 27, 2011.

Embracing the vision "To empower Sri Lankan youth to be globally competitive" EDEX is Sri Lanka's largest platform for local and foreign post-secondary educational service providers, skills development and training institutions and prospective employers to showcase their services and career pathways to thousands of visitors.

With the GCE A-L results being released and the GCE O-L examination being just concluded its an opportune time for the aspiring youth and parents to get an in-depth insight in to the education and careers options available.

EDEX Chairman Kamal Abeysinghe said "The link between education and economic success is well documented. Education and skills is the key to future success in life especially in the wake of rapidly enhancing significance of world-class education in knowledge-based economies.

"Education unlocks so many doors and can be one of the most invaluable, amazing experiences of a person's life, regardless of any divides. But at the post secondary stage our students face numerous challenges due to limited opportunities," he noted.

With the much-anticipated economic boom in the country an increased demand for a well-educated workforce is very much on the cards.

Abeysinghe said "to participate in today's workforce and certainly tomorrow's, one needs to seriously maintain his or her skills set at the highest level and continue education, be it formal classroom training, self studies, on-line studies, on-the-job training or re-training for new jobs. Our youth need to realize that, today their success is not guaranteed, even after a university degree, without engaging in lifelong learning and continuous honing of skills."

Launched in 2004 EDEX has been a pathfinder in youth empowerment, offering a blend of best in class choices, options and opportunities available locally and overseas in a single platform for right education and skills development leading to gainful employment.

The twin Expo in Colombo and Kandy will offer the chance to gain spot admissions to various study courses, academic, vocational, technical and professional courses, post graduate and MBA courses, career guidance and a host of other post secondary services offered by local and foreign institutions.

There will be over 300 foreign universities from over 20 countries either represented directly or through their local agents. Most deserving students will stand a chance to win full/partial scholarships.

A number of leading corporate institutions, IT/BPO Companies, banks and financial institutions will be conducting walk-in interviews for existing and future job vacancies. Those seeking employment are advised to bring their CVs or upload them to www.edex.lk web portal online.

The EDEX 2011 - 8th Expo has been endorsed by the Presidential Secretariat, Education Ministry, Higher Education Ministry, Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry and the Labour and Labour Relations Ministry.

The Strategic Partners for EDEX 2011 are the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AMCHAM), Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM), signifying its' relevance to multiple industry chambers and employers.

For further information, please contact the EDEX Secretariat on 011 3091086 or visit www.edex.lk