Vocational training facilities:

Lanka, India ink deal

Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha and Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up facilities at two vocational training centres in the Batticaloa district.

This project will be undertaken at the District Vocational Training Centre, Vantharamoolai and the Rural Vocational Training Centre, Onthachchimadam in the Batticaloa district.

The project will be implemented by the Indian government through HMT (I) Ltd. The project includes supply of equipment, upgrading of four existing vocational training programmes introducing three new vocational training programmes at Vantharamoolai and the supply of equipment and introduction of three vocational courses at Onthachchimadam.

Sri Lanka Vocational Training Authority personnel will be trained in India and instructors from India would provide on-job training to master instructors at the centre.

The project will be implemented under a grant from the Indian government.

High Commissioner Kantha said India and Sri Lanka share a special and close partnership. He noted that education was a key dimension of partnership with great prospects for future development.

He recalled the Indian assistance for setting up additional facilities at the vocational training centre in Nagawilluwa in Puttalam district which was completed last year at Rs 64.19 million.