Job avenues for students passing GCE A-L

G Sirisena Dickwella Special and Lakshman Kumarasinghe Walasgala Group Corr

The Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry under the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken several measures to cater to thousands of students who are unable to enter universities after gaining necessary qualifications at the G C E Advanced Level Examination, said Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.

Minister Alahapperuma

He said so after opening a new Apprenticeship Training Centre at Belideniya, Dickwella recently.

The new training centre is housed in the former National Gem and Jewellery Authority building vested in the National Apprenticeship and Industrial Training Institute’s Matara district office on a proposal by Minister Alahapperuma.

Minister Alahapperuma said training centres of this nature are being set up to offer vocational training to over 300,000 students who get frustrated without jobs after completing their GCE Advanced Level Examination.

Previous governments formulated education policies only to cater to undergraduates studying at universities.

This government has deviated from this policy and fashioned education to suit students of all categories, he said. “As such, the time when children who completed training under the Apprenticeship and Industrial Training Authority and had to languish at home with their certificates has now ended,” he pointed out.

Tourist arrivals are poised to increase to two million by 2015 and the 16,000 hotel rooms available in the country will be increased to 52,000 by 2014.

Thus, training courses for youth have been formulated to target the boom in tourism.

Provincial Council Member Kanchana Wijesekara, Dickwella Pradesheeya Sabha Chairman Krishali Muthukumarana and several others also spoke.