Free technical assistance from Dutch experts

Sarath Malalasekera

PUM Netherlands Senior Experts have extended technical assistance to Sri Lankan businessmen.

Its main intention is to assist the massive development programmes launched by the Sri Lankan Government, PUM local Representative S P C Kumarasinghe said.

Sri Lankan businessmen could obtain assistance from PUM senior experts in almost every area - from logistics to welding techniques, and from the hotel and catering trade to carpentry, from horticulture to manufacture.

PUM has a network comprising over 3,200 volunteers, known as senior experts, which executes over 2,000 projects worldwide on an annual basis.

These experts use their extensive knowledge and experience accumulated during the course of their careers to advise entrepreneurs in seventy nations.

The PUM takes care of the international travel costs and insurance of the selected PUM Senior Experts. The applicant only pays the local costs such as transport in Sri Lanka food and accommodation.

Local Representative Kumarasinghe said PUM will offer training in the Netherlands for selected applicants from Sri Lanka.

PUM is an affiliate of the Dutch Employers’ Association VNO/NCW and is funded by the Ministries of Development Cooperation, Economic Affairs and Environment of the Netherlands Government.

PUM Netherlands Senior Experts (Then NMCP) began their technical assistance to Sri Lankan businessmen in 1991. Since then over 300 SMEs benefited from the advice of these experts.