Jobs for youth through proper training

by Deepal Warnakulasuriya

One of the major problems which the country is facing is the unemployment of the youth population. Several reasons have been found but the remedies were not enough to cure the wound. Sometimes it was the poverty of the parents to educate their children, sometimes children do not receive adequate facilities for their education or for some other reason they ruin their education and later they find it difficult to find a job.

With the realisation of the gravity of this national problem, the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training was entrusted with the responsibilities of formulation and implementing national policies in respect of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in the country and uplift the TVET intuitions coming under its purview.

The main objective was to provide gainful employment opportunities for youth through high quality and market oriented vocational and technical education and skills development training programmes islandwide. Plans were made to provide quality vocational and technical education and skills development programmes to the school leaving unemployed youth in order to find them suitable employment opportunities.

They also planned to provide vocational training and technical education at craft level, leading to a certificate, a diploma and a degree. The establishment of a National Vocational Qualifications framework ensuring quality in Technical and Vocational Education and Training was also expected from these initiatives.

In other words, the Ministry's aim is the provision of high quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training programmes that meet the globally competitive national human resources development requirements in keeping with the technological development and changing needs of the industry. To reach the above targets the Ministry functions with 10 institutions, the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC), the Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET), the National Institute of Technical Education (NITE), the Vocational Training Authority (VTA), the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), the National Human Resources Development Council (NHRDC), the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM), the Skills Development Fund (SDF), the Technical Education Development Project (TEDP) and the Ingrin Graphics and Printing Institute.

In addition to the above institutions, the Ministry also handles seven donor-funded projects and institutes. Those are the Skills Development Project, the Technical education Development Project, the Post Tsunami Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Modernisation Project, the National Institute of Applied Advanced Technology, the College of Technology in Jaffna and the College of Technology at Maradana.

At present these institutes train over 70,000 youth or young school leavers, parents and teachers on various vocational and training courses annually. Instead of just giving some knowledge and experience the institutes also provide tool-kits for trainees in masonry, woodwork, electrical, plumbing and for several other careers.

According to the Ministry data, they have conducted 1866 awareness programmes on vocational career guidance for 117,539 individuals last year.

They have also taken steps to upgrade the two technical colleges in Jaffna and Maradana to the status of Colleges of Technology. Preliminary work has already begun for the establishment of a University of Vocational Technology. The Ministry has also taken steps to commence a Technical Education Development Project which is to be implemented with ADB funds. The Ministry is planning to increase the student intake up to 100,000 by the year 2009 with the establishment of new nine Colleges of Technology at provincial level.

Treating women, the disabled and other unprivileged groups on an equal basis on entry to technical and vocational education and training will be one of the basics soon. Promoting self-employment opportunities and promoting the social recognition in this field will be prioritised.

The TVEC mainly engages in policy development, planning, co-ordination, maintenance of academic and training standards in institutes, agencies and all other establishments.

The DTET directs, supervises and co-ordinates the Technical Education and Training programmes. It also prepares fulltime and part-time training programmes, assist in improving the quality of teachers, administrators and managers in the field. The main goal of the NITE is training the trainers, and development of curriculum and learning resources for the technical education and vocational training sector. The VTA delivers the training through a network of five training institutes, 14 district vocational training centres and 196 rural vocational training centres. NAITA not only trains youth in various fields, but also directs them for jobs.

While each institute has its own work to attend the Ministry has also pledged to streamline their services in the Eastern Province going along with the government's "Negenahira Navodaya" programme. Vocational and Technical Training Minister Piyasena Gamage told the Sunday Observer that they have allocated Rs. 502 million to uplift the existing vocational and technical training centres in the East and set up new fully equipped training centres in identified places.