EDEX 2008 to focus on education and employment

by Ananda Kannangara

The annual EDEX-2008 career guidance program, conducted by Royal College, Colombo will be held at the BMICH from January 18-20, 2008. The main objective of holding this annual program is to encourage the country's youth population to pursue higher studies and find suitable employment opportunities here and abroad.

`Our Youth-Our Future' and encouraging the Sri Lankan youth to be globally competitive is the vision of the three-day exhibition. A data base www.edex.lk gives further details of the program.

Addressing a press briefing Royal College Principal Upali Gunasekara stressed the importance of conducting such a program which will immensely benefit the youth population, especially after their school education.

The Principal thanked the organisers, the Royal College Union (RCU) and said that this worthy cause could be considered as their social responsibility commitment for the nation.

EDEX Chairman Kamal Abeysinghe said that lack of knowledge on Information Technology and proficiency in the English Language have badly affected our youth in their endeavour of finding proper employment.

He said around 700,000 youth in the country are unemployed and many more are entering the job market annually.

"The objective of EDEX is to cater to the unemployed youth as the majority of them do not have employable skills,".

He said there are thousands of job opportunities in many parts of the country due to lack of skilled and competent applicants.

The EDEX-2008 exhibition will help the youth by seminars and workshops to pursue higher education and improve vocational and technical skills development and career profiling.

"We are aware that many students seek higher education, training and employment every year and are very poorly informed of the vacancies available and skills in demand,". He said the mission of the EDEX-2008 program is to create awareness among those as to what should be their next step when they leave the formal school education system or fail to gain admission to a local university.

RCU, Secretary Rizan Nazeer said representatives from educational institutions in foreign countries too will participate in this year's exhibition.

The EDEX 2008 exhibition will also be held at the Queens Hotel, Kandy on January 22 and 23, 2008 for the benefit of children in remote areas.

The Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour Relations and Manpower and Ministry of Vocational and Training have endorsed the event in recognition of the objectives and the close alignment of the vision of EDEX. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will continue to be a strategic partner for this event.

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