National Vocational Training Centre at Niyagama

by Harshini PERERA

A new National Vocational Training Centre will be built in Niyagama by the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training with the assistance from the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

Minister of Vocational and Technical Training, Piyasena Gamage said that the new wing would be equipped with the latest training methods and would be a "Centre of Excellence" among the 52 other vocational training centres in the Southern province.

The Minister said, that the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the government of Sri Lanka would spend $ 8.78 million and $ 2.24 million to develop the institute as a "Centre of Excellence". The project will be implemented by the Consortium of ED Corporation, DAEBO & HRD Korea with whom the contract was signed on October 2.

The project will be completed in three phases.

The construction under the first phase will cost $ 1.8 million and equipment and facilities will be provided at a cost of $ 5.2 million in the second phase, while $ 0.9 million will be spent on expertise services to develop the curriculum and obtain foreign training.

The development of this vocational training centre is aimed at enhancing the quality of education it provided to students who were unemployed and for those seeking new avenues of self-employment in rural areas.

This will be achieved by equipping them with the skills and knowledge with access to new technology and techniques to enable them to meet the demands of national and international labour markets.Students will be enroled to nine courses at the initial stage. Mechanical engineering, motor mechanism, electrical and electronics, plumbing and wood technology, welding, refrigeration and air-conditioning, tourism and hotel management are the courses that will commence from August 2009. Accommodation will be provided for students from distant areas.