EDEX exhibition - an opportunity for youth

by Ananda Kannangara

Sri Lanka's higher education and careers exhibition, the EDEX-Expo - 2013, organised by Colombo Royal College Union (RCU) will be held at the BMICH from January 18-20.

The theme of this year's exhibition is 'Empower Sri Lankan youth to be globally competitive'.

According to the RCU, this exhibition is to help schoolchildren, university students and job seekers find suitable vocational, technical and skills development training at major universities and educational institutions all over the world.

Chairman, EDEX- 2013, Kamal Abeysinghe addresses the gathering. Officials at the head table including Principal, Royal College Upali Gunasekara look on.      Pic: Saliya Rupasinghe

The 'Edex 2013' exhibition will also be held in Kandy on January 25 and 26 for the benefit of job seekers in remote areas.

EDEX will help interested persons who seek higher educational, technical, vocational training opportunities or professional qualifications. Chairman, EDEX, Kamal Abeysinghe highlighted the invaluable service rendered by EDEX for youth during the past nine years and said it had helped tens of thousands of youth to follow a spectrum of local and foreign career guidance programs.

"Sri Lanka is going through a speedy development path and the demand for a skilled and better-educated workforce is on the increase. Therefore, the aspirations among youth for highly-paid careers is also on the increase."

He said most of our urban students and parents are well aware of the choices, options and opportunities in post-secondary education and market relevant skills that lead to gainful employment, but the next biggest challenge before us is to reach out to rural youth.

'EDEX' has also taken a decision to expand its services by commencing a career guidance workshop series, focusing on youth in rural and remote schools.

He said the EDEX web portal w.w.w.edex.lk offers numerous resources to them as a 'one stop' virtual education and careers platform.

EDEX has also launched the 'Live your Dream' program to reach out and offer tangible help to some identified remote schools in the country.

Under this program needy schools including those in the North have been provided with libraries, IT lab facilities, new roofs, sports equipment and medicines.

EDEX will distribute its tri-lingual quarterly EDEX Magazine free to all secondary schools and 500 regional libraries all over the country to make this program a success.

Abeysinghe said, "At present our country appears to develop adequate human resources in the fields of commerce and arts and it also appears that science and engineering education will be vital to meet challenges emerging in the future. He said some remote schools which lack library, IT and other facilities should be supported and all stakeholders in society, especially private sector corporate institutions should play a bigger role considering that they will one day become the ultimate beneficiaries as 'potential employers' of these students.

Over 300 exhibitor booths and 250 foreign universities will make representation at the exhibition.

RCU, Secretary, Manju Ariyaratne said EDEX was set up in 2004 to offer better education for youth after their school career as it will be highly beneficial to secure gainful employment here and abroad.

The program is conducted under the guidance of the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministries of Education, Higher Education, Youth Affairs and Skills Development and Labour Relations.