'I am particularly pleased to see that Sri Lanka also recognises that in an increasingly global economy, education and training systems need to be far more attuned to industry demands and competitiveness' stated Tom Bewick, Chief Executive of Creative & Cultural Skills, UK at the Policy Dialogue and Skills Summit held in Colombo on 26 and 27 November.
The policy dialogue was the result of a number of discussions with the Sri Lankan government, training providers and industry on bridging the ‘skills gap’ in Sri Lanka. It was organised by the British Council in partnership with the Ministries of Vocational and Technical Training and Skills Development as well as in collaboration with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission, the apex body for technical and vocational education and training (TEVT) in Sri Lanka.
The aim of the event was to create an effective sector-based approach to develop Sri Lanka’s TEVT using knowledge and experience from the UK. Some of the key objectives of the policy dialogue were to introduce the UK’s system to Sri Lanka, identify national and institutional level policy implications for developing the system using Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and to develop partnerships between SSCs in the UK and their counterparts in Sri Lanka during 2010-11.
Welcoming the audience, Gill Westaway, Country Director British Council Sri Lanka said 'We are delighted to have been able to invite Tom Bewick, Chief Executive of Creative & Cultural Skills UK and Brian Wisdom, Chief Executive of People 1st UK to join us for our Policy Dialogue on sector based skills development in Sri Lanka. We recognise the important role that the Sector Skills Councils now play in bridging the gap between education and industry in the UK and hope that our colleagues in Sri Lanka may wish to adapt our model to suit their own needs'
Joining the Policy Dialogue, the Deputy Minister of Vocational and Technical Training Sri Lanka, Mr P Radhakrishnan endorsed this initiative and thanked the British Council for their interest and support in developing Sri Lanka’s TVET. More than 50 high level policy makers including government officials, heads of key organisations that deliver technical and vocational education and training in Sri Lanka, members of donor organisations as well as corporate representatives from leading industry sectors took part in the policy dialogue.
Roundtable discussions held during the Policy Dialogue led to critical outcomes such as the preparation of a policy paper to establish Sector Skills Councils in Sri Lanka which will be presented to the National Education Commission Sri Lanka and ultimately to the President himself.
Day two of the event was branded as a Skills Summit on Developing a Skilled Workforce for the Future and was organised mainly to gain the support of local industry (employers) in developing Sector Skills Councils in Sri Lanka. More than 50 industry representatives from a range of industries including construction, manufacturing, transport, hospitality, financial services and telecommunications participated in the summit together with 50 more key people representing large government training institutions.
Tom Bewick and Brian Wisdom presented the global skills challenges and the role of industry in meeting the skills demand through Sector Skills Councils in the UK. Two eminent Sri Lankan industrialists from a leading footwear and rubber manufacturing company and a diversified company in areas such as power and energy, retail, manufacturing, hospitality etc. presented the real skills issues in Sri Lanka from their industries’ point of view.
By bringing together the government, corporate and educational sectors, the British Council initiated dialogue and change that will revamp tertiary and vocational education and position the UK as the partner of choice for developing skills in Sri Lanka.
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