‘Sri Lanka’s vocational training is like a railway network that connects only a few destinations’

‘We need to think creatively and put our vocational education students in a go-anywhere SUV’

‘ Training needs to cater to the ambitions of the youth participating in TVET education’

By Sanath Nanayakkare

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently brought together key stakeholders of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in Sri Lanka, identifying it as a crucial sector for socio-economic rejuvenation in the short to medium term.

The Serendipity Knowledge Programme (SKOP) hosted by the ADB at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo opened the minds of the audience to see things from new perspectives as the event converged international experts along with local stakeholders from the public and private sectors to share their insights on the topic.

Addressing the SKOP forum which is dedicated to identifying knowledge solutions, Gi Soon Song, Director Human and Social Development Sector Office ADB said that the Bank would bring in necessary resources to empower the TVET sector in Sri Lanka.

“We will be bringing in not only financial resources for elevating the TVET sector in Sri Lanka but also good advice, good practices, encouragement and compliments. But sometimes we may have to tell you that a particular thing may not work. I hope you will bear with us on such occasions because ADB is going to be involved in empowering Sri Lanka’s skills development sector on a long term basis. Together we need to create multiple career pathways for the youth to realize their full potential to uplift their own lives, serve their community meaningfully and also contribute to nation rebuilding. I have been visiting Sri Lanka since 2013 and have met with many of the TVET stakeholders belonging to different sub sectors of education and found that each sub sector has its own challenges.

School education has its own challenges, higher education has challenges unique to it, and of course, TVET sector has a LOT of challenges considering the complexity it has to deal with. It encounters the need for engaging with employers and industries, understanding the labor market demand, providing correct career guidance and training to vocational education students, addressing the mismatch between what the training offers and what the workplace requires which is always changing. Furthermore, the vocational training programmes need to cater to the aspirations of the youth in terms of their interests and also what they want to earn from participating in their chosen vocation.

Another challenge encountered by TVET is sometimes students may feel it like a dead-end or an inferior option to higher education. As a result, some TVET students may get disheartened. In this context, the multiple pathways we are discussing here today would be very important. They would present to you the ‘avenues’ or the ‘menu of options’ for the youth who are looking to transition towards multiple and flexible education and skills pathways to work or further study. These options would offer them leeway according to their circumstances and aspirations allowing them multiple ways which they can explore and realize their potential.”

She however said that on the journey to transform the TVET sector, the collaborators in the school system, the higher education system and the vocational course providers may face a lot of stumbling blocks and compartmentalized thinking in terms of each other’s territories.

“That is a major pain point where we shouldn’t lose our primary goal of recognizing the urgent need for education and skills reform and creating better solutions for our youth to unleash their full potential to achieve upward mobility. Sri Lanka’s TVET system is like a railway network that connects only a few destinations. Together we need to think creatively and innovatively and put our vocational education students in a go-anywhere SUV,” she said.

The participants at the forum were convinced that the Asian Development Bank which has stuck with Sri Lanka through thick and thin would fuel this mission too by providing the necessary resources, to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in training the Sri Lankan youth to take their skills to the next level.

“Now the ball is in policymakers’ and TVET practitioners’ court,” the participants were heard saying.