KOICA provides a grant worth 6 million USD

Master Plan intermediate workshop for tertiary and vocational education and training career platform project

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) provided a grant worth 6 million USD to the Ministry of Education and Tertiary and Vocational Training Commission to implement the Tertiary and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Career Platform in the year 2022.

The objective of this project is to establish an ICT-based career platform for TVET trainees for their development and to improve their employment status. In addition to the development of the Career Platform, the project has also invested significantly in strengthening the capacities of the service providers attached to the platform. KOICA with the joint effort of Project Management Consultant experts from UBION already conducted the first workshop on 29th March at Mandarina Hotel. The second workshop under the project was held on the 31st of August at Jetwing Colombo Seven with the participation of High-Level Officers including the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Ms. Muditha Malkanthi, Country Director of KOICA Sri Lanka Office. Ms. Kim Myung Jin and many other invitees representing public and private sector organizations.

The aim of this workshop was to determine the strategic direction necessary for the development of the Master Plan by conducting on-site surveys and engaging in consultations with the core working group. The primary objective of this workshop was to enhance the employment prospects of vocational and technical education trainees in Sri Lanka and improve the quality of career development guidance provided to them.

The workshop was declared open by Ms. Kim Myung Jin, the Country Director of KOICA stating that Education is a core component for capacity enhancement, therefore Korean Government and KOICA invested great importance in education. Education is one of the key umbrella policies from Korea to Sri Lanka. Therefore, KOICA believes it is essential to strengthen the education system, specially for developing countries.

Addressing the gathering, Ms. Muditha Malkanthi, The Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education appreciated KOICA and the Korean Government for the provision of numerous grant arrangements for the development of the TVET sector in Sri Lanka. She also mentioned that the TVET Career Platform is the latest initiative of the Korean Government with 6 million USD financial assistance and expected to see that this career platform will give clear career paths for the vocational students of Sri Lanka.

The workshop shared knowledge regarding the ongoing process of the project along with the results of the local demand survey and global experiences of digitalization of career guidance systems with a guest speech from Erandika Dissanayake, National Project Coordinator – Youth Entrepreneurship at International Labor Organization (ILO). Further, the workshop continued with a panel discussion between TVET policymakers, career guidance officers and key industry stakeholders.

For the implementation of the project, KOICA engaged a Project Management Consultancy (PMC) team from UBION which has been working in the TVET and Edtech Fields in Korea for more than 20 years. The PMC facilitated the resources for the workshop as well. (KOICA)