‘National Future Talent Initiative aimed at creating IT-capable younger generation’

By Hiran H. Senewiratne

The National Future Talent Initiative (NFTI) will assist in the IT/ Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) fields and enable our younger generations to be equipped with the skills relevant to the future job market, a top IT specialist said.

NFTI steering committee chair Madu Ratnayake announcing the rationale for the NFTI program said that the initiative aims to build awareness among 100,000 students and 50,000 potential BPO professionals on career opportunities in the knowledge industry with the aim of attracting new talent.

“The key goals are getting 500 people into part-time teaching to build the local teaching capacity, 5,000 people into freelance work to capitalize on immediate work opportunities in the field and to enable 200 companies to offer internships to give a head start to the new talent generated from the initiative, thus lay the foundation for a progressive talent development ecosystem for the future, Ratnayake said at the launch of the program. The event was held at Cinnamon Grand Hotel on Wednesday.

“The project was launched to encourage more people to join the IT/BPM workforce and to invite interested parties to join hands in creating a steady stream of talent entering this lucrative industry, presenting the goals of the program Ratnayake said.

“The industry envisages further growth and aims to establish 1,000 start-ups, create 200,000 jobs and grow industry revenue to US$ 5 billion, he said.

As per a recent IMF report, it is predicted there will be a global shortage of more than 85 million tech workers, representing US $ 8.5 trillion in lost annual revenue by 2030. Sri Lanka currently has around 600+ companies in its IT / BPM eco-system, generating US$ 1.7 billion in revenue.

CEO, GTN Technologies and Head of Global Shared Services, GTN Group and steering committee member NFTI Arjuna Nanayakkara said: “The IT/ BPM industries offer many career choices for those who have a passion for technology, problem-solving and are analytical- minded. It is for school leavers, fresh graduates as well as seasoned professionals. The IT/ BPM sector provides career opportunities in which they can leverage their core field of knowledge.”

“For example, there are BPM companies that provide services in health care, finance and law where doctors, nurses, lawyers and accountants who are passionate about technology can have a career in tech, using their core skill set, Nanayakkara added.