Wurth Lanka and KFW Germany to uplift local craftsmen as ‘technipreneurs’

From left: Samitha Jayakodi, ASSIST Head of Projects Karunakaran K “Karan”, Wurth Lanka Managing Director Rohan Amirthiah, AHK Lanka Manager Public, Projects and Vocational Training Lucy Schulze and GIZ Head of Project Feuerriegel Karsten – Pic by Daminda Harsha Perera

Wurth Lanka, subsidiary of Wurth Group, joins hands with KFW, a member of the KFW Bankengruppe (KfW banking group) to create skilled and economically independent craftsmen in Sri Lanka by empowering them as technipreneurs. The Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) is the implementation partner for this project. 

“While a significant demand for skilled craftsmen exists which stems from the construction boom that the country is experiencing, a shortage of skilled craftsmen and technical workforce has led to a serious issue of project delays and increasing costs in the sector. The same is true for other sectors as well where skilled craftsmen play a major role,” said Wurth Lanka Ltd. Managing Director Rohan Amirthiah.

The co-founders of this program, Wurth Lanka and KFW DEG Germany to uplift the skills of our local craftsmen, ‘Vatinakama’ seeks to fulfil the multiple objectives of promoting entrepreneurship among existing low-skilled craftsmen through a carefully designed top-up curriculum aligned with relevant guidelines, increasing the local income for craftsmen, providing continuous guidance and promoting a system of recognition for the qualified technipreneurs through the foundation of an expert support mechanism and establishing seamless access to qualified craftsmen for consumers through digital means.

“We are delighted to join hands with Wurth Lanka and KFW DEG to initiate and implement this timely, value adding initiative to protect and empower the local craftsmen. This initiative will also help to halt the vicious cycle which plagues this industry,” said ASSIST Project Manager Karunakaran Kalinathan. 

Sri Lanka is in rapid transition from a predominantly rural and agricultural economy to one that is more urbanised and service-driven, since 2009.  The construction sector has been a cornerstone of the country’s economy during this time growing by approx. 20% year-on-year and contributing over 10% of the GDP recently. 

Along with it, the facility maintenance as a sub-sector has also grown in importance and size – skilled and trained technicians are urgently needed to support the increasing demand.

Despite high unemployment rates, there is a shortage of skilled technical workforce and craftsmen in areas such as plumbing, carpentry, welding, masonry, rigging, painting, etc., despite high unemployment rates. 

While many of these craftsmen are self-employed, they do not possess the capacity to operate and maintain professional businesses since they lack; concept of quality, weak in managing finances and thereby they don’t make money, they are not professionally qualified to handle advance technology and new innovations, and lacks customer relations.  This vicious cycle of consumers refusing to provide just compensation rates to craftsmen; and craftsmen being unable to deliver services adhering to quality standards; thereby failing to demand decent pay for services rendered.  Würth Lanka was established in Sri Lanka in 1998 and works with technical craftsmen and tradesmen who directly use tools, equipment, technical consumables to repair, service and build. 

The automotive aftermarket and construction sectors as well as builders, contractors, and maintenance workers in factories are its end customers.