Sri Lanka Human Capital Summit 2016 on 11-12 August

Catalyst event to focus on ‘Towards a Future-Ready Workforce’ 

The first ever ground breaking Human Capital Summit will be held next month to establish a Human Capital Vision 2020 for Sri Lanka. 

The summit is a public-private collaboration organised by the Association of Human Resource Professionals (HRP) in collaboration with the National Human Resource Development Council (NHRD), the Employers Federation of Ceylon and supported by the ILO, ADB and World Bank.

The Association of Human Resource Professionals is the only professional network of practicing HR professionals in Sri Lanka. HRP with its 15-year history has made significant contributions to uplifting the standards of the HR profession in the country with a host of initiatives and interventions over the years.  This project is embraced by them under the ‘go beyond’ pillar in their 2016 activity calendar which is aimed at addressing national human resource and talent issues. 

The summit replete with strategies and actions plans will help carry forward the objectives  established which is developing an efficient labour market by allocating suitable jobs for specifically skilled people and thereby promoting productivity in Sri Lanka. 



This will be a precursor to the Human Capital round table that will be held in November this year. 

The key theme of the event is to deliberate and identify human capital opportunities in order to develop a National Agenda that will in turn support Sri Lanka’s growth sectors. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will deliver the key note address.  

The Summit will serve as a stimulus which brings together thought leaders and think tanks on both local and international levels to engage in discussions and exchange ideas by establishing sectoral working groups. These groups will receive mandates to recommend solutions and work around identified gaps in different growth sectors, to suggest national level policy reforms and propose programs.

The Global Competitiveness Index is comprised of three integral pillars - Labour market Efficiency, Higher Education & Training and Technological readiness. In this context, Sri Lanka currently ranks No.73 in the Global Competitive Index published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Another important perspective of the Summit is to explore strategic entry points to embark on labour law reforms that are necessary to improve the country’s ‘Labour Market Efficiency Rank’ while highlighting the opportunities that Sri Lanka has on four identified growth sectors and economic drivers; Tourism and Hospitality, Financial Services, Insurance, Technology and Logistics, Manufacturing and Construction, Foreign Employment. 

A high level focus group discussion will be held to identify and develop priorities that will eventually result in the engagement of all stakeholders. 

These work groups are also expected to help develop solutions to bridge skill gaps and build a future ready, globally competitive workforce. This will also be seen as an opportunity to promote increased participation of women in economic growth while providing a better return to the Government’s investment of the free education system. 

Participants will include public and private sector organisations, multi-lateral organisations, institutions and informal work groups who will work in collaboration with the organisers, the Association of Human Resource Professionals, the National Human Resource Development Council and the Employers Federation of Ceylon under the auspices and patronage of the Ministry of National Policy and Economic Affairs, to provide strategic perspectives and unparalleled insights at the Human Capital Summit 2016 and from there on, steer the successful implementation of Human Capital Vision 2020 for Sri Lanka.