Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Wednesday, 23 May 2012 00:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Eastern Province of Sri Lanka experienced two major disasters; the armed conflict spanning three decades as well the Tsunami in December 2004. With the ending of the armed conflict in May 2009, major infrastructure development projects assisted by the international donor community as well as Government funded projects such as the ‘Uthuru Wasanthaya’ and the ‘Negenahira Navodaya’ programs were initiated in the region. The private sector also engaged in ventures such as hotel construction that contribute to the physical and economic development of the area.
The Province, which was deprived of development for three decades, lack the local human and institutional capacities to effectively contribute to the
ongoing and upcoming development works. The local contractors, who mainly belonged to the small and medium category with ICTAD registration C4 to C8, are unable to access construction projects in spite of the many concessions given to them.
Lack of capacities of local contractors is the justification for bringing outside contractors to the region. The main problem faced by the contractors is that their bid documents are constantly rejected due to lack of knowledge of contract management. This environment has deprived local communities in reaping the peace dividend and benefits of investments within the region. In the effort of addressing this issue, German Development Cooperation (GIZ), formerly GTZ, under its Peace Building through Vocational Training of Youth in the East of Sri Lanka (PB-VT) Project has commissioned the Advanced Construction Training Academy (ACTA), the training arm of the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) and launched a Capacity Building program for small and medium contractors of Batticaloa and Ampara Districts.
The specific needs of contractors were identified through a rapid assessment and subsequently verified at a workshop held with the participation of the contractors themselves, Provincial Directors, Engineers of the Buildings and Highway Departments and representatives from donors such as JICA.
The Capacity Building Program consisting of eight modules will be conducted over a period of 10 days (Sundays) in which 22 Contractors of Batticaloa/Ampara Districts participate. The training modules relate to Contract Management, bidding documents, preparation of bids and claims, quality assurance, safety at the worksite etc. Training is delivered in a participatory and interactive manner.
Progress of the contractors, who successfully complete the training program, will be monitored for a period of one year.
The German Government funded PB-VT project also addresses the issue of shortfall of skilled workforce in the East by training the youth in construction related trades, which is the core objective of the project.
