ICT Skills Council congratulates President for declaring Skills Development Decade 2021-2030

The ICT Industry Skills Council (ICTISC), the apex body that plays a pivotal role in the ICT skills development in Sri Lanka, congratulates President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for declaring the period 2021-2030 as the Skills Development Decade of Sri Lanka. 

Expressing his thanks to the government of Sri Lanka for this valuable and timely endorsement, ICTISC Chairman Chinthaka Wijewickrema said that the council led by him will look to carry on the good work achieved thus far in the space of ICT skills development with a view to harnessing the potential of ICT for promoting and supporting inclusive growth.

“In view of the importance of digital skills in this era, it is not surprising that the development and strengthening of such skills is an important objective in the government. Many developing countries have already started driving global innovation in technologies and business models in ICT. As a result, there is a huge demand for new knowledge and skills. Sri Lanka is still lagging behind the skills required in the 21st century. Efforts to match current skills with the new skills required in the modern world, as a result of the rapid technological developments, have become a priority. Therefore, the government’s focus on Skills Development is a need of the hour,” said Wijewickrema. 

Information Communication Technology (ICT) is considered the conveyor belt of globalisation and has tremendous influence on the functioning of global and national economies. “The role that ICT plays is for the benefit and betterment of our citizens. They help find innovative solutions to address the daily challenges we face. Advancement of technology demands capacity building and skills development in the priority areas such as information technology. In seeking to achieve this goal, ICT Industry Skills Council is planning for a multi-stakeholder approach that involves government, private sector, academia, and research institutions. We look to bring new ideas to the table in this regard and also continue to push the council’s existing causes. We are conscious that unless Sri Lanka comes to grips with the challenges of ICT skills development, we may be left behind in the global revolution,” Wijewickrema further added. 

ICTISC recognises that although the ICT revolution is well under way in some parts of the country, certain segments of the population are benefitting from ICTs, are left behind because of their age, limited digital literacy, lack of access, and remoteness. ICTISC emphasises that in order to better leverage ICTs for development, a higher level of readiness and better infrastructure accesses are needed. 

Wijewickrema added, “In this context, government leadership and vision are critical. Digital Skills has the potential of opening up new digital divides. Therefore, as a leading organisation in Sri Lanka for ICT Skills development, we pledge our fullest support to the government to go for the desired goals in the skills development decade.”

Consisting of industry leaders and stakeholders, the ICT Skills Council is ICT Industry driven organisation supported by the government of Sri Lanka. The ICT skills council aims to prepare Sri Lankan workforce for Digital Sri Lanka and make Sri Lanka an ICT skill hub for the global ICT industry. ICTISC is aligned with the government strategy of reaching a $ 3 billion industry and creating 300,000 skilled workforce by 2025. Further, ICTISC functions as the platform between the IT Industry and the education sector of the country.