INSEE Cement partners Vocational Training Authority to empower youth in Puttalam

Tuesday, 3 October 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Partnering with Vocational Training Authority(VTA), the Sri Lankan premier cement manufacturer INSEE Cement carried out career guidance fair for the youth in the Puttalam region, to select the first batch of students interested in diving into construction related job opportunities. This event was held at Medananda Vidyalaya, Attawilluwa, Puttalam.

Around 500 youth were selected through a stringent process to participate in a 3 year training program, spanning a cross section of fields, ranging from Masonry, Plumbing, Carpentry, Electrical, Aluminium Fabrication and Welding. This will be held over a 6 month to 1 year period facilitating both On the Job Training and Post Training Job Placement opportunities for all participants involved. While showcasing INSEE Cement’s CSR initiatives and support towards the communities, the unemployed youth in Puttalam will be up-skilled, thereby not only encouraging self-employment but even minimising their contribution, to the country’s brain drain.

The candidates will be provided VTA training on several upcoming topics such as innovation, sustainable development, and entrepreneurship related to construction, via one day lectures. The Vocational Training is focusing on corporates, government stakeholders, potential project funding partners and the general public.

Eng. (Dr). Lionel Pinto, Chairman of Vocational Training Authority said “It is most commendable of INSEE Cement to enrich the skills of young people in Puttalam. This clearly demonstrates the company’s sincerity and farsighted focus on contributing meaningfully to life of the community in the area.”

CEO of INSEE Cement, Nandana Ekanayake commented “This is one of the many ways in which INSEE Cement focuses on building brighter futures in a way that results in long term benefits for the nation. We appreciate the invaluable support of Vocational Training Authority that empowers us to encourage and develop the Youth in Puttalam” he said.

“INSEE Cement is proud to take the initiative to provide this much needed set of skills to develop the youth in Puttalam. We are committed to uplift the livelihood of the community in the areas where we do business” said Farzana Khan, Sustainable Development and Communication Director of INSEE Cement.

By bringing together the industry partners, INSEE Cement is aimed at providing a one-of-a-kind training to solve the rapidly expanding problem of skilled labour shortage in the country. Currently in Sri Lanka, cheap labour is being imported from India, resulting in a lack of job opportunities for local citizens. Therefore, by partnering with VTA, INSEE Cement hopes to diffuse this problem by expanding the labour supply while, highlighting the training programs that INSEE Cement CSR team is involved in.