Friday Jul 17, 2026
Friday Jul 17, 2026
Thursday, 16 July 2026 03:34 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Chamber of Construction Industry of Sri Lanka and Siam City Cement (Lanka) PLC (INSEE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 13 July 2026 to train 100 masons to obtain National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) certification in the masonry trade.
The benefit of this trade certification method is that over 80% of tradesmen working at construction project sites have no skills certification at all. As a result, the industry functions without common standards or norms in the quality of work.
This initiative is a unique method to award NVQ certification to tradesmen already engaged in the industry without any formal trade school qualifications.
This NVQ certification is awarded through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) method, which is specially tailored for those who have had no opportunity to attend formal trade school but instead joined the industry, more often than not as helpers to Baas Unnahas, and acquired their skills through on-the-job experience.
By bringing all tradesmen under one skills certification umbrella, the industry will benefit significantly through greater uniformity.
Those engaged in the industry will have proper work standards and norms, and will also have greater opportunities for career progression and improvement.
For those aspiring to seek employment abroad, these national skills certificates will provide recognised qualifications that can lead to better pay and improved terms of employment.
The initiative to certify the skills of all tradesmen in the construction industry was proposed by the apex Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission and specifically entrusted to the Chamber of Construction Industry of Sri Lanka as the apex representative body of the construction industry.
As the starting point of this national initiative, INSEE Cement Lanka came forward as the benefactor for masons, tilers and plasterers.
The company will make available its facilities in Galle, Puttalam and Colombo, and provide tools, consumable materials and premises free of charge for the program.
This program is co-sponsored by the HWK Chamber of Skilled Crafts Frankfurt-Rhine-Main as the training partner of the Chamber of Construction Industry of Sri Lanka.
