Streamlining education for the job market critical: COPE

Measures to streamline the curriculum of vocational and technical training institutions through improved administrative efficiency has become the focus of the Committee on Public Enterprises.

Streamlining the curriculum was discussed during a COPE meeting presided by Chairman Prof Ranjith Bandara (MP). The meeting was attended by officials of technical and vocational training institutions and related Ministries. A framework that enables students to experience learning of different disciplines in a contextual manner, rather than learning bits and pieces was proposed.

A workshop will be organised in two weeks to exchange views on a vocational training sector development action plan, along with the possibility of developing digital content concentrating on teachers that take in career guidance as proposed by MP Dhammika Perera.

Furthermore, the appointment of a sub-committee chaired by Mr Perera to connect the dots between technical and vocational training institutions and respective Ministries is underway, and three members have been nominated by COPE. During the meeting emphasis was drawn to the need for a strong labour force in order to increase Sri Lanka’s GDP. Prof Bandara said that although the Government allocates large sums of money, the question remains whether the relevant institutions produced a number of trained workers.

Mr Perera said there was a need to restructure the existing system, and expand the scope of vocational and technical training to have employable youth.

COPE is ready to implement a system to train teachers on how to provide career guidance services so as to offer schoolchildren a wider pool to choose from, emphasised MP Dayasiri Jayasekara.