Successful Conclusion of Soft Skills and Spoken English TOT to Empower Sri Lankan Youth

In collaboration with the National Youth Service Council (NYSC) of Sri Lanka, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), the regional centre of the Commonwealth of Learning, partnered with Together with Youth (TWY), Sri Lanka to develop a course on Soft Skills and Spoken English, designed to enhance the proficiency of Sri Lankan youth in these essential skills and thereby improve their employability.

Based on the course, NYSC organised the inaugural Training of Trainers (TOT) to equip their trainers with these skills from 14 to 20 March 2024. These master trainers would, in turn, impart the skills to young job aspirants in Sri Lanka. The training concluded with a closing ceremony attended by key officials from CEMCA, the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) of Sri Lanka, NYSC, and TWY.

On this occasion, Dr B. Shadrach, Director of CEMCA, noted, "With the ongoing modernisation and expansion of the higher education system in Sri Lanka, the skills sector is emerging as one of the most dynamic sectors. Aligned with their National Policy Framework - Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, it is witnessing significant expansion. This TOT programme resonates profoundly with Sri Lanka's skilling landscape.”He extended congratulations to the trainees, hailing them as ambassadors entrusted with the responsibility of imparting these essential life skills to the youth of Sri Lanka.

Dr Janaka Jayalath, Deputy Director General, TVEC, appreciated NYSC for completing such a training programme for the first time in Sri Lanka in the TVEC sector. He thanked CEMCA for sponsoringthevaluable programme to secure thefuture oftheir youth andcongratulated TWY for excellent execution of the TOT to enable NYSC to deliver it to their 6000+ students.

Among other speakers, Mr. Rashitha Delapola, Director of Training at NYSC, emphasised the significance of the English and Soft Skills training programme, while Mr. Mohan Perera, Managing Director of TWY, elucidated the programme's structure and the advantages of online training. The participants appreciated the course as extremely relevant for the Sri Lankan youth to succeed in the job market.