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Building Future-Ready Youth: Sri Lankan Career Guidance Leaders Complete Fellowship Program in the Republic of Korea

Published

4 months ago

2025/11/20

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in collaboration with Ubion Co. Ltd., successfully conducted the “Fellowship Program for Career Guidance Professional Leaders”, a capacity development program held from 27th October to 14th November in the Republic of Korea. The program was designed to enhance the competencies of Sri Lankan Career Guidance Officers by sharing Korea’s advanced knowledge, innovative practices, and technological expertise in the field of career guidance and vocational education.

This Fellowship Program is an integral component of the “Tertiary and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Career Platform Project” in Sri Lanka, a grant initiative worth USD 6 million, provided by KOICA to the Ministry of Education and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) in 2022. The project aims to establish an ICT-based career guidance platform to support the career development of TVET trainees and to strengthen their employment outcomes.

In line with this objective, the project places a strong focus on enhancing the skills and capacities of policymakers, platform operators, and Career Guidance Officers through a series of well-structured local and international training programs and workshops. Recognizing that Career Guidance Officers are the backbone of the CareerOne platform, a series of intensive local training programs was conducted across Sri Lanka over 30 days, reaching nearly 200 officers. From this group, ten outstanding officers were selected as Master Career Guidance Specialists to participate in a prestigious 21-day Invitation Training Program in the Republic of Korea. This Fellowship Program marks a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between the Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka, reflecting the enduring partnership between the two countries in promoting a more inclusive, innovative, and future-ready career guidance system.

During the three-week Fellowship Program, participants engaged in a comprehensive series of lectures, workshops, and field visits designed to deepen their understanding of vocational education and career guidance systems. The program covered a range of topics, including integrated vocational studies, labour market structures, digital employment services, and the use of psychological assessment tools in career counselling. Participants also gained hands-on exposure through visits to leading institutions such as Korea Job World, university career centers, and the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS), offering valuable insights into Korea’s best practices in employment and vocational development.

A fellowship participant from the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), Ms. N.D. Kavindi Muthumali, an Inspector attached to the Marketing and Career Guidance Division of the NAITA Head Office, shared her experience of the program, which offered a valuable exposure to Korea’s latest technologies and innovative practices in career guidance. Since assuming her current role in 2021, Ms. Muthumali has been actively involved in implementing career guidance initiatives, conducting counselling sessions, and contributing to the development of content for the CareerOne platform. She also plays a vital role in collaborating with training institutions and industries to enhance career pathways and employment opportunities for trainees across the country.

“Through this training, I was able to observe how Korea successfully connects education and industry through digital systems. Seeing how institutions use real-time employment data, digital career assessments, and close partnerships with industries motivated me to apply similar practices in Sri Lanka. It inspired me to strengthen private sector engagement so that the CareerOne platform can become more responsive to genuine employment opportunities.”

Another participant of the Fellowship Program, Ms. N.A. Achini Ingika, a Career Guidance Officer from the College of Technology (COT) Galle under the Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET), shared that the program offered a valuable opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of how Korea effectively operates its TVET and career guidance systems through strong collaboration between the government and the private sector.

With over 20 years of professional experience, Ms. Ingika highlighted that the visits to institutions such as Korea Job World, the Startup Hub, and the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS) provided firsthand insight into Korea’s integrated, technology-driven human capital development ecosystem. She emphasized that learning from experienced Korean trainers, particularly their high-impact delivery methods, session design, and learner-centered approaches, was one of the most meaningful aspects of the program.

Reflecting on the relevance to Sri Lanka, she noted several key practices that could be adapted locally, including:

• Developing annual action plans linked to individual performance indicators,

• Expanding industry participation in curriculum development and training delivery,

• Adopting continuous monitoring and feedback mechanisms, and

• Strengthening government commitment and policy leadership in the TVET sector.

She added that these approaches would significantly enhance the effectiveness of the CareerOne platform and drive innovation across Sri Lanka’s TVET and career guidance system. She further recommended institutionalizing school and chamber of commerce participation, as well as engaging embassies and foreign employment agencies to widen employment pathways. She emphasized the importance of assessing the long-term contributions of Career Guidance Officers and linking their performance to incentive and appraisal systems to sustain platform activation.

Looking ahead, she expressed confidence that the insights gained from the Fellowship Program will contribute to strengthening Sri Lanka’s career guidance services through increasing the number and capacity of Career Guidance Officers, establishing a clear career pathway for CGOs, enhancing ICT equipment at guidance centers, building stronger early-stage school linkages, expanding continuous training opportunities, and developing a national roadmap for TVET training. She concluded that the program “has laid a strong foundation for advancing the future of career guidance services in Sri Lanka.”

Career Development Through the ICT-Based Career Platform (CareerOne)

CareerOne is the national career guidance platform of Sri Lanka’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, developed to bridge the gap between skilled youth and the evolving needs of industry. The platform aims to digitalize career guidance services and create a centralized ecosystem that connects NVQ trainees, certificate holders, Career Guidance Officers, and Industries from both the public and private sectors.

Since its public launch in January 2025, the national career platform has demonstrated strong progress and engagement across Sri Lanka. To date, over 7,187 vocational trainees from 83 TVET institutions have benefited from career guidance and counseling services delivered by 130 trained Career Guidance Officers. Furthermore, 106 public and private sector industries and companies have joined the platform, collectively posting 19 job opportunities for skilled youth. This growing participation highlights the platform’s success in connecting training with employment, fostering inclusive access to career opportunities nationwide. Beyond reducing youth unemployment, the platform also plays a vital role in bridging regional disparities by ensuring more equitable access to resources and opportunities across Sri Lanka.

“Connecting Youth to Their Dreams Through the Career Platform”

Ms. Yoo Li Lee, KOICA Country Director for Sri Lanka, stated, “KOICA is committed to supporting Sri Lankan youth to design their careers and prepare for the future, in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka. This project will serve as a model case for bridging the gap between education and employment and providing tangible job opportunities to young people through a digital career platform.” She further encouraged participation, expressing hope that “the growth potential of Sri Lankan youth will be further expanded through increased engagement from companies and the revitalization of the Career Platform (Career One).”

This fellowship program marks a milestone for KOICA’s initiatives in the Education Sector in Sri Lanka, evolving it beyond mere vocational training support into a youth-led career development ecosystem. Under the project’s vision of ‘Fostering the Power to Design Careers, Beyond Skills,’ KOICA will continue to build a foundation for Sri Lankan youth to realize their dreams through digital innovation.

About KOICA

KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) contributes to the advancement of international cooperation through various projects that build friendly and collaborative relationships and mutual exchanges between Korea and developing countries and support the economic and social development in developing countries, under the mission of ‘Leave no one behind with People-centered Peace and Prosperity.’

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War-linked power crunch pushes Lanka to four-day week

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/29

Thilina Walpola

(AFP ) Millions of Sri Lankans enjoyed a government-ordered extra day off on Wednesday as the island nation battles an energy crisis triggered by the Middle East war.

Rail and bus stations were largely deserted as most state institutions, schools and universities shifted to a four-day working week.

“I am really enjoying the mid-week break because it is a fully paid holiday,” said housing ministry official Prarthana Perera, 40.

Her office, like many government departments in Battaramulla — the capital’s main administrative hub — was closed.

Banks operated on shorter hours, while many private firms introduced work-from-home arrangements, industry bodies said, urging members to help curb energy use.

Sri Lanka has already raised fuel prices by a third since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, triggering retaliatory attacks that have disrupted global energy supplies.

About half of Sri Lanka’s electricity is generated by coal and diesel.

The cabinet has set a target of cutting electricity consumption by 25 percent, ordering street lamps switched off and asking civil servants to use table fans instead of power-hungry air conditioners.

Shipping executive Varuna Perera welcomed the day off but was uncertain of its impact.

“It will not be effective in the long term,” Perera said. “But the government will have a breather for a couple of weeks, to save some energy.”

Environmental lawyer Ravindranath Dabare was more sceptical, arguing the move would have limited impact as those needing government services would have to travel on other days.

“We can’t close hospitals… the doctors and health officials can’t work from home,” Dabare said.

The influential Chamber of Commerce said it had urged members to follow government guidelines or adopt remote work where possible, if

“business continuity can be effectively maintained”.

And Sri Lanka’s leading technology firm WSO2 made working from home mandatory for its 500 employees on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“This is our way of contributing to the national cause,” WSO2 spokeswoman Zaithoon Bin-Ahamed told AFP.

Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the government had yet to assess the impact of the energy-saving measures, but expected broad compliance.

Sri Lanka has been running coal and diesel power plants at full capacity to meet electricity demand.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged electric vehicle owners not to charge their cars overnight, as they would add a surge to an already strained grid.

He asked motorists instead to plug in during the day, when excess solar power is available.

Officials said the country’s diesel stocks are sufficient to last until mid-May, while petrol could last a week longer.

The government is seeking oil supplies from Russia and hopes to tap Iran for crude oil, Jayatissa said.

Political commentator Kusal Perera said the crisis also presented scope to boost productivity across the state sector.

“They must use this opportunity to have a national dialogue on improving productivity,” he told AFP. “We have to address the inefficiency in the public sector.”

By Amal JAYASINGHE

News

Lanka to swelter through April and May, Met Dept warns

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/29

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka is set to experience continued hot weather conditions until May, the Department of Meteorology has warned.

Additional Director General of Meteorology Ajith Wijemanna said the current heatwave is expected to ease only slightly once the southwest monsoon sets in toward the latter part of May.

Wijemanna explained that the island is currently in the first inter-monsoon period, characterised by low wind speeds and shifting wind directions, which contribute to rising temperatures. Reduced cloud cover and the sun’s direct position over the country are causing increased heating of land and sea, generating heat waves and warmer atmospheric conditions.

He cautioned that the hottest period of the day will be between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., urging the public to limit outdoor activities during these hours.

Authorities also advised drinking plenty of water, wearing light-colored clothing, and avoiding prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, particularly for children and the elderly.The Meteorology Department further noted that rainfall may remain limited in the coming months, with drier conditions possible due to climate variability.

News

Pathfinder Foundation launches Proposal for a National Security Strategy for Sri Lanka

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/29

Thilina Walpola

The Pathfinder Foundation launched a proposal for a National Security Strategy for Sri Lanka—2026, emphasising the urgent need for a comprehensive and state-led national security framework.

The proposed strategy contends that an effective National Security Strategy (NSS) must be based on a robust National Security Policy, which provides the long-term framework for protecting the country’s sovereignty, stability, and development in an increasingly uncertain global environment. The Pathfinder Foundation’s initiative, developed through consultations with academics, retired military officers, legal experts, and policy specialists, seeks to stimulate national discussion and support the formulation of an official state policy. The launch event was attended by those involved in preparing this proposal, heads of local think tanks, and media representatives.

Chairman of the Pathfinder Foundation, Amb. (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke, in his presentation of the report, emphasised that many major and middle powers, including the United States, China, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Japan, have developed formal national security strategies. He pointed out that several South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, also rely on NSS, whereas Sri Lanka still lacks a single, officially adopted National Security Policy (NSP) or a National Security Strategy to guide long-term strategic planning.

The report highlights key strategic priorities across several sectors, including good governance, internal security, cybersecurity, energy and food security, health security, human capital development, and environmental protection. It also employs the internationally recognised DIME framework (Diplomacy, Information, Military, and Economy) to guide the coordinated use of national power in advancing Sri Lanka’s interests. Among its main institutional recommendations are establishing a fully legislated National Security Council, creating a National Security Secretariat, and officially appointing a National Security Advisor to coordinate policy and implementation across the government.

The full text of the report is available https://pathfinderfoundation.org/publications, and your comments a/ welcome via pm@pathfinderfoundation.org