TVET in Sri Lanka

TVET in Sri Lanka refers to the development and implementation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Sri Lankan education system and labor market. In Sri Lanka, the formal TVET sector comprises about 635 public sector training centres and 718 private and NGO training centres. A large number of non-formal TVET providers also provide training in IT on a fee-for-service basis, and there is a widespread network of non-fee-levying institutions that are funded by various national and international charities. These providers educate people of all ages — from secondary school leavers to working adults, parents and others who have suspended their education for various reasons and need training or retraining.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development (MYASD)

One of the principal architects of the Sri Lankan TVET system has been the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development (MYASD), which has overall responsibility for formulating national policies and implementing youth development programmes. MYASD encompasses 16 statutory bodies, including:

• The Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC), which engages in policy development, planning, co-ordination and the development of tertiary and vocational education at all levels. It is responsible for the national system of granting TVET awards and maintaining academic and training standards in institutes, agencies and all other establishments providing tertiary and vocational education.
• The University of Vocational Technology (UNIVOTEC), which delivers 12 degree programmes, including a Bachelor of Education in Technology (BEd Tech) for teachers in the TVET sector; short-term training courses for TVET trainers and assessors; and curriculum, teaching and learning resources for TVET courses.
• The Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET), which runs 38 technical colleges in all nine provinces and o ers certi cate and diploma courses in the technical education streams.
• The Vocational Training Authority (VTA), which provides skills training for rural youth through a network of four National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTIs) and 14 District Vocational Training Centres (DVTCs) and around 210 Rural Vocational Training Centres (RVTCs).
• The National Apprenticeship and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), which conducts island-wide training programmes for small-, medium- and large-scale enterprises and is responsible for the development and assessment of competency standards for the industrial training of TVET students.
• The Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI), which is the foremost institute in Sri Lanka for the training of skilled technicians in the eld of automobile engineering and allied trades.

Qualifications and standards

TVEC, in association with the Skills Development Project (SDP) and with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), developed the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) framework and National Competency Standards (NCS) in consultation with industry. The curricula, trainer guides, trainee guides and assessment resources are all based on these standards. Assessments are competency-based and the system is benchmarked against qualification systems in developed countries.

The Distance Education Modernisation Project

The use of distance learning, blended learning and eLearning is becoming more popular in Sri Lanka, and wider use of these methods makes it possible to ensure equal opportunities for initial and further training for all, regardless of place of residence or social and economic status. The catalyst for all this was the Distance Education Modernisation Project (DEMP), which was initiated by the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) in 2003 and aided by the ADB. The DEMP was created to establish a sustainable system of distance education and develop and deploy information and communication technologies (ICTs) to increase access to post-secondary education and improve the quality and relevance of the teaching and learning in specific institutions. With these objectives in mind, the DEMP initiated four projects: the Open University of Sri Lanka Capacity-Enhancement Project (OUSL-CE), Distance Education Partnership Programme (DEPP), Public Private Partnership Programme (PPP) and National Online Distance Education Service (NODES) and Network Access Centres (NACs).

The CG & C system

The CG & C operating model

The solution to inculcating workplace-required attitudes and behaviours to help Sri Lankan youth transition into the world of work and stay in good jobs was seen to be the MYASD and TVEC co-developing a national Web-based CG & C system for the National Career Guidance and Counselling Centre and linking this to a network of careers guidance centres across the country. It was always recognised that while some of the socio-psychological matters identified could be addressed by the CG & C system, others might be beyond its scope and require more personal counselling. However, the overall aim of the CG & C system was to help individuals gain worthwhile employment that matched their training and qualifications and to help the country’s economic development by providing information about training options and pathways for them to follow, whether as employees, in self-employment or overseas.

Sources

 This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken from Using ICTs and Blended Learning in Transforming TVET​, 97-104, UNESCO, UNESCO. UNESCO.