Press Releases
USAID offers practical education to Southern youth
COLOMBO, October 26, 2008—The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today marked the completion of the new vocational training center in Tangalle, in the presence of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa and U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake.
The school was built with funds provided by the American people as part of USAID’s Sri Lanka Tsunami Reconstruction Program. “Through education, young people gain skills that will provide them with good paying jobs, which will help boost both their family income and the economic opportunities available to them for many years to come,” Ambassador Blake said at the opening ceremony.
The Tangalle Vocational Training Center will graduate 180 students each year who will become masons, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, appliance repair technicians, electronic repair technicians, and IT specialists. All these trades are in high demand in Sri Lanka’s economy and the graduates will be well positioned to find good jobs. In addition to constructing the buildings, USAID and several private sector partners have supplied the schools with all necessary items such as furniture, tools, and other commodities to make them fully functional.
The project was developed in partnership with the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) under the aegis of the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training and implemented by Access International and CH2MHill. USAID has worked closely with the VTA and with Sri Lanka’s private sector to develop the curricula for the schools. The project’s success is in part due to the model public-private partnership put in place between USAID, VTA and the Chevron Corporation, Prudential, and the Mellon Foundation.
In addition to H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Water Supply, Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister of Ports & Aviation and Hon. Piyasena Gamage, Minister of Vocational and Technical Training also spoke at the opening ceremony.