“While a significant demand for skilled craftsmen exists which stems from the construction boom the country is experiencing, shortage of skilled craftsmen and technical workforce has led to a serious issue of project delays and increasing costs in the sector” said Wurth Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Managing Director Rohan Amirthiah.
He said this at the joint project launched by Wurth Lanka a fully owned subsidiary of Wurth Group, Germany and KFW, a member of the KfW banking group Germany to create skilled and economically independent craftsmen in Sri Lanka by empowering them as Technipreneurs.
The project seeks to fulfill multiple objectives of promoting entrepreneurship among existing low-skilled craftsmen via a carefully designed top-up curriculum aligned with relevant guidelines and establishing seamless access to qualified craftsmen for consumers via digital means. The Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) is the implementation partner for the project.
“Construction sector has been a cornerstone of the country’s economy since 2009 growing by approximately 20 percent year-on-year and contributing over 10 percent of the GDP recently. Along with it, the facility maintenance as a sub-sector has also grown in importance and skilled and trained technicians are urgently needed to support the increasing demand”, said ASSIST project manager Aru David.
“Despite high unemployment rates there is a shortage of skilled technical workforce and craftsmen in areas such as plumbing, carpentry, welding, masonry, rigging, painting”, he said.
German Ambassador Jorn Rohde gracing the occasion appreciated private-public partnerships and mentioned that German Tech was founded 50 years back for vocational training in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka- German technical training center in Kilinochchi was commissioned three years back. Another one in Matara is in the offing”, he said.
“Sri Lanka to facilitate the construction boom hires Chinese workers because of lack of skilled people. That shouldn’t be the case. Sri Lanka has enough talent. Initiatives like these to up-skill existing workers will bridge the gap between demand and supply. Hallmark of the German system is not merely training people but to train people to start their own businesses”, he added.
Würth Lanka established in Sri Lanka in 1998 operates with technical craftsmen and tradesmen who directly use tools, equipments, technical consumables to repair, service and build. The automotive aftermarket and construction sectors as well as builders, contractors, and maintenance workers in factories are its end customers.
Add new comment