464 Skilled Trainees Receive NVQ Level 4 Certificates as Government Pushes Vocational Education Reforms

Certificates were awarded to 464 professionally qualified trainees who have completed NVQ Level 4 qualifications at the 32nd certificate awarding ceremony of the Motor Vehicle Engineering Training Institute in Orugodawatta.

The institute, which operates under the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), is one of Sri Lanka’s leading institutions providing technical training in the motor vehicle sector. The ceremony was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo.

Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Nalin Hewage attended the ceremony as the chief guest.

The trainees who received certificates represented six vocational fields, including motor vehicle mechanics, automotive electrical work, motor vehicle air-conditioning, motor vehicle painting, tinsmithing and mechanical work.

The training programme has also provided language training aimed at preparing skilled workers for the foreign employment market, with trainees developing skills in several languages.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Minister Hewage said the trainees should not consider their professional journey complete with the certificates they had received.

Referring to the words of former Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, he encouraged the trainees to dream bigger and continue developing their skills, noting that education, the world and industries were constantly changing.

He said the present Government was paying significant attention to education, with the President and Prime Minister placing particular emphasis on the sector.

Hewage said a major transformation in education was necessary and that education reforms were being introduced to achieve this transformation. He said vocational education would be incorporated more strongly into school education and expanded significantly to help address Sri Lanka’s challenges while also preparing skilled workers to meet international demand.

He said the NVQ qualifications obtained by the trainees had demand not only in Sri Lanka but also in foreign employment markets.

The Deputy Minister also said the Government had been working to maintain economic stability amid several challenges. He referred to the difficulties faced by the country, including a 44% tariff, a reported loss of USD 4.1 billion and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Despite these challenges, he said the Government was working to ensure greater stability and create opportunities for young people to build their futures.

Referring to the experiences of countries such as China and Japan, Hewage said their economic progress had been driven by the efforts and determination of their people.

He urged the newly qualified vocational professionals to continue improving their knowledge and skills and to adapt to the changing demands of the global economy.