Sri Lankan authority, Huawei launch vocational training institute for local youth

COLOMBO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) and Chinese technology company Huawei have jointly launched the NAITA-Huawei Information and Communication Technology Academy for Sri Lankan youth, local media citing a statement from Huawei reported on Monday.

Sri Lankan Minister of Education G.L. Peiris, speaking at the launch ceremony on Friday, said that human resources were the principal asset of Sri Lanka.

"It is commendable that Huawei is helping us very vigorously and actively to upgrade the skills of youth that we have, the quality of which will determine the future of this island," he said.

NAITA Chairman Tharanga Naleen Gamlath said that there was a demand for vocational training in Sri Lanka. "We expect our NAITA-Huawei academy to be the center of ICT talent and vocational development in Sri Lanka with our target on upskilling over 300 youth annually."

Huawei Sri Lanka CEO Liang Yi said that the new facility will help cultivate talent in emerging technologies such as 5G, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

"A long-term strategy that includes resource sharing, complementary advantages, and joint development between universities, vocational training institutes, and enterprises is needed to efficiently match the talent supply with the demand and this academy will play that role," he said.

Huawei has operated in Sri Lanka for over 20 years and aims to transfer ICT knowledge to 10,000 local youth in five years. Enditem