ICTA together with the National Youth Services Council initiated ‘Lighting Digital Youth BootCamps’

A distinctive program concentrating on expediting youth employment into the ICT industry.

A memorandum of understanding between ICTA and the National Youth Services Council was announced by the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka. Signed on the 18th of February, 2022 the memorandum of understanding with Mr. Damitha Wicramasinghe – Director-General and Chairman of the National Youth Services Council and Mr. Oshada Senanayake – Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Agency, in the presence of Hon. Namal Rajapakse – Cabinet Minister of Youth and Sports & State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development.

The initiative ‘Lighting Digital Youth Bootcamp’ by the ICTA in partnership with the National Youth Services Council is a distinctive program that will expedite youth employment into the ICT industry. Youth who effectively take on the ‘boot camps’ will have the chance to obtain the required skills through a designed but quick set of selected programs delivered by renowned experts in the ICT industry. As an outcome, the Lighting Digital Youth Bootcamp initiative will personally allow 34,000 Sri Lankan Youth to be employable in the ICT industry across all Divisional Secretariats through 170 boot camps.

Cabinet Minister Youth and Sports & State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development, Hon. Namal Rajapakse stated, “As a government, we need to promote more entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka, where we can reach global markets through technology. In doing so, technology will be an important promoter in linking with international markets. Additionally, it is intended to generate more employment opportunities for youth across Sri Lanka. The boot camp idea with ICTA will allow youth to receive knowledge and employment opportunities at tech firms. The Technology Industry is one of the few industries that developed during the worldwide pandemic. The technology industry in Sri Lanka has great possibilities, and the capacity to grow. We are thankful to ICTA for coming up with this idea of Youth Bootcamps and partnering with the National Youth Services Council”.

He further said, “I ask all our youth to use this distinctive opportunity, which will make way for new employment opportunities. Also, it will offer on-the-job training in various sectors which can additionally build a career”.

Speaking on the initiative, Sameera Jayawardena – Director Capacity Building at ICTA said, “The Bootcamps will be implemented in three distinct models. Model one will aim for the youth with fundamental skills, while model two will aim for the youth who have qualified or follow an NVQ certificate. Lastly, model three will be aimed at university undergraduates/ graduates or those following NVQ Level 5 and above. Additionally, participants will receive a broad range of customized training sessions with the participation of all leading ICTA Industry associations, including CSSL, BCS, FITIS, and SLASSCOM. Participants will also be helped in growing an all-inclusive profile that will assist them in going forward towards a fulfilling career in ICT”.