Korean Tech begins student enrolment for inaugural academic year
Sri Lanka’s newest vocational training institute, ‘Korean Tech’ in Orugodawatte, will commence its inaugural academic year with the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 5 Diploma courses in April this year.
The diploma courses will be conducted on automotive technology, pneumatic and hydraulic technology, automation and robotic technology, computer numerical control (CNC) technology, welding technology, refrigeration and A/C technology, electrical technology, and mechatronic technology.
The automation and robotic technology, pneumatic and hydraulic technology and CNC technology NVQ level 5 programmes are starting for the first time in Sri Lanka.
NVQ certificate holders (Level 3/4) as well as GCE A/L students with passes in three subjects are eligible to apply for this diploma course. The student interviews will be held after a selection test.
According to the Sri Lanka Vocational Training Authority (VTA), which oversees this facility, there will be an intake of 40 students for each diploma course conducted on the fulltime basis, while there will also be part-time courses on the same for the students who are currently employed. The full-time courses will be delivered free-of-charge while part-time courses will be charged a nominal fee.
The semester exams will be conducted every six months during the one-year diploma programme. After the second semester exam results, a six-months on-the-job-training (OJT) will be arranged. This will be followed by the final assessment and then the graduation (presentation of the national diplomas NVQ level 5).
Students with the NVQ level 5 diploma could either seek employment locally or abroad or continue with higher education and thereafter get employed. There are many industry openings both in Sri Lanka as well as abroad in the respective fields.
Those who have followed the NVQ level 5 diploma in automotive technology could find employment in the automobile industry, transportation industry, academic sector or else become entrepreneurs. Those with NVQ level 5 diploma in pneumatic and hydraulic technology could get employed as automation technicians, hydraulic and pneumatic technicians in the construction industry, fabrication industry, plastic industry or pneumatic technicians in the food and beverage industry.
CNC (computer numerical control) technology field provides CNC programmer, CAD designer, CAM programmer and workshop supervisor (CNC) jobs. In the automation and robotic technology sector, there are process tool designer, production machine line supervisor and robotic technician jobs. The refrigeration and air conditioning technology field has employment opportunities (for those qualified in NVQ level 5) as air condition plant maintenance managers, site supervisors, HVAC supervisors or even creates entrepreneurs.
The electronic technology field has jobs for acoustic engineers, electronic system analysts, electronic engineers, broadcast engineers, electronic sales engineers and for electronic supervisors. In the electrical technology field it is possible to get employed as electrical engineers, electrical supervisors, academic sector or become entrepreneurs.
Mechatronic technology is the area with the highest-paid jobs. Here, employment could be found in relation to medical and assistive technology, human-machine interaction, manufacturing and unmanned aerial and ground vehicles and education.
Korean Tech is equipped with four academic divisions and three non-academic divisions. The academic divisions include the Mechanical Department (dedicated for automobile technology, refrigeration and air conditioning technology, welding technology), Electrical Department (dedicated for electrical technology, electronic technology, mechatronic technology), Automation Department (dedicated for CNC technology, automation and robotic technology, pneumatic and hydraulic technology) and Learning Supportive Department (dedicated for Korean and English language, information and communication technology, administrative divisions, industry engagement unit and marketing). The non-academic division is comprised with business promotion and carrier guidance units.
With regard to learning facilities, the Korean Tech comprises of lecture rooms, conference room, auditorium, library, cafeteria with modern kitchen, accommodation, langue lab and ICT labs.
The management team of Korean Tech has mapped out a fully-fledged plan to develop the educational facility as a well-recognized, highly effective vocational training institute in the country.
Under this plan, it looks forward to enhance industry participation through an Industry Relations Unit and assign industrial partners for each study programme and also establish a network of industries as certified centres for the placement of OJT.