ComBank supported VTA graduates find gainful employment
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has helped 210 school leavers find lucrative employment after completing Vocational Training Authority (VTA) training programmes and obtaining National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) certifications.
The Bank has been a part of the VTA’s initiative to train students who drop out of school after Grade 10 to equip them with skills necessary to thrive in the country’s construction industry since VTA first launched a specialised intervention titled ‘120 Days Training’ in 2015 to address the skills gap in the construction sector.
The programme entailed providing students with theoretical and hands-on training in the fields of masonry, carpentry, and plumbing. Trainees that successfully complete their 120-day course are awarded the NVQ Level 3 certificate. The syllabus also includes English language training specific to the construction industry, which would enable students to be eligible for foreign employment.
Commercial Bank supported the initiative between 2015 and 2020 by funding the resource personnel who conducted motivational training at these programmes and printing and providing training material pertaining to the course.
Further, in collaboration with the VTA the Bank also helped find employment opportunities for these students at reputed companies including Maga Engineering, Nawaloka
Construction, Sripalie Construction, and Access Engineering with an entry level salary of Rs 50,000 upwards. Officials of the VTA and the CSR Unit of Commercial Bank met with the management of these companies on many occasions and requested them to persuade the new recruits to continue their pursuit of NVQ Levels four, five, and six and ultimately earn the seventh and last certification which is a Civil Engineering Degree offered at the University of Vocational Technology, Ratmalana.