Nearly 500,000 unemployed youth will be trained this year at Government Technical Colleges and Vocational Training centres to help skilled youth seek employment abroad. Budget 2023 allocated Rs. 8,200 million for the purpose.
About 400 Language Training Centres will be set up to equip job seekers with language proficiency, Kurunegala Senior Divisional Secretary R.M. Jayaratne told a conference of representatives of youth clubs of the Kurunegala district.
He said around 1,000 experienced and qualified language instructors will be recruited on a contract basis for the purpose.
Project Director of the Agriculture Modernisation scheme, Dr. Rohan Wijekoon said 2,400 youth willing to grow chillies will be trained this year. The total requirement of dry chillies for the country per year is 55,000 metric tons. Of that, 50,000 metric tons are imported annually and only 5,000 metric tons are produced locally..
About 20 percent of the local requirements will be grown locally this year. The chillie cultivation program will be launched under the guidance of Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera, he added.