SLASSCOM launches Future Careers Bridge

6 November, 2022
The panel discussion in progress: From left – Bani Chandrasena, Charith De Silva, Vishaka Nanayakkara, Dr. Ajith Madurapperuma and Thathsarani Bandara 

The Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the apex body representing the IT/BPM Industry, officially relaunched its Future Careers Bridge (FCB) website  at Cinnamon Grand Colombo recently.

The 2.0 version of the FCB platform comes with a range of new features and an improved user experience as part of its plans to attract more Sri Lankan youth to join the ICT sector.

Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Trine Jøranli Eskedal,  – Deputy Mission Director USAID Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Debra Mosel and representatives of SLASSCOM, USAID, Royal Norwegian Embassy, YouLead and key industry sectors including ICT and higher education were present. 

Sri Lanka’s IT/BPM industry is pushing to cross USD 5 billion in export revenue by 2025. The industry is, however, facing a skills shortage due to the limited number of IT graduates emerging out of the local education system.

One of the primary objectives of SLASSCOM is to identify, enable and develop ready and employable talent in the industry.

The revamped SLASSCOM FCB platform allows students to complete online challenges under diverse IT career paths, build a profile based on their performance and compete on the FCB Leaderboards. Students can also find mentors and request assistance from industry experts through FCB. Top-performing students will be selected for interviews by partner companies and provided with internship opportunities. 

FCB was created in 2019 to channel school leavers who lacked graduate-level qualifications but were interested in joining the sector to find employment in the IT/BPM industry. The platform was developed with the support of USAID’s youth employment and entrepreneurship project YouLead, along with the Royal Norwegian Embassy as Project Partner, HCL Lanka and Dialog Axiata PLC as Corporate Sponsors, and through the voluntary contribution of ideas, support, and expertise from over 50 IT/BPM companies in Sri Lanka.

“Even with the IT/BPM industry on track to become Sri Lanka’s number one export revenue contributor, the sector grapples with recruiting skilled graduates into the ecosystem. This has become a primary reason for slowing our growth momentum. With FCB 2.0, SLASSCOM has built a pathway for Sri Lanka’s talented youth to hone their skills further and to be employed by best IT/BPM companies in the country to pursue their dream career in a sector that has a significant global presence,” said  Chairman of SLASSCOM, Ashique M. Ali.

 SLASSCOM FCB allows public and private educational institutions, including universities and tertiary educational institutes, to enable their students to manage and track their learning and career progress. This will add further value to the platform. 

The platform has also enlisted 15 of Sri Lanka’s leading IT/BPM companies as SLASSCOM FCB Partners. They will support training and employment opportunities for youth emerging through the program. The vision of SLASSCOM is to provide all companies in Sri Lanka access to FC Bridge for their youth talent recruitment.

Deputy Mission Director USAID Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Debra Mosel said, “As the world faces a major skill shortfall in the ICT sector, we should equip and inspire young women with the skills they need to become ICT professionals. Strong women leaders are critical in helping women access the ICT sector’s rich employment and leadership opportunities.” Director of SLASSCOM, Arjuna Nanayakkara said, “A platform such as Future Careers Bridge allows Sri Lankan youth to join the global ICT industry. It will infuse better-prepared graduates into the industry as FCB 2.0 enables them through well-curated coursework and soft skill training modules. The Capacity Forum at SLASSCOM provides additional complementary learning solutions to FCB 2.0 so that local ICT companies are able to attract skilled talent.

“This is the way forward. I also believe this is a great case study for all corporates in the country to make a paradigm shift in how they recruit talent and build competencies when giving career opportunities for graduates,” he said.

Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Trine Eskedal  also spoke.

– Sunday Observer Sri Lanka

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