- Partnership renewed for another three years
- Employability skills and competencies training program to empower youth and help to enhance their employability
Colombo, 30 June 2021: DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, has renewed its partnership with SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka for another three years. The partnership will focus on increasing the employability of young people through an employability skills and competencies training program.
An organization under SOS Children’s Villages International, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka has for nearly four decades, provided care for children without parental care and children at risk of losing parental care. Through SOS Children’s Villages located in Piliyandala, Galle, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Monaragala, and Jaffna, the organization currently has over 800 children under its care. It also supports over 3,200 children who are at risk of losing parental care through its SOS Family Strengthening Program.
This partnership began in 2018 as part of a global program called ‘GoTeach’ introduced by Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group) with SOS Children’s Villages International to foster empowerment and employability of young people from challenged socio-economic backgrounds. It was launched locally by DHL Sri Lanka as a unique development program, designed to enhance the personal and professional skills of youth aged between 15 and 20 years, as they prepare to enter the workforce. The initial program was conducted at SOS Children’s Village in Piliyandala.
Commenting on the partnership, Dimithri Perera, Country Manager, DHL Express Sri Lanka said, “We are pleased to be able to continue our support and improve youth employability during these challenging times, while helping them develop confidence and social skills necessary for when they enter the professional world and interact with others.”
To-date, DHL Sri Lanka has completed training for youth at SOS Children’s Villages located in Galle and Piliyandala, benefitting over 50 youth. Further training will be conducted for youth at Anuradhapura and Nuwara-Eliya SOS Children’s Villages in the coming months.
The program covered a wide variety of activities that trained and supported the participants. The training program had four stages beginning with the DHL facility visits followed by brainstorming sessions on personal maturity, social and job hunting skills, which are vital for increasing one’s employability.
The sessions helped participants deal with major barriers they face in developing their lives and broadening their employability. For example: in the Personal Maturity session, the youth learn about improving their self-confidence and self-awareness, while they gain social skills needed for when they enter the workforce and work with others in Social Skills session. In the Job Hunting class, they gain professional qualification and collaborative skills.
To support the youth to overcome these obstacles, DHL Sri Lanka conducted a range of activities including interactive games, where participants learned about collaborative teamwork and personal evaluation, how they could improve their leadership skills, stress management, personal finances management, writing and interview skills, work attitudes and career guidance, among others.
DHL’s intervention has enabled these youth to enhance their employability eligibility and collaborative skills, building their self-confidence and sharing valuable experience through role models.
Divakar Ratnadurai, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages, Sri Lanka said, “Young people at our SOS Children’s Villages face significant challenges when they enter the labor market or as they transition into an adult, independent life. With the support of DHL, they will have access to training and mentorship required, and can dream of a better tomorrow.”
These young people also received mentorship by employees of DHL Sri Lanka, who volunteered their time to mentor the young people. Selected industry professionals have also participated to inspire the youth.
Ahamed Ur Rahman, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Marketing and Sales, DHL Global Forwarding Sri Lanka added, “This program is an ideal springboard for these young people to improve their future through the support and experience of DHL employee volunteers. We look forward to making a positive impact on their lives.”