The nature of work is rapidly changing due to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation to name a few. This in turn has resulted in the skills that employers value to continuously change thereby leading to a “skills gap” that has developed in which employers struggle to hire appropriately trained workers. Additionally, academic institutions are also still gearing up to up-skill their programs to suite industry expectations.
Orel Corporation, under the guidance of its Managing Director Mr. Kushan Kodituwakku, having envisaged the skills gap prevalent in the market at present, has embarked on a new platform to uplift the skills of young people in Sri Lanka while recognizing their achievements by relevant key stake holders, in this case the Skills Development Fund Limited (SDFL), a government entity dedicated to the same cause.
As such Orel has entered into an MOU with Skills development Fund Limited (SDFL) for converging ideas into a tangible platform to minimize the skills gap. The MOU was officially signed by Mr. Chaminda De Silva, General Manager of Orel Corporation, Prof. Sirimevan Waidyasekara and the Chairman of SDFL, Dr. Lionel Pinto.
The MOU entails in SDFL assigning Orel Corporation to deploy the skills development platform based on a blended learning methodology to upskill future job seekers. The solution enables any school leaver to select the required courses of their choice, that has been designed in line with industry requirements and to complete such courses with a valid certification, endorsed both by the SDFL and the Industry.
According to the company, the solution is designed to advance competency and consistency through experiential learning on a single platform. Thanks to this optimized and customized platform that can flexibly accommodate different profile needs, users have a simplified user experience within the portal, making the training even more efficient and enjoyable.
Outlining the vision of this initiative, Mr. Chaminda De Silva, General Manager of Orel Corporation explained “the pandemic has accelerated shifts in the workplace that were already in motion from advances in technology. In response, companies across industries are rethinking their talent and skills pipeline, both internally and externally. Therefore this program reflects the integration of a solution to further advance our ability to close the skill gaps and provide learners with immersive, personalized learning experiences. Orel Corporation will focus on continually enhancing this offering to equip enterprises with the talent they require for the future roles in business and industry.”
Dr. Lionel Pinto, Chairman of SDFL added, “in today’s skills economy, there is a heavy focus on individual skills. Orel Corporation providing this blended and experiential learning platform will be a key enabler in nurturing the comprehensive learning journeys of the next generation that will extend beyond simply piecing together a collection of hard skills. This award-winning platform offers the most complete suite of training combinations in the market, to provide our learners with market leading learning solutions that will enhance their career opportunities whilst also assisting employees met their talent requisites for the future”
With courses hailing from every key industry spectrum and from all the realms of business, industry, government and academia, this platform will help set the standard for innovative, effective e-learning for the next generation from all walk of life and in every region across the country.