The Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the apex body representing the IT/BPM Industry, relaunched its Future Careers Bridge (FCB) website, with a range of new features and an improved user experience as part of its plans to attract more youth to join the sector.
Sri Lanka’s IT/BPM industry is in a push 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 talent that are ready and employable 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 Leader boards. Students also have the option of finding mentors and requesting 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 to channel school leavers, who lacked graduate level qualifications but had an interest in joining the sector, towards finding 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.
“The IT/BPM industry is on track to becoming one of the top performing, if not the number one contributor to export revenue over the next decade. However, a lack of graduates with the required competencies has been a bottleneck slowing our growth moment. With this improved platform we will provide a pathway for more young people to pursue careers in IT/BPM and be employed by the best companies in the sector.”, said Nishan Mendis, Vice Chairman at SLASSCOM and Executive Director, Technology Consulting Leader, and CIO at PWC. “On behalf of SLASSCOM, I take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers and sponsors who have made this platform a reality.”
SLASSCOM FCB allows both public and private educational institutions, including universities and tertiary educational institutes to enable their own 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, who will support with training and employment opportunities for youth emerging through the program. Vision of SLASSCOM is to provide all companies in Sri Lanka to access FC Bridge for their youth talent recruitments.
“The improved SLASSCOM FCB will create new opportunities for youth without university degrees and provide them with global earning potential and career growth prospects, right here in Sri Lanka”, commented Vindya Silva, Director Private Sector Partnerships at YouLead, “It will also level the playing field and enable individuals from across the country to showcase their talents to prospective employers. We are very pleased to have been a part of this initiative.”
SLASSCOM has been the catalyst of growth for the Sri Lankan IT and BPM industry by facilitating investments and market access, talent development and employment, encouraging research and innovation, promoting ESG best practices, and supporting the creation of a forward-thinking and progressive national policy. SLASSCOM’s membership is made up of over 420 member companies, encompassing an employee base of 115,000+ people, and accounts for approximately 90% of Sri Lanka’s IT/BPM industry’s export revenue.
