The Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), the apex body of the ICT industry, appointed Vajira Karunaratne, an industry expert to head the Education and Training Chapter at the virtual AGM recently.
The newly appointed Exco members of the FITIS Education and Training Chapter Executive committee 2020/21 comprise President Vajira Karunaratne (IIT), Vice President Amila Bandara (ESOFT), Secretary Kanishka Manchanayake (Aim College), Treasurer Siyamala Sumanthiram (AAT), Assistant Secretary Sunimal Wickramasinghe (ACBT), Assistant Treasurer Sajeewa Ranasinghe (Gateway), Immediate Past President S.P. Romesh (Asian Business School) and Advisors Past Chairman FITIS and Past President E&T Chapter (Aims College) Dr. Kithsiri Manchanayake, Past President E&T Chapter (Metrix Institute) Dr. Viraj Pinto, Past President, E&T Chapter, Upul Dassanayake and Exco Committee: ICBT, VTA, Amazon College and Infinity.
Karunaratne who plays a vital role to improve the standards and the quality of IT education in Sri Lanka said he aims at improving communication between the IT industry and IT educators to create quality IT professionals for the industry which will help minimize the shortage of skilled workers in the industry.
“The irony is that in the present job market there are plenty of IT certificate holders without proper skill levels to match global needs. It is important to include six monthsto one-year internship to the diplomas and degrees offered by institutes to fine tune and enhance the skills of job seekers,” Karunaratne said.
The Education and Training Chapter has over 30 reputed educational institutes in Sri Lanka as FITIS certified members.
Karunaratne said that digital technology is developing fast and there is a high demand for IT professionals locally and internationally with high salary scales. All industries in the world are using IT digital technology to carry out their businesses.
“But we have noticed that many students, teachers and parents do not have a clear understanding of the importance, opportunities and career paths in the IT industry. We conduct IT career guidance seminars, workshops and webinars with the Ministry of Education, ICTA and other professional IT bodies to educate youth of the importance of ICT and to encourage them to choose the ICT field as their career path.
The FITIS Youth Club is a brainchild of Karunaratne to build a platform for youth to obtain exposure to the ICT industry.
“Students and youth who are interested in IT can join the FITIS Youth Club and avail many benefits offered to them,” he said, adding that the Club conducts workshops, webinars to educate students. Youth Club members could join the volunteer club to work in FITIS initiated projects. The FITIS Youth Club is in the process of introducing a job portal.
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