USAID Director: ‘IT Job Growth Depends on Collaboration’

The information technology (IT) sector has tremendous potential to bolster the Sri Lankan economy, but taking advantage of the opportunity depends on collaboration between the private and public sectors, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Rebecca Cohn said recently.

Speaking at the public unveiling of a new workforce survey conducted by the Sri Lanka Information Communication Technology Association (SLICTA), Ms. Cohn said the survey contained “exciting news” that by the end of next year, the IT workforce in Sri Lanka is expected to grow by 14,500 professionals, having already grown by 10,000 in the last year alone.

“The potential jobs are there,” Ms. Cohn said. “This job growth, however, depends on collaboration between the private sector, government, educators and donors so that the workforce will have the skills it needs to fill these often well-paid positions.”

SLICTA, the apex body representing Sri Lanka’s Information Communication and Technology industry, conducted the survey, titled “Rising Demand 2007,” in collaboration with the Government’s Information and Communication Technology Agency with the support of The Competitiveness Program, a USAID-funded initiative that helps Sri Lanka compete globally in eight key industries.

Ms. Cohn said the survey is useful for employers to plan recruitment efforts, students selecting fields of study, training organizations to plan new programs, and potential foreign investors to evaluate the Sri Lanka labour force. Additionally, it can be a key tool for government to set policies aimed at taking advantage of the economic opportunity it portends.

“This study provides vital data about the size and make-up and some trends in the IT workforce that can help guide policy makers interested in improving the quality and quantity of the workforce,” she said. “These are the kinds of numbers that help the government and the industry to create and implement concrete activities.”

Another key finding of the survey, she said, was the necessity for IT trainees to acquire “soft skills” such as communication and problem solving, in addition to technical expertise. To that end, USAID is implementing several programs to improve the caliber of the Lankan IT workforce in the past several years.

In 2005, USAID completed a pilot Rapid Information Technology Conversion Program to re-train unemployed non-IT graduates for careers in the computer field. Current USAID programs include the $3 million Accelerated Skills Acquisition (ASAP) Program that matches jobs in demand by employers, the Last Mile Initiative (LMI) to extend internet access to underserved areas island-wide via a business franchise model, and the English Computer Based Learning (E-CBL) program to develop and strengthen international language skills. In the works for USAID is a partnership with Microsoft and InfoShare called the Unlimited Potential project that will train employees to incorporate IT into industries like apparel, agriculture, media, and tourism.

“We are pleased to see that our initiatives will be very helpful to the IT industry,” Ms. Cohn said. “We appreciate the work of all our partners including SLICTA, which has presented a comprehensive picture of the information technology workforce in Sri Lanka to the benefit of the industry’s future.”