The National Youth Services Council (NYSC), the premier youth skills training and sports development body of the country, has set a new goal to bring back its past glory with an ecosystem to nurture raw talent and a comprehensive plan to promote sports.
NYSC’s new chief Theshara Jayasinghe, who earlier worked as the HSBC’s Country Head of Procurement and Payments for Sri Lanka and Maldives, has instigated a solid plan with professional purpose to upgrade both sports activities and youth skills training to match the current and future requirements and demands from workplaces.
In an exclusive interview with BMD, Chairman/Director General of NYSC Theshara Jayasinghe spoke on various new strategic plans ranging from youth skills training to sports development currently underway. Excerpts:
Could you describe how you got involved with this institution and your experience handling youth programs?
I was in the banking industry. From the time of my banking career I had a keen interest in supporting Sri Lankan youth and to guide them and show them the path to develop their skills and become successful. I have been working with youth – both urban and rural and with university students – on many projects through my own initiative for quite some time. My initiative called ‘Ekathuva’ carried out several projects which supported youth in capacity building and skills development while encouraging effective dialogue among them. So I am quite pleased with the responsibilities I carry out at the NYSC.
NYSC is the country’s premium institution which facilitates and empowers Sri Lankan youth. We have 52 branches and we train about 20,000 students across 16 different disciplines every year. As an umbrella organization we have a Federation of Youth Clubs and we also have Sri Lanka Youth Services Company that is incorporated as a separate company that can operate various businesses of the NYSC.
What were the main issues that you encountered as you took up this position?
NYSC is the foremost organization that supports youngsters to launch their careers in many different fields, and the institution is known as the apex body for youth skills development. But it was yet to be modernized with the changes required to match evolving career and skills development strategies that meet current demand from workplaces locally and globally.
The institution is a vast pool of resources. For over three decades, many different experts have contributed immensely to its growth. However, I feel there are many changes to be done – in terms of curricula, the time-frame of each study program and their relevance, again in terms of the current demand in the job market.
So far I have not come across a proper study that has been done to determine whether the training programs that we offer are required by Sri Lankan industries or this country’s economy in the current and the future context.
Times have changed since the day this organization was established. Many media organizations have come up; educational institutions for the youth are aplenty; the way people think about fine arts has changed; entertainment-wise there are ample options; now we find TV stations are launching their own reality programs and promoting only their brand. But we had been trying to keep the same benchmarks and struggling to achieve whatever the success that we gained during the first decade or so. Although this was the ‘go-to’ place during that era, the issue today is to find out if we are running the programs which are attractive enough for the youth.
So it is time for us to go along with a new concept – and create spaces for the new generations of youth.
NYSC was known for its music masterpieces. But there has been a long gap in your productions. What’s the reason for this gap?
Recently the NYSC launched a new music video entirely produced by NYSC youth members which was a hit. Believe it or not, it was the first product which came after 15 years. Now we have launched a new project to release 20 new songs shortly. (As we spoke at the chairman’s office, the auditions were on at the auditorium). So this is one of the targets I have given to my team of teachers and instructors. Apparently they had not been given any targets to produce creative items and brand them as NYSC products in recent times. Hence a part of our new strategy would be to create brands of NYSC by encouraging the teaching staff.
Thereafter each of NYSC’s music schools should produce 10 new songs and music productions each year. Our two main performing schools in Belwood and Eraminiyaya continue to conduct three-year diploma programs on dancing, music and cinematography. We have concerns over these programs on how to measure the value of the diplomas we offer through these schools. The students who follow courses in these schools have to follow a three-year residential program. Do they really get the value for that time? Is the time well-spent? From the beginning of this year we decided to add value to these certificates – by giving them the opportunity to qualify in NVQ 6 (Higher National Diploma) and to complete the degree within the next year or two.
For this we have tied up with a foreign university to get our courses accredited and introduceD a balance of subjects into our curricula as per their advice and let our students go up to the degree level.
As the curricula are updated, isn’t it necessary to train the trainers and instructors simultaneously?
For the benefit of the staff, we have initiated discussions with a Chinese university to obtain their services and to allow our teachers to follow a degree program on social development and youth development based on their experience. It is necessary to up-skill the staff knowledge and teaching methods in keeping with global standards. With that experience, we hope the teachers/instructors will impart their knowledge in order to lead this generation of youth.
If you are to upgrade present educational programs what areas are you looking at?
We want to branch out to industries such as mechatronics or mechanical electronics. Actually, this is a proposal that I submitted, thinking of going into new industries where our cadre will be suitable for the next economic expansion. As part of this initiative, we are looking at introducing new courses in line with the foreign job market, such as the Japanese and Korean markets in particular. The government has already signed MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding) with Japan and we have a wish list they (Japan) wants to recruit.
Accordingly, we have identified a couple of our training facilities to concentrate on those industries so that we can create capacity in those places without having everything mixed up. Also we have decided through strategic initiatives not to compete on the same sector with other government institutions such as National Apprentice Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), Vocational Training Institute (VTA) and Youth Corps in the same locale. Let’s say all four of our institutions are there in the same town, or maybe even two are there, and we offer the same course. That would be a waste of public resources and that confuses the youth as well. Therefore, in future, these institutions will discuss and decide which one is to be in which locale and build our capacities and presence while using our facilities more efficiently. For instance if NAITA is present at X location we can create a youth centre or offer spaces for youth activities at that same location. Our scope is large; besides training programs we have many different responsibilities aimed at youth. For example we have converted the Piliyandala facility into a youth facility. We will also set up ‘Centres of Excellence’ where we will concentrate on a particular industry or training and build capacity. Instead of running 10 to 15 different courses, we will run specific ones, instead of stretching ourselves by trying to have everything under one roof.
Tell us about the proposed training in automobile technology?
From the next intake we will go into hybrid technology, diffrent to the usual mechanical technology followed here. Later we will move on to electric cars. The same will apply for programs such as plumbing, electrical engineering, mechatronics and hospitality programs. These are short courses aimed at NVQ 5 qualification.
NYSC will also work with the private sector on public/ private partnerships to provide a skilled workforce. Through these partnerships we can improve the curricula to match industry needs. We call it NVQ Plus as we intend to upgrade our training programs in consultation with the companies that we work with. We have already signed MoUs with CIC and DIMO which enable us to send our trainees for further training plus employment. Public – private partnerships would be our new strategy. We intend building closer relationships with the industries.
What other initiatives have you taken to make use of underutilized resources?
We have also given a lot of focus to the agriculture sector. We have about 300 acres of agricultural lands in a few districts which are highly underutilized. The income made by these lands over the last year was an insignificant Rs. 9 million. There is a huge potential for us to develop them as proper agri centres. During the lockdown we started a program to develop these centres in to commercially viable agric centres. We now choose a few specific crops per centre depending on soil conditions and buyers’ demand. Earlier we’ve been growing many different crops at the same location even without having sufficient capacity. So crop failure and minimum harvest were inevitable. By getting into a crop-based agriculture system we can ensure a steady income. Also the agri students in these centres get good exposure in how industrial agriculture happens. Next we have discussed with the Minster of Youth and the Treasury to develop a scheme through which students, employees and the centre can share the profit of the crops. Through such a system we can ensure the sustainability of the project.
One of the issues we encountered in the agricultural sector is the lack of interest shown by male students to join training programs. This is largely due to the poor income they get from a career in the agri sector.
I want to create an environment where students can make a decent income while following the course. This will be an incentive for them. For example, we can introduce projects such as yoghurt making and jam manufacturing under our brand name.
Although such projects are not in the curriculum, we believe it will help transfer the industrial knowledge and technological know-how to our students. So, when they come out from the Agri School, they have an extra skill to begin their own career apart from their Agriculture NVQ certificate. NYSC has also launched the platform to encourage youth into agriculture using world-class technologies. The first step in this regard was initiated by introducing drone technology in collaboration with SRQ Robotics, which is a roboticsbased startup from the University of Moratuwa.
What are your plans in developing NYSC-based sports among youth? If Sri Lanka is to compete in an Olympic event, what would it be?
When it comes to sports, again, NYSC had a golden era in producing some of the best athletes in the country. We had some of the best facilities especially for games such as volley ball. But things are now different. There are various institutions promoting sports – so it’s time for us to think whether we want to continue with the same sports in the same passion or to go into some new areas where we can earn some recognition internationally as well.
We have decided to strategically add a couple of sports – archery and target shooting – into our existing list of sports. I believe Sri Lanka will have an excellent opportunity to go into Olympic levels in these games because these are two sports that would not require great height and physical strength as in many other games. We are also considering the idea of developing a female soccer team. It is not yet an area that has a lot of sponsorships. It is our duty to develop a sports interest; once a proper team is set up it can be taken by a sponsor to the next level. Our responsibility is two-fold when it comes to sports – to foster the future of sports and provide opportunities for youth. Hence, we want to make sure that we contribute to the sport force in the country and to upscale it with due attention.
Next, we will also launch a radical ‘talent hunt’ program conducted across all districts. We are looking for youth who are really talented in sports – may be those who wouldn’t have had any previous exposure into sports. We are not looking at how good they are in a particular kind of sport. We are looking at some attributes such as whether they have a keen interest in sports, whether they have the physical attributes, whether they are big enough and have the right muscles. We want to be quite radical about it. The contestants can be a fisherman, a coconut plucker or anyone else in our society but with a special talent in sports with the right attributes and within the age group of 16 to 25. We go for this age range because then we have time to train them properly and get them involved in a particular kind of sports. Actually, our local experience shows those who have gone to the international levels are not the ones who have always performed well at school level. Those are the late bloomers. So we want to tap into that age group and we will be absorbing some of them into our pools. The rest will be given training at the Sports Ministry pool and they have the opportunity to join the national pool depending on their capacity. The program is scheduled to be launched shortly. With these initiatives, I firmly believe there will be a gradual change in our sports capacity.
What are the current programs at NYSC?
At present we have launched the NYSC’s short film festival (Youth Film Harvest). The competition is open to anyone in the 16 to 40 year age group. We have agreed upon this age limit after consulting experts who are of the opinion that a higher age limit would help bring out the best experiences to this festival. We can learn through this experience and make necessary adjustments the next time.
Secondly we are also having the Stage Drama Competition (Yovun Natya Ulela). This is an opportunity for youth to develop their skills in the field, compete and launch a future career in the drama field.
We have also started a drama training project called ‘Gam Dorin Ranga Madalata’, an initiative to create districtbased drama squads. As the first step of this initiative, we will have three-day drama training workshops in the provincial level; the program has already been started. Any youth can join this program. With this program we also plan to expand our youth clubs and enrol more youth into the clubs. Our intention is to create a rich pool of talent within NYSC. We have two drama schools – only the Borella drama school is currently in operation. We plan to open the second one at the NYSC premises with the next intake.
Out next focus will be on the youth sports festival. The first leg of the festival is already underway across 321 DS divisions out of 331. The balance 10 DS divisions are not participating due to covid-19 instructions.
The main festival will be held in March 2021 at the Sugathadasa Stadium as a fourday event with a new concept. It may have a bit of a carnival atmosphere as well as be a rich learning experience.
Your mandate is also to create or to train the next generation of youth to find suitable employment?
My mandate is quite large as it covers youth training (in many disciplines), sports and leadership development. And what takes the centre stage in this position is to mould and create the next generation of leaders who possess the right attitude and the capability to take Sri Lanka to the next level of economic development. That means I want to see our trainees making right choices in the careers they choose and becoming persons who are suitable to lead the country internally and who can also connect the country to the international stage. We should guide them to be effective leaders with knowledge and skills because they would, in the future, contribute to the economic development plan of the government. So, their skill development should happen methodically in keeping with modern technological progress. If we teach our youth outdated skills which are no longer recognized by industries and global institutions, there is no point in our efforts. That’s why I mentioned that many of the NYSC’s programs should be updated and curricula should be changed to match the needs of industries.
In keeping these changes in mind we have decided to start some programs at the school level and provide an opportunity for young schoolchildren to get a better idea on their future aspirations. We are serious about helping them to mould and shape their attitudes at an early stage – so that our presence at the school level has to be increased. So one way we are going to do that is through a good psychometric (aptitude) test.
We want to introduce that to the students in the 14-15 year age group. That will give them an idea on how to excel in their studies and shape their talents and skills. This will help us find their needs and what they expect from us. If a kid needs physiological support for any issues, that support also can be given at this stage. The first leg of this program will be launched at Thurstan College, Colombo. We can gauge their requirements through the answers given in the questionnaire. Personally I had done this test and it was quite useful to me. So we want to roll this out in schools, build a rapport and have a connection with the NYSC.
Finally, what advice you would like to share with the youth in Sri Lanka? Many are waiting for government jobs!
If you want to get a government job because you are not capable enough, you are not serving the country. You only become a burden to the taxpayer. But if you are talented and capable of making it happen, and if you already have done well in the private sector and would like to contribute to government organizations at some point, then it is a different story. However, government processes as we know are slow and what young people can learn within the system is limited. If you join the private sector, and you are keen on making progress in your career, young people have ample opportunities to learn and gain.
Personally I would like to see more youngsters setting up enterprises and becoming entrepreneurs. My advice to youth is to use the opportunity in the country, and use the environment that has been created in the post Covid-19 context where we have done very well in terms of our controls, our resilience against the pandemic and that has earned us a lot of recognition worldwide. The government is encouraging entrepreneurship; the government is discouraging imports. That gives enough ground to sustain your entrepreneurship.
There are initiatives by the government to support and finance new industries and businesses. There’s so much potential there. So my advice to youth is to believe in yourself. No one can do it on your behalf. Trust your gut feeling; trust your friends; you have to take a risk and do what you are best at and invest in your talent and become an entrepreneur.
In that respect we have launched a Startup Sri Lanka program to recognize youth entrepreneurs under 10 sectors, ranging from agriculture, agri products and apparel to sports goods, FMCG products, IT, AI and the Internet of Things. Under each sector we will have three awards plus financial rewards, 30 awards altogether. There will be 75 winners in the district level. The best 100 entrepreneurs will be given a chance to showcase their products to the general public from November 6 to 8 along with Youth Day celebrations. The winners will be chosen by an independent panel consisting of public/private sector experts. Thereafter we will connect them to the financial institutions, both public and private, to help them expand their businesses. We will also provide them training on commercializing their products and services with financial networks and crowd funding agencies.bmd