Barista Coffee Lanka signs MoU with Vocational Training Authority

VTA Chairman/CEO Eranga Basnayake and Barista Coffee Lanka CEO Dilupa Pathirana exchange a memento to signify the MoU signed between the two organisations

The Vocational Training Authority of Sri Lanka (VTA), under the State Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research & Innovation and Barista Coffee Lanka Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently to commence the first-ever nationally recognised ‘Barista Training Program’.

State Minister Dr. Seetha Arambepola, VTA Chairman/CEO Eranga Basnayake, Director General Chulangani Perera, Barista Coffee Lanka Ltd. CEO Dilupa Pathirana and Barista Head of Skill Development Damith Dalawella were present at the event. 

Being a barista is a different art form which has been mastered over the years globally and locally. The coffee market in Sri Lanka has itself grown to a new level over the past 10 years. Barista is today the largest café chain in Sri Lanka and is a brand with a clear vision. It is these factors that led the VTA to join hands with Barista to introduce this ground-breaking training program to build a better future for many youngsters in Sri Lanka. The training is a full-time program which covers 80 hours of theory and 900 hours of practical training conducted by the Head of Training and Skills Development at Barista Coffee Lanka Ltd. The minimum qualification required to apply for this training program is having sat for either the local or London ordinary level examination. 

Furthermore, Barista has decided to give a special allowance to all the participants of this course while the entire training program has been offered for free. All practical sessions are to be covered at Barista Coffee outlets while theory sessions will be at VTA, Narahenpita. Applications for the first batch are now open. The first batch will commence training on 6 December, marking another milestone for the coffee industry in Sri Lanka. 

“Being able to create globally recognised baristas is a major win for the country as we will be able to fill the universal gap of baristas on an international scale. Beyond everything the true space and recognition will be given to the baristas in Sri Lanka with this certification from VTA, as Barista Coffee Company is also willing to recruit the top performers of the training program. The certification will be done only after several rounds of examinations on both theory and practical thereby raising the bar to a higher level. The VTA and Barista is fully focused on conducting this partnership project in the highest quality,” said Barista Head of Skill Development Damith Dalawella.