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Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:36 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Kanishka Weerasinghe has taken the reins as the 11th Director General of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) with effect from July this year.
An Attorney-at-Law, Weerasinghe came on board EFC in 1997. An experienced specialist in the fields of industrial relations and employment in the country, he also holds a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Colombo and associated qualifications. He holds numerous positions related to his expertise at the national and international level, including the National Labour Advisory Council.
He gained experience in civil and criminal law disciplines at the Attorney General’s Department. “The exposure as a State Counsel has been in good stead,” he said. He also remembers the Attorneys-General and seniors of yesteryear who constantly instilled in him a sense of integrity and professionalism. The new Director General considers being recruited by Franklyn Amerasinghe, the EFC’s chief at the time, as a turning point in his career. “I’m extremely grateful to Mr. Franklyn Amerasinghe and subsequent Directors General whom I served including Mr. Gotabhaya Dassanayake and Mr. Ravi Peiris who also exposed me to diverse situations related to employment, moving beyond labour law and industrial relations. I also draw strength from the achievements of Mr. Sriyan de Silva, EFC’s CEO prior to Mr. Amerasinghe, a luminary in labour law and industrial relations recognised both in Sri Lanka as well as overseas.”
While continuing to keep the legacy of his predecessors alive, the newly-appointed Director General aspires to solidify EFC’s interventions in terms of skills development, engaging the community and creating a social dialogue on issues that concern employers and other stakeholders.
Citing their innovative interventions, such as the Disability Employment Network, Greening of Economies and Green Jobs, the new EFC Chief urged propagating networking. Broadening the EFC’s portfolio of services and continuing to be relevant to members’ needs will be a priority on the new DG’s agenda.
The EFC also aspires to play a more robust role in higher education by facilitating a platform for the future workforce through a National Internship Program supported by employers. As the EFC’s Director General opines, this platform is mutually beneficial.
“For the undergraduate it will be a window through which they can see the real world of work and for the employer it will be an opportunity to assess the aspirations and spirit of the new generation.”
He further believes that this process will enable policymakers to understand the skills gap prevalent in the country, thereby finding solutions to bridge it.
Creating opportunities for the youth to enhance their presentation skills and English skills, thereby making them market oriented is also one of the most prioritised areas of EFC’s future agenda.
“A lot of talent is left behind because of the language barrier and if we can collectively address this issue, the entire country could be beneficiaries.” Moreover, the EFC is strongly committed to supporting the Government’s initiative of creating one million jobs.
“More jobs will lead to better opportunities for workers, higher spending and consumption, which in turn will create opportunities and markets for business,” asserted the new DG.
