Holcim Lanka makes a difference in the lives of Masons

Holcim Lanka continues to make a difference in the lives of Lankan Masons by associating with them through the game of football.

The opportunity for the Masons’ community to get involved in the sport presented itself in the year 2011 when the eager men were asked to enter in teams for the Holcim Masons’ Football Tournament locally – resulting in the participation of 6 teams from across the country.

The winning team was then sent to Indonesia to compete in the first ever “Holcim Masons’ Asia Cup”, giving them a further opportunity to play against the winners of the Football Tournament in that country. One year later, the succeeding annual Holcim Masons’ Asia Cup concluded recently here in Colombo, with the team from Indonesia carrying the trophy away for the second consecutive year.

The 2012 Holcim Masons’ Football Tournament saw teams enter from across the country, from a total of 13 districts – together showcasing more than double the number of teams from the preceding year.  

Whilst the team from Kalutara took away the trophy as the winner of the tournament, it was the best players out of all 13 teams that were selected, after vigorous training and practice, to face the Indonesian team in the Holcim Masons’ Asia Cup 2012.

These tournaments are a first for Sri Lanka, creating a strong association for Masons with sport, whilst helping them build spirit and team work, and giving them the opportunity to network and earn respect amongst their fellow peers. The entire tournament was conducted with the support of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and all the matches were played in line with FIFA standards.

The partnership between Masons and Holcim Lanka continues to run well, evidenced not only by the success of these tournaments but other initiatives such as professional long-term training and technical lectures conducted continuously, where a large number of Masons have received training to-date.

Training of over 1,000 Masons in the IDP camps in the North & East in association with NAITA is one strong example of such initiatives. Holcim Lanka also assists these valuable stakeholders in obtaining their NVQ certifications based on their experience and ability.

Other innovations by Holcim Lanka to find work easily for Masons includes the website www.masons.lk, which is the platform that showcases a database of Masons who are available for employment in various districts of the country – thereby helping contractors and home builders to identify their individual preferences of masons based on experience, location, cost and recommendations, etc.

Holcim Lanka strongly believes that professional development of the Masons’ community will in the end result in value addition for their customers, and all initiatives carried out by Holcim is part of the company’s appreciation for their work and as a means for those working in the construction industry to strengthen partnerships and offer added-value services.