Tokyo Cement supports nation building through construction education

Chief Guest Brig. K.D.C.G.J. Thilakaratna RSP addressing the gathering

The A Y S Gnanam Construction Academy grooms security forces in construction craftsmanship.

The 5th NVQ Certificate Awarding Ceremony of the AYS Gnanam Construction Training Academy - Tokyo Cement’s educational Corporate Social Responsibility initiative and one of the leading private training facilities of the country dedicated towards Construction Industry training, was held on October 22^nd 2015, at the Training Academy.

The Ceremony was held exclusively to award Certificates to 90 Army personnel who qualified in the National Vocational Qualification test, conducted by Assessors of the National Apprentices & Industrial Training Authority (NAITA).

Mr. Mouly Gunaratne, Consultant Engineer of
Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC addressing the gathering

This memorable occasion was attended by Brig. K.D.C.G.J.Thilakaratna RSP, Lt.Col.D.R.N.Hettiarachchi RWP, representatives of National Apprentices & Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) & National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) and senior management of Tokyo Cement Group.

The Certificate recipients successfully completed the NVQ test after attending a refresher course on the subject at the Academy. Some of these young men had been in the battle front in the 30 year conflict and on conclusion of the war had been deployed on various construction related work of the Sri Lanka Army, such as masonry, carpentry, electrical wiring etc.,

Chief Guest Brig. K.D.C.G.J. Thilakaratna RSP presenting
the certificate to army personnel

At the commencement of the ceremony, Mr. Mouly Gunaratna, Engineering Consultant of Tokyo Cement Group and Coordinator of the Academy explained the dedication of Tokyo Cement during the past two decades, for the development of skills of masonry craftsmen who are already in the trade and also conducting residential Training Programmes for under privileged school leavers.

District Coordinating Officer of NAITA, Mr. Jayatissa Banda explained the value of NVQ certification with a revelation of startling statistics. He stated that only 2% of students qualify for University entry in Sri Lanka, which means the majority 98% need other opportunities for higher education. He added that the NVQ certification has been carefully designed to ensure acceptance in the construction industry and would ensure higher remuneration. He also noted that the certificate would open up foreign employment opportunities in the construction industry.

Award Ceremony

Mr. Merryl De Silva, representative of National Construction Association highly appreciated the service rendered by Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC to the Construction Industry of Sri Lanka.

The Chief Guest at the ceremony, Brig. K.D.C.G.J. Thilakaratna RSP, thanked the Tokyo Cement Group for initiating this training programme, which has given all participants the opportunity to enhance their technical skills, and also certification that enables them to continue their vocation even after retirement.

Building the future

AYS Gnanam Construction Training Academy established in the year 2012, in memory of the founder Chairman of Tokyo Cement Company, the late Deshamanya A.Y.S. Gnanam, is located in Dambulla. It is registered by the Tertiary & Vocational Education Commission and NAITA. The Academy is equipped with a conference hall, fully fledged laboratory, a dormitory for 50 participants & a dining hall.     

It is a non-profit making educational establishment that provides Construction Industry related training, totally free of charge for under privileged persons. Training Courses are designed in accordance with NAITA Curricula and candidates mandatorily face formal examinations set by NAITA to obtain Certificates. Successful candidates are awarded with NVQ level 3 certificates that are recognized by the Construction Industry, both locally and internationally. Through its educational efforts the Academy has generated employment for youth, uplifted overall standards in the Construction Industry and injected professionalism to the otherwise largely informal industry through supply of trained & qualified personnel.

Tokyo Cement’s initiative of environmentally friendly bio-mass technology that generates the company’s requirement of energy has been another first by the company. Coral conservation and re-planting of mangroves in the East coast are other such successful ventures by Tokyo Cement towards fulfilling its commitment as a sustainable business operation.