The Australian-funded Skills for Inclusive Growth (S4IG) program, delivered in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education, is supporting sustainable jobs and increased income in the hospitality and tourism sector through skills development. On Friday, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Lalita Kapur, opened a newly refurbished culinary training facility in Polonnaruwa, with Vocational Training Authority Chairman, Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Prasanna Ranasinghe.

The Deputy High Commissioner said the facility will support young people wanting to pursue careers as chefs. “Australia’s support for tourism has been long running, supporting quality, relevant and inclusive skills development in Sri Lanka,” Ms Kapur said.  The training facility aims to foster skills development and economic growth in the region by providing access to state-of-the-art equipment to train young professionals with a focus on supporting women and persons with a disability.

Ms. Lalita Kapur, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka officially opens the new industrial kitchen training facility at VTA Kaduruwela, Polonnaruwa and hands it over to Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Prasanna Ranasinghe, Chairman, Vocational Training Authority (VTA)

Ms. Lalita Kapur - Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Prasanna Ranasinghe – Chairman - Vocational Training Authority (VTA), Chef R. J. Ananda Gunarathna, Trainer from Chef Guild of Lanka visit professional cookery trainees in the newly upgraded industrial training kitchen.