Pearson BTEC Connect South Asia brings education and industry together to strengthen career-ready learning

Pearson, the world’s lifelong learning company, convened BTEC Connect South Asia under the theme Skills That Shape the World. The event brought together around 150 education and industry leaders from Sri Lanka, India and Maldives to explore how practical, transferable skills can prepare learners for a fast-changing world of work.

Why it matters

Youth unemployment in Sri Lanka was 18.6% of the total labour force aged 15-24 in 2025, according to World Bank data based on a modelled ILO estimate. Over the next decade, close to one million young people will enter the workforce, but only around 300,000 formal jobs are projected. At the same time, employers struggle to find the skills they need, while many graduates cannot find jobs that match their qualifications.

BTEC Connect South Asia focused on closing this gap by bringing educators and employers together to strengthen industry-relevant learning. This echoes Sri Lanka’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector Strategic Framework 2026–2035 and its associated skills programme, which supports training in areas including engineering, ICT and renewable energy. Participants agreed that applied, industry-relevant learning, along with skills such as communication, problem-solving and adaptability, is key to helping young people move from classroom to career.

Jane Baker, VP, UK & International, Enterprise Learning & Skills, Pearson, said: “Sri Lanka’s young people don’t lack talent or ambition. Too often, they lack the chance to prove it. Pearson BTEC qualifications change that. Learners build skills by doing real work and solving real problems, so they graduate job-ready and confident. With nearly a million young people set to enter the workforce, institutions and employers must work together to make sure every one of them is ready for their next step.”

The day’s central panel, Ready Institutions: Building Talent for an Unpredictable World, explored what it means to be a future-ready institution. Supun Weerasinghe, CEO, Dialog Axiata PLC; Dr. Nizam Razaaq, Chairman, SLANSHEI; Dr. Harsha Alles, Chairman, Gateway Group; and Christopher John, CEO, KCIC, India, discussed how AI is changing the skills expected of graduates, and why institutions must keep evolving to prepare learners for roles that are still emerging.

Pearson also celebrated the institutions already preparing learners for this future, presenting 12 awards to Pearson BTEC centres across the region for skills-based, career-focused education. These included the Platinum Award to ESOFT and the Gold Award to British College of Applied Studies (BCAS).

For more than 25 years, Pearson Higher National qualifications have helped learners in Sri Lanka build skills, progress into higher education and employment, and realize the life they imagine through learning.

Jane Baker, VP, UK & International, Enterprise Learning & Skills, Pearson

Supun Weerasinghe, CEO, Dialog Axiata PLC; Dr. Nizam Razaaq, Chairman, SLANSHEI; Dr. Harsha Alles, Chairman, Gateway Group; and Christopher John, CEO, KCIC, India, during the panel discussion.