Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said a nation and society can progress only with a generation of young people equipped with skills and vision, and that building young people’s confidence that opportunities exist for them is as important as creating the opportunities themselves.
She was speaking at the official launch of the Sri Lanka Skills Expo 2026 at the Colombo Mayor’s Official Residence on Thursday, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Division.
The Prime Minister said the government is making significant investments in education over the coming years, with particular emphasis on vocational education, and that a dedicated steering committee has already been established to ensure the initiatives move beyond policy concepts into implementation.
She argued that vocational education should no longer be regarded as an alternative pathway — a direct challenge to the long-standing hierarchy in Sri Lankan education, where technical and vocational streams have been treated as a second option for students who do not progress through the university system.
Every field of study contributes not only to employment but to economic and social development and to the personal growth of individuals, she said.
Amarasuriya added that exhibitions of this kind should serve as platforms contributing to both national development and social progress, and said the government is committed to ensuring that young people across the country — particularly school students from outside the main cities — are able to take part.
The expo is being held for the fourth consecutive year under the theme “Skills for Life.” It is organised by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education together with the Agriculture Sector Skills Council, the Industry Sector Skills Councils and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission.
The exhibition itself is scheduled for 23, 24 and 25 October 2026 at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo 07.
