Celebrating World Youth Skills Day – Empowering the Nation through Skilled Youth
View(s):Youth skills are vital for a country’s development, drive innovation, economic growth, and social progress. Equipping young people with the right skills enables them to participate fully in the economy and contribute to a more prosperous and equitable future.
According to World Bank estimates, the youth unemployment rate in Sri Lanka for 2024 was 22.32% representing the total labour force percentage aged 15-24 who are without work but actively seeking employment.
“Youth empowerment is a cross-cutting theme of the work of John Keells Foundation (JKF), the CSR entity of the John Keells Group”, said Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR of the John Keells Group. “Within our vision of `Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow’, JKF has been consistently involved in developing youth skills through a range of sustained initiatives that nurture essential life and career skills as well as mindsets, attitudes and values among our youth aimed at shaping a better future for both the beneficiaries and our nation as a whole.”
While World Youth Skills Day reminds us of the urgent need to invest in youth skills, we uphold this commitment through our various long-term projects. John Keells English Language Scholarship Programme (JKELSP) – in its 20th year – hosted an online Speech Competition on 26th June 2025 for Tier 2 students, at which 27 shortlisted scholars showcased their learnings. The two-tier programme empowers deserving pre-O’Level school children with English, IT, and soft skills, enabling equitable access to skills essential for academic and career success. In 2024/25, 892 scholarships were provided in 20 locations across both tiers, while the project has directly benefited over 21,500 students across the island.
As part of another long-term initiative on youth skills development, a Career Guidance Programme was organised on 19th June 2025, benefiting 74 O/L and A/L schoolchildren in Moratuwa. The session aimed to help students explore career paths, understand job market expectations, and make informed decisions about their future.
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!