USAID supported initiative helps professionalize electricians’ trade
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) with support from USAID’s youth employment and entrepreneurship project, YouLead, is carrying out an island-wide program to help build and assess the skills of more than 36,000 electricians so that they can be formally qualified in advance of a requirement that all electricians must be licensed by the end of 2025. Licensed electricians may be self-employed or operate their own small businesses.
Over 1,400 electricians from 16 districts, who are currently carrying out residential and institutional electrical installations, will have their experience evaluated under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system and will receive an NVQ Level 3 qualification at the end of the process.
The qualified technicians will also receive a smart electronic license issued by the PUCSL, which will be mandatory for all electricians after 2025 to carry out electrical installations and to purchase the volume of electrical supplies needed for residential and commercial installations. This license is being rolled out as proof for customers and regulators indicating that an electrician is certified.
The program aims to train 1,200 electricians per month, across all 25 districts and will be implemented through the regional centers of the Vocational Training Authority (VTA), National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC).
In addition to the better jobs and safer businesses being created, the program aims to reduce the risk of electrocution and electrical fires that have negatively impacted thousands of households and business establishments.
It is estimated that 85 percent of Sri Lanka’s more than 45,000 electricians do not possess a formal qualification or professional training.
This can contribute to low-quality electrical installations, electrical equipment failure, and public safety hazards. The PUCSL recorded over 100 fatal electrocutions in 2019, down from an average of over 180 from 2008 to 2012.
The PUCSL identified several safety issues including a lack of trip switches, irregular adaptors (to compensate for a mismatch in the plug and socket types used in Sri Lanka), and poor-quality electrical installations. This led to a 2018 mandate to standardize all electrical plugs and sockets to the Type G, or 13 Amperes plug and socket.
The program is helping to professionalize the electrical trade, improve remuneration, encourage self-employment, and reduce the risks of fire and electrocution.
This also puts the electricians on a formal pathway to gain further qualifications and contributes to elevating the status of the individuals working in construction-related jobs.
The PUCSL with support from YouLead is exploring expansion of the program to include other skilled trade persons such as solar technicians and plumbers.
Download the Impact Bulletin Volume 02 Issue 02