{"id":3383,"date":"2026-02-17T08:08:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/microidea-project-study-visit-to-sri-lanka-building-bridges-for-skills-mobility-and-certification\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T08:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:08:52","slug":"microidea-project-study-visit-to-sri-lanka-building-bridges-for-skills-mobility-and-certification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/microidea-project-study-visit-to-sri-lanka-building-bridges-for-skills-mobility-and-certification\/","title":{"rendered":"MICROIDEA Project| Study visit to Sri Lanka: Building Bridges for Skills, Mobility, and Certification"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of the <\/span>MICROIDEA Project<\/span><\/b>, a study visit to <\/span>Sri Lanka<\/span><\/b> took place in late January, marking an important step in the project\u2019s international outreach and dissemination activities. The visit focused on engaging with key national stakeholders involved in skills development, vocational education and training (VET), labour migration, and workforce certification\u2014areas that lie at the heart of MICROIDEA\u2019s mission.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Sri Lanka?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka represents a country with strong institutional experience in labour migration and skills development, alongside a clear need to enhance the <\/span>international recognition and portability of skills<\/span><\/b>. With millions of workers employed abroad and labour migration playing a vital role in economic stability and employment, Sri Lanka offers a highly relevant context for exploring how <\/span>micro-credentials and ISO\/IEC 17024\u2013based certification<\/span><\/b> can support safer, fairer, and more effective labour mobility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Engaging with Institutions and Social Partners<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the visit, the MICROIDEA consortium met with a wide range of stakeholders, including ministries and public authorities, vocational education and training bodies, tourism and hospitality education institutions, trade unions, and private labour recruitment agencies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A key meeting was held with the <\/span>FTZ & GSEU (Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union)<\/span><\/b>, one of the largest trade unions in the country. Discussions focused on labour migration trends, worker protection, and the challenges faced by low- and medium-skilled workers seeking employment abroad. The exchange highlighted the importance of transparent and internationally recognised certification as a means of improving employability and reducing abusive recruitment practices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Skills Recognition and Labour Migration<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The visit offered valuable insight into Sri Lanka\u2019s existing skills recognition ecosystem, including the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Framework and the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. While these systems provide a solid national foundation, stakeholders consistently underlined a key gap: skills certification remains largely nationally oriented, limiting workers\u2019 access to new labour markets\u2014particularly in Europe.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This challenge strongly resonates with the objectives of the MICROIDEA Project. By linking micro-credentials to ISO\/IEC 17024, MICROIDEA aims to complement national frameworks rather than replace them, strengthening their international dimension and enabling skills to be recognised beyond bilateral labour agreements.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Focus on Tourism and Hospitality<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A particularly important stop was the <\/span>Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM)<\/span><\/b>, the country\u2019s main national institution for tourism and hospitality education. SLITHM operates a structured, multi-level training system that combines theory with mandatory practical experience, covering all major tourism occupations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Discussions with SLITHM highlighted strong alignment with the MICROIDEA approach. The institution\u2019s emphasis on employability, practical skills, and progression pathways makes it a natural candidate for micro-credential\u2013based certification, especially in sectors like tourism where skills are transferable and internationally in demand.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dialogue with Recruitment Agencies<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meetings with <\/span>private recruitment agencies<\/span><\/b>, coordinated by ALFEA, further reinforced the need for internationally recognised certification. While some occupations are certified for specific destination countries, there is currently no horizontal, widely recognised certification framework\u2014particularly for workers targeting European labour markets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recruitment agencies expressed strong interest in participating in pilot activities, proposing candidates and collaborating with public authorities. This public\u2013private dialogue confirmed that MICROIDEA can act as a bridging mechanism between training, certification, and real employment pathways.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Labour Market Intelligence and Digital Tools<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The visit also included discussions with the <\/span>Ministry of Labour<\/span><\/b>, where the MICROIDEA digital tools were presented. These tools analyze job postings and CVs to identify skills demand, map skills gaps, and support evidence-based training and policy decisions. Stakeholders highlighted the value of real-time labour market<\/span> intelligence, especially when compared to reliance on static or external data sources alone.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking Ahead: From Pilot to Policy Impact<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sri Lanka study visit confirmed that there is both <\/span>institutional readiness and stakeholder appetite<\/span><\/b> for innovative approaches that connect skills development, certification, and labour mobility. The planned pilot cooperation\u2014focused on tourism and hospitality occupations\u2014will bring together public authorities, training providers, and employers, while aligning with parallel pilots in Greece, Spain, and Cyprus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a strategic level, the visit demonstrated the potential of the <\/span>MICROIDEA Project<\/span><\/b> to evolve from a pilot initiative into a scalable policy-relevant model. By bridging national skills systems, international labour markets, and globally recognised certification standards, MICROIDEA contributes to a shared goal: making skills more visible, portable, and valuable\u2014for workers, employers, and societies alike.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MICROIDEA\u2019s pilots, tools, and international collaborations are working towards fairer and more transparent skills recognition worldwide.<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of the MICROIDEA Project, a study visit to Sri Lanka took place in late January, marking an important step in the project\u2019s international outreach and dissemination activities. The visit focused on engaging with key national stakeholders involved in skills development, vocational education and training (VET), labour migration, and workforce certification\u2014areas that lie at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aktualnosci"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/micro-idea.eu\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}