Deputy Minister Co-Chairs Meeting to Discuss Foreign Employment Opportunities for Retiring Naval Personnel

A discussion on expanding foreign employment opportunities for retiring Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel in the shipping and marine sector was held today (30 Mar), co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) and Deputy Minister of Ports & Civil Aviation, Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku at the office of the Deputy Minister of Defence in Colombo.

The discussion focused on the lack of internationally recognized professional qualification certificates required for employment in the global maritime industry and the need to establish a mechanism to help retiring naval personnel obtain such qualifications.

Attention was drawn to the large number of highly trained and efficient personnel leaving the Navy each year with valuable technical expertise and experience. The participants emphasized the importance of utilizing this expertise to improve their employability in the international shipping and marine sector.

It was further noted that creating more foreign employment opportunities for these personnel would help generate valuable foreign revenue for the country in line with the Government's policy. The need for a local mechanism to assist these retiring naval personnel to obtain internationally accepted competency qualifications was also discussed.

The meeting was also attended by the Commander of the Navy, the Additional Secretary of Defence, and the Director General of Merchant Shipping (DGMS), together with senior officials from the SLN, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and the Merchant Shipping Secretariat (MSS).