Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development for Future Asia

22 -23 August 2018
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Technological advancements are constantly changing the world of work. The traditional models of human capital development are no longer able to produce workers armed with skills demanded by the market. In this back drop, ADB-Asian Think Tank Development Forum 2018 provided a venue to share ideas and experiences among affiliated scholars on the human capital and skills development for future jobs in the Asia-Pacific region.

The conference, centered on the theme ‘Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development for Future Asia’, was held at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, on 22-23 August 2018. IPS Executive Director, Dushni Weerakoon, and IPS Director of Research, Nisha Arunatilake, participated at the forum.

Dr. Weerakoon moderated the session on ‘Country Paper Presentations Part 1: Jobs, Skills Gap, and Skills Development’ at which Dr. Arunatilake made a presentation on ‘Policies to Meet the Future Demand for Science and Technology Workers in Sri Lanka.’ She highlighted the need to modernise the labour market so that industries can use new technologies to improve productivity and drive growth.  Specifically she highlighted the need to a) increase the share of science and technology workers amongst employed in the country, b) increase the share of tertiary educated in the population, and c) better match the tertiary educated to the science and technology jobs.