Technical education today
At present there are 39 Technical Colleges scattered throughout Sri Lanka. These institutions are managed by Department of Technical Education & Training which functions under the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training
The total strength of teaching staff of the Technical colleges is around 544. The non academic staff of Technical Colleges consists of about 2000 persons at present.
Members of the academic staff are continuously exposed to local & foreign training to update & upgrade their knowledge and skills in the relevant subject areas. UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Philippines and India are some of the countries where staff training has been provided. The UNDP, the British Council, ILO, and JICA, have been providing funds to most of the scholarships. The CPSC has provided short-term workshops/seminars and in country courses to technical college staff.
The physical facilities of Technical colleges were updated in the recent past under the Technical education Development Project funded by the Asian Development Bank with technical assistance from overseas agencies such as SWEDEC, SIDA and ODA. Every effort is being made presently by the technical college system to improve the standards of technical education to take up the technological challenges of the 21st century.