ACL Cables PLC, the No. 1 cable manufacturer in Sri Lanka commenced another novel concept recently supporting electricians enhance skillsets, contributing to their personal growth and the industry. 

ACL Cables has partnered the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) to ensure electrical technicians island wide are awarded the NVQ level 4 Certification.

This programme is aligned to the regulations enforced by the Government and Public Utility Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) which aim to certify and create licensed electricians.

According to local authority regulations all electricians are required to be certified and obtain a license to conduct any electrical construction activity in the future. 

This is mainly to establish a professional status for electricians in the country by accrediting their qualifications and experience.

Towards this objective, ACL Cables together with VTA Centers will sponsor and conduct knowledge sharing sessions for electricians to ensure they are prepared for theoretical and practical examinations to obtain the NVQ level 4 Certification. This project was put into action by ACL Cables under the CSR theme of “Divimaga Denuma” (Knowledge for lives).

Specifically targeting electricians who are registered under the Electricians Club of ACL Cables, individuals will be selected in batches of 25 and the programme will be conducted over a period of 6-months around 217 VTA centers islandwide. The certification which usually takes two and a half years for completion has been fast-tracked to ensure a larger number of electricians benefit. This special scheme was maneuvered and guided under the supervision of Dhamitha Wickramasinghe the president of VTA. 

ACL Cables also aims to continue this initiative throughout the next few years to ensure all partner electricians receive this valuable qualification.

Commenting on this worthy programme, ACL Managing Director Suren Madanayake said, “We have continuously empowered our stakeholders for their betterment. This has been part of our corporate social responsibility initiatives. In this programme, we have identified Electricians as among our major stakeholders in making our business operations a success. As the No. 1 cable company in Sri Lanka, we undertook the responsibility to step in and transform these individuals into qualified professionals by helping them obtaining the necessary license and certifications as directed by local authorities.” 

“Our initial step was to educate electricians on existing regulations, which we did through our island wide seminars. Now we have commenced the next stage to ensure they are equipped with the necessary knowledge. I thank the VTA, PUCSL and all local authorities who partnered with us to make this overall programme a success. I also invite all electricians who are yet to partner ACL to call our agents and register with the ACL Electricians' Club,” he added.

The proposed licensing mechanism was developed by PUCSL in collaboration with the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), Tertiary, Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) and Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA), Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Lanka Electricity Company (PVT) Limited (LECO). 
During the initial stage of this programme, ACL together with PUCSL conducted several sessions island wide to educate electricians on the necessary licensing procedure. 

ACL Cables is the leading cable company in Sri Lanka with a market share of 70% and annual turnover of 18 billion as a group. Diversifying its operation ACL has moved into the distribution of electrical switches, circuit protection devices (MCB, RCD and isolator), ceiling fans and a wide range of electrical accessories.