Our Work

Skilled and Resilient Migrant Workers Project (SRMW)

Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), IESC implemented the $1.5 million Skilled and Resilient Migrant Workers Project (SRMW). SRMW was designed to make overseas employment safer and more rewarding by providing better occupational information and by increasing the skill levels of Sri Lankans going abroad for work. It helped reintegrate returning workers by assessing their capabilities and linking them to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in Sri Lanka. With more than 50,000 migrant workers returning to Sri Lanka due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SRMW project came at a very critical time as many returnees have very few employment prospects. To deliver support to Sri Lankan migrant workers and civil society organizations working with migrants, SRMW leveraged the counseling, vocational skills development, and entrepreneurship support mechanisms built by YouLead. A summary of IESC’s impact through SRMW follows:

Tourism Resilience in Sri Lanka Project

The Tourism Resilience in Sri Lanka project (TRP) was a three-year project funded by the European Union and implemented by IESC from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2024. The project focused on helping Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery and resilience efforts through the following objectives:

1. Retain jobs and small businesses;
2. Support sustainability, innovation, skills development, and resilience through the creation of a new signature experience focused on sustainability and community development; and,
3. Build small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are aligned to the signature experience and better able to compete in the changing tourism landscape.

TRP was also an integral part of the USAID-funded Youth Employment and Business Startup Program (YouLead), also implemented by IESC, contributing over $2.5 million in cost share to YouLead.

Through TRP, IESC designed and developed a 300+ km hiking and walking trail network across Central and Uva Provinces—The Pekoe Trail. The trail has been mapped, assessed, and signposted, and every week hundreds of walkers explore the trail, which winds through the Sri Lankan tea country. The project also supported registration of The Pekoe Trail Company (Gte) Ltd, the independent destination management organization that will be responsible for management and upkeep of the trail after TRP ends. See the project’s website here: https://www.thepekoetrailsrilanka.com/

Across its three years, IESC achieved the following key results and impacts through TRP:

• 1,117 business owners and youth participated in upskilling programs related to the hospitality industry to improve their tourism sector skills.
• 271 tourism SMEs trained in workforce development, health and safety, and digital skills development.
• 80 SMEs awarded small grants through two grants programs to help these business survive multiple economic shocks, mobilize capital, and support innovative new product development and diversification of tourism business and experiences along The Pekoe Trail.
• 57 SMEs completed a five-month incubator to refine their business plans, receive expert mentorship, and ultimately capitalize on market opportunities from The Pekoe Trail to grow their businesses.
• 3 research studies completed to analyze demand for the trail’s visitor volume; assess biodiversity of the trail, carrying capacity to absorb visitors, and entry points for conservation interventions; and identify best practices and guidelines for nature-based tourism as it relates to The Pekoe Trail.

News:

The European Union and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Unveil First Ever Long Distance Walking Trail

“Serendipity Trails”: SLTDA, EU & USAID kick off first long-distance walking trail