PSES lures home well-known welding engineer cum singer
In an important step to reverse engineering brain drain, the Private Sector Engineers’ Society (PSES) has launched a program to encourage those engineers who have left Sri Lanka and are currently working abroad to return home.
“We want our engineers to come back home and to contribute their best to the country’s ongoing development projects,” President PSES, Engineer Ananda Devasinghe told the Business Observer.
The PSES is also keen that the government creates a conducive environment for engineering professionals to perform their duties. The PSES foresees a huge growth in the construction and industrial fields in the country over the next few years, following the government’s announcements on several ambitious mega projects in the recent past. For this, Devasinghe says, they want the Lankan engineers now domiciled aboard to return.
 President of PSES, Ananda Devasinghe with Eng. Saman Jinadasa |
“If we want to arrest brain drain, we need to create an environment which is more attractive for them to come back. Most engineers left the country as they were disenchanted with low rewards available for their qualifications and experience back in Sri Lanka.
But we believe, now there are better opportunities within the country for them to return,” Devasinghe said. He said that South Korea is one of the best examples for retaining the professionals and developing its economy with the indigenous talent.
As a first step, PSES has been able to negotiate with one of the most talented welding engineer who is now working with the Arab Ship Building and Repair Yard in Bahrain to return to Sri Lanka. Engineer Jayanath Saman Jinadasa was known in Sri Lanka as a versatile singer in the nineties. His maiden song, ‘Uma’ became a hit and he won over a large audience as a singer; only a few knew him as an engineer at the time.
A product of the University of Peradeniya, Jinadasa turned out to be a brilliant mechanical engineer. His talent and skills in the field of engineering were in high demand and soon he found overseas employment, where his services were made use of to the fullest.
At present, he is the senior welding engineer at Arab Ship Building and Repair Yard in Bahrain.
On a recent holiday in Sri Lanka, Jinadasa had the opportunity to meet the representatives of PSES; and the latter encouraged Jinadasa to join the local industry again as his services are most needed by the country now. During his vacation he took part in several social activities in the engineering field and shared his knowledge with the technical team of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. As a Welding engineer, Jinadasa had much to share with this team at the CPC.
PSES is hopeful, after the discussions they had with Jinadasa, that he would join the Lankan engineering field again soon.
“We are delighted to get him back- as we need people of his calibre to serve this country in the future. We hope other expatriate engineers with knowledge in special areas would join the band and contribute to the economy of Sri Lanka.
We are confident that the proposed refineries and Colombo Financial City project will need more of such engineers,” Devasinghe said.