Up SKILL 2021 - “Reset the way you think”

#IEEE #YPSL #UPSKILL #R10 #SRI #LANKA

UPSKILL Sri Lanka 2021 was the hallmark event of the IEEE Young Professional Sri Lanka collaboration with IEEE Region 10 young professionals. This program helped to encourage soft skills and professional development for young engineers. It was the best platform for young engineers to start professional development activities that helped them to enhance their soft skills for a successful career. The event was completed on the 26th of September 2021. Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the event was conducted as an online session via Zoom.

The event was held on September 24th and 26th, 2021, from 6 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., with the theme "Reset the way you think." Three talk sessions and networking sessions were held on the first day. The first talk session was delivered by Mr. Hasitha Liyanage, and the theme was "Break the negativity and spark your career," which the major goal of was to cure defective leadership and inspire young engineers to be proper leaders. This first talk session was conducted in the leadership track area, and Mr Hasitha's speech inspired young engineers to improve their leadership skills.

The second talk session was conducted by Mr. Kanishka Weeramunda, and the main focus of this discussion was on changing young engineers' typical career perspectives and pushing them to think in a modern approach. The theme of this second talk was "Cultivate a realistic style of thinking," and it was held under the Soft skill track area. The story was based on Mr Kanishka's relevant work experience, and it had motivated young engineers to think differently.

Dr. Ranil Shanaka Sugathadasa led our final talk session, and in this talk, we mostly focused on reinforcing young engineers with proven methods and practical tools to help them thrive in their professions. This talk session also covered the soft skill track area, and the topic of this talk, "Applying tactics to boost your career," was one of the most appealing talk sessions in the event. Just by listening to it, our attendees had learned a lot about professional development in their different fields. Many young professionals are inspired to improve their Soft Skills as a result of this.

After significant talk sessions, we started a networking session with the participants, titled "Leading the Way for the Battle Round”. It was a very interactive session in UPSKILL Sri Lanka 2021, and most of the participants enthusiastically participated in the games provided. This program includes several entertaining games aimed at improving the soft skills of young professionals. The participants were able to improve their soft skills, interacted with others, and won prizes by joining this session. The first day of UPSKILL Sri Lanka 2021 culminated with a networking session.

The 26th of September 2021, which was the second day of UPSKILL Sri Lanka began with a panel discussion and a workshop. The UpSkill 2021 team aimed to raise awareness of the Code of Ethics for Engineers, Engineers in Society, and Basic Management for Engineers among young professionals through this panel discussion. The panel discussion's theme was “Ethics, responsibilities, and professionalism of an engineer”.

The panel discussion had two panellists and a moderator. Dr. Chandika Wickramathilaka discussed "Management Skills for an Engineer," Mr. Ranishka Wimalasena discussed "Ethics of an engineer" and Mr. Pasan Pethiyagoda served as a moderator.

Following the panel discussion, the workshop session began. The workshop primarily focuses on sustainable track areas, intending to provide knowledge about Redefine technology for sustainable development. As a result of the workshop, young professionals can have participated in practical awareness sessions with industry experts. The workshop was led by Eng. Jagath Wickramasekara, and provided young professionals to gain fresh inspiration and knowledge about Redefine management for sustainable development to Upskilling.

Finally, the Upskill Sri Lanka organizing committee announced the networking session winners. The organizing team received over 500 applications for this event and 200 were chosen. The event gathered more than 150 young engineers and received positive feedback from everyone. Eventually, UPSKILL Sri Lanka 2021 came to a successful conclusion.