There is a significant gap between the skills acquired through a formal education and the needs of the tech industry in Sri Lanka. For one, there is no database of in-demand skills that future students can refer to. On the other hand, common misconceptions can lead students to ignore paths they might otherwise find fulfilling.
Manoja Jayawardhane, Founder & Director of CloudSec, seeks to solve these problems by connecting students, employers, and educators through their specialised services. In a conversation with Echelon, Jayawardhane added that many people are being overlooked due to their personal circumstances as well, depriving the tech industry of capable individuals.
What inspired you to launch CloudSec, and how does it address gaps in the current tech landscape in Sri Lanka?
My experience includes work in multiple roles; I’ve been a Finance Manager, General Manager, Chief Executive, and so on. That’s the core of my business background, but I’m also self-taught in IT. My idea for CloudSec took root around 20 years ago, around the time my journey as CEO of Automated Barcode Solutions started, and it has come to life today as a company that can identify what businesses need and guide experienced, educated talent into those roles.
CloudSec is my long term dream becoming a reality.
Your two upcoming products target self-development and technician networking. What specific problems are they solving, and for whom?
Self development starts in childhood and continues into your professional career, and my Mobile app Journa aims to foster this. It is designed to help users track their personal development and reflect on the direction they are taking. Since much of life is about learning, they can use the app to explore their hobbies and interests, and Journa encourages users to connect with like-minded individuals for support and investment in shared goals.
Our other product is a space for technicians, engineers, and anyone with practical tech skills to find job opportunities. Employers or clients can post what they are looking for here, and a professional with a matching skillset can get in touch. One side has their problems solved, and the other gains practical experience that furthers their career and prospects.
How has your background in automation and systems integration shaped the vision and direction of CloudSec?
The secret behind successful automation and systems integration is getting multiple systems to work holistically, be they software, hardware, networking, or security. I consider myself a technician, not just a business owner, because technicians have to understand systems from top to bottom in order to fix them. This perspective led me to identify the systemic gaps in Sri Lanka’s tech education and employment. I believe we all have a technician within us.
Much of my IT education was gained informally. I learned as much through my successes as through my failures. However, I recognise that I had the means and opportunity to pursue these ambitions, to learn and build upon my failures. Not everyone has this privilege, and I have personally witnessed how deserving individuals struggled to achieve their goals due to an incompatible job market.
CloudSec takes the value represented by this untapped potential and brings it into the light.
What steps is CloudSec taking to bring more women and disabled individuals into the tech workforce, and why is that a priority?
By building a centralised job-matching platform, we create a bridge between problems and people capable of solving them. This extends to women and disabled individuals in particular, allowing them to showcase their skill and find paid tech work with ease. CloudSec further understands the importance of remote work, so it is represented on our platform as well, enabling people to continue earning an income even if their personal circumstances make traditional careers more difficult. I focus on people whose careers have been restricted due to physical or gender barriers, empowering and encouraging them to contribute to the economy.
Our education system, for instance, is capable of producing a large number of male and female graduates in tech, but the latter is poorly represented in the actual tech industry. Among other reasons, this is partly due to the fact that personal obligations call them elsewhere. However, this does not mean that they should remain unable to work. I want the CloudSec platform to offer everyone the ability to work from their native spaces, without being limited to jobs in large cities.
CloudSec is not just about tech. It is about access, dignity, and empowerment. By connecting people with practical and inclusive opportunities, it will reduce the gap between technical education and real employment, especially for those who would otherwise be left behind.
In a challenging business climate, what’s your strategy for sustaining CloudSec and scaling its impact across the island?
In Sri Lanka’s economic environment, our strategy for sustainability and growth has to revolve around long-term vision and risk tolerance. My vision for CloudSec is rooted in market conditions as well as my personal experience as a woman in tech and a self-taught IT entrepreneur, so it will evolve alongside these factors.
CloudSec’s platform is based online, bringing it to mobile devices across the country. This will be especially impactful in rural communities, addressing long-standing barriers to employment, education, and self-development. Instead of relocating closer to cities to find work, they can now find jobs all over the country, either travelling for specific cases or fulfilling contracts remotely. This way, we can shorten the urban-rural employment divide in tech.