About APSE

Sri Lanka Engineering Service (SLES) is one of the all island parallel services under the purview of the Ministry of Public Administration. Public Services Commission is the appointing authority of SLES and Sri Lanka Engineering Service Division is the responsible authority for the matters pertaining to Public Service Engineers. Currently service of Public Sector Engineers is spread all over the country under the following institutes.

• All the Ministries.
• Irrigation Department.
• Colombo Municipal Council.
• Sri Lanka Railway.
• Building Department.
• All Provincial Councils (9 Nos.)
• Government Factory.
• Labor Department.
• All Local Government Authorities.
• Coastal Conservation Department.
• Agrarian Development Department.
• All District Secretariats.
• Agriculture Department.
• Other Department with Technical Divisions/ Branch.

The management and technical administration of technical divisions of all these governmental organizations are carrying out by the officers of SLES. The planning, designing and estimating of governmental development activities, technical consulting services, involving in processes such as government procurement, construction management, engineering management for operation and maintenance of national infrastructures etc. are the main services rendered to the nation by the officers of SLES.

As the public sector Engineers, some future plans are to be achieved.

• Extension of Railway lines
• Highway and Expressway road network Island wide
• Roads & other infrastructure development under the provincial councils
• Municipal/local government development
• Safe Drinking water for 90 % of population
• Hydropower generation up to 60%
• Green power generation up to 40%
• Coastal conservation in all critical areas
• Establishment of e-Government concept
• Airport development up to the international standard
• Harbor development up to the international standard
• Minimize OFC Importation by 50%
• Industrial safety for all working places
• Telephone for all citizen
• Electricity for all citizen

Major constraint in SLES is unfilled carder. Present Carder of SLES is 1441 and availability in the active service is about 1116 while 325 Engineers positions are vacant for more than 25 years. Those who join Government Service leave after a short period by looking non availability of promotion prospects in the service. This is a major issue which affects Engineer’s contribution to the national development among the following matters.

• Engineers carder cannot be filled
• Financial burden by out-source of many works
• Loss of govt responsibility and accountability
• Technical officers appointed for Engineering posts in acting basis
• Low quality work
• Engineers join for non technical opportunities
• Loss of creative development
• Collapse of technical services
• 8M Public money not utilized for development
• Brain Drain
• Extremely low salaries compared to other sectors
• Comparison with other professionals in government sec.
• On call work without any additional pay
• Off time working without O T
• 4 Engineers working for 5 Engineers (25% addl work)
• Mostly Working in remote areas
• High risk in performing the work
• High social commitment as an Engineer
• Family resistance not to work for low salary
• No motivation