The SLPA said in a statement it had launched a new phase in its professional training programme called ‘Piya Puthu Padanama’ to train the children of employees on their retirement.
The first phase of the programme was limited only to technical grades.
In the second phase, just started, recruits are being offered training in the fields of accounting, short-hand and typing.
SLPA chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrama was quoted as saying in the statement that "an attitudinal change" was required in every employee to offer an efficient service.
Higher productivity was expected from an institution such as the SLPA that directly links with international business, he said.
The SLPA runs Colombo port, south Asia's container transhipment hub, but port customers say it is hugely overstaffed and productivity is not as good as competing hubs ports in Singapore and Dubai.
Successive government have stuffed the port, along with other state institutions, with their supporters.
With l