ANC graduates for top local and foreign companies   

CEO, Director, Manager, Senior Executive… these are just few of many top positions held by the graduates of ANC University College. It is indeed a remarkable achievement for Sri Lanka’s most reputed international degree programme which offers BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration), BS (Bachelor of Science), and BA (Bachelor of Arts) degrees locally. Today the Business, IT, and Psychology graduates of ANC University College have become the favourite choice among top employers.

This is due to the practical approach in university education backed by local and regional corporate exposure. This was evident by the high employability of the graduates, with many securing top job offers even before completing their degree programme.

University degree with a practical approach

“ANC University College Business Degree programme prepared me for the challenges in the corporate world,” states Navinda Weerasinghe - Director of Clikon Pvt (Ltd), a leading electrical appliance manufacturer in Sri Lanka.

“We learned all aspects of business including Marketing, Finance, Human Resource Management, Operations Management and International Trade which gave a solid foundation for my corporate successes,” stated Navinda.

Creating employment through entrepreneurship

The degree programmes at ANC University College are unique for several reasons. “At ANC students can complete their entire degree in Sri Lanka while obtaining a truly international education through the combination of international professors and leading Sri Lankan professors educated abroad,” states Varun Chandramohan – CEO of Celeste Event Planning and Management (Pvt) Limited.

“The business degrees are based on the concepts of free enterprise and entrepreneurship, which are ideal for businessmen like me who are interested in creating employment and driving organisational success through practical solutions,” stated Varun.

Excellent post graduate study options

According to Azad Ur Rahman – A PhD student of State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, “the local and regional field trips added value to my degree at ANC. I was able to launch my career from a managerial position at DHL Global. I achieved rapid progress due to all round business management and practical decision making skills I got from the degree programme. Now I’m at State University of New York (SUNY), USA reading for my MBA and I got selected to the Ph.D programme in Business Management as well.” 

Regional employment opportunities 

“I started my BS in Psychology degree soon after my London A/L examinations with pending results. I graduated earlier this year, just three years after commencing the degree programme. I would rate the education at ANC as the best I have experienced. The professors go out of their way to explain the subject matter in a simple and a practical way.

“The education is focused not just on knowledge. It enables us to develop ourselves as individuals who can add value to our organisations / society.”

Where can you find more information?

If you would like to know more information about ANC degree programmes, contact Sharmain on 0777 662233 or visit No. 308 – 310, R.A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3.

The future is now at CINEC Maritime Campus

By J. Sunthush Abeyewardene 

The policy of free education in Sri Lanka since 1945 has resulted in a high rate of student participation up to the point of entry to the tertiary stage of education. Nevertheless the admission to the tertiary stage has been severely restricted, providing entry to only about 11% of those who become eligible for tertiary education out of which university enrollment is at 3%.

Among the constraints to access university and professional education, an obvious one lies in the state dominated sector which does not have the financial resources to expand capacity for widening access and increasing intake. In this context, CINEC presents an expanding horizon for a value added education system that could successfully deal with the mismatch between student demand and market needs that currently prevail.

There are countless universities and colleges throughout the world and a myriad of educational programmes. Moreover, higher education is the key to a successful career path and  there are hundreds of Sri Lankan students who wish to do their higher studies after completion of their O/Ls and A/Ls and what better place than in a world class campus right here on home soil.

However, getting started on the process is a struggle for many, says Programme Officer of CINEC Maritime Campus, Maduranga Perera.

Help is on the way and it’s in the form of a premier and a pioneering higher educational institution launched by a group of eminent educationists, who with their experience have shaped CINEC Maritime Campus, giving prospective students a realistic view of what to expect when they study at Colombo International Nautical Engineering College in Malabe - Sri Lanka.  There are degree programmes to suit everyone at CINEC and the choices are many.

Established in the year 1990 CINEC bears the unique distinction of having its foundation on four distinct quality management systems which is rarely found elswhere. ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Standard, ISO 14001 Environmental Standard, OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Standard and DNV Maritime Academy Standard collectively provides for the quality of the human resource produced through  a network of academic excellence at CINEC, continued Maduranga. 

The organisational structure of CINEC consists of four main faculties delivering over 150 quality educational programmes, all leading to gainful employment in Maritime, Logistics, IT and General Engineering disciplines from certificate level to Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees.

The Faculty of Maritime Science comprises of Navigation, Maritime Safety and Survival and Marine Communications.The Faculty of Marian consists of Marine Engineering and Industrial Engineering. The Faculty of Engineering Science consists of Electrical and Electronics, Mechatronics. Faculty of Commercial Sciences consists of study programmes leading to membership of Professional Associations, he added.

CINEC offers internationally reco-gnised degree programmes affiliated with foreign universities: in Australia, UK and China, giving the opportunity for Sri Lankan students to excel in higher education in the fields of Marine, Engineering and Management.

A full mission bridge simulator with 270 degrees of visualization coupled to a full mission engine simulator provides for the training of competent seafarers in a totally realistic environment while the GMDSS simulator and the liquid cargo handling simulator both supplement the total learning experience of young marine cadets, ship’s navigation and marine engineer watch keepers, sailing ships masters and marine chief engineers.

The information technology centre at CINEC provides for software based learning for students with state of the art laboratories for electrical, electronic and control systems.

Classrooms are decidedly futuristic with residential facilities and a wide array of sports activities, and yoga to help students keep fit mind and body. CINEC is a dream to live through. Join and experience it first hand after your O/Ls and A/Ls. 

APIIT opens first private law school in Sri Lanka 

Marking yet another landmark in the history of higher education in our country, APIIT Law School, a purpose built law school with modern facilities, was inaugurated at the third floor of Access Towers, Union Place, Colombo 2 on September 16.  The school was opened by Dean of Law, Staffordshire University Law School, Rosemary Evans.  Invitees numbering close to 200 included representatives of the legal profession, higher education, and the corporate sector.

APIIT-Sri Lanka has an enduring collaborative partnership with Staffordshire University in the UK.  APIIT has been offering several Staffordshire University degree programmes in Computing/IT and Business Management in Colombo. The degree programmes offered at APIIT are internal degree programmes and the degree certificates awarded by Staffordshire University are identical to those awarded to internal students studying in the UK.  With the launch of the APIIT Law School in partnership with Staffordshire University, APIIT-Sri Lanka has now expanded its operations to include legal education.

Welcoming the guests, CEO of APIIT-Sri Lanka, Dr. Athula Pitigala-Arachchi pointed out the historic significance of the inauguration of the APIIT Law School.  “After three decades of conflict in the north and the east, peace has dawned on our country.  Sri Lanka is now poised for rapid economic growth.  A vibrant higher education system is more important today than ever before to support our country’s development.  At APIIT, we can be proud that we have been making a valuable contribution to higher education over the years.  With the opening of the APIIT Law School and our entry into legal education in collaboration with Staffordshire University, we are taking yet another significant step to enhance our contribution to higher education and manpower development.”

“Our vision for the law school is to make it one of the best in the region.  We are starting with one degree, LLB (Hons), and as we progress it is our intention to introduce more programmes at both undergraduate and Masters levels.  We will strive to provide outstanding resources and maintain the highest academic standards.  We have already recruited a highly competent and committed team for the APIIT Law School.  We are also fortunate to have a great team at Staffordshire Law School who understand our aspirations and support our efforts.  Together, I have no doubt in my mind that we will achieve our vision and make a substantial contribution to the legal profession in Sri Lanka,” elaborated Dr. Pitigala-Arachchi.

Dr. Pitigala-Arachchi expressed his desire to work closely with the Sri Lanka Law College, Sri Lankan universities, and the legal profession .

Landmark in accountancy education in Sri Lanka 

Accountancy education in Sri Lanka reached a landmark recently with The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL), the premier national accounting body of the country which has a global reputation joining hands with the National Institute of Accountants (NIA), one of the three most recognised professional accounting bodies of Australia through the signing of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on September 17 in the presence of the High Commissioner for Australia in Sri Lanka, Kathy Klugman.  This significant MRA was signed by President, ICASL, Nishan Fernando and Chief Executive Officer, NIA, Andrew Conway.

Nishan Fernando commented that; “The substantial importance of this agreement is that it had benefited both the countries in broad capacity towards the development of accounting and the profession.  One of the significant features of this agreement is that it grants members of both institutes the eligibility of admission to the other body, paving the way for Sri Lankan accountants to practice in Australia or vice-versa.”

This mutual recognition between these two prestigious institutes should be lauded for the many avenues that would be opened for ambitious students of both institutes.  Furthermore the institutes have come under a mutual concurrence to transfer the skills of both institutes through study tours, joint conferences, seminars and other educational endeavours thus opening many avenues for our local students to explore the modern techniques of Accountancy which would be of great use for them and for the country’s future.

Commenting on this new combination Chief Executive Officer, ICASL, Aruna Alwis said, “We as the leading accountancy education provider in the country are always ready to embrace the companionship of the world arena towards giving our students the very best of the new fangled knowledge on the subject.”

The Chief Executive Officer of NIA Australia, Andrew Conway releasing a statement concerning this MRA stated, “The accounting industry with its international standards, allowed accountants to work around the globe and this mutual recognition between the institutes would help facilitate this.”

This MRA most certainly has many other beneficial characteristics that would do greater good to the broad student population under it shaping them to be resolute in order to face the recent trends of the subject. The NIA is a full member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and has over 22,000 members and students across 51 countries.

CIMA Spellmaster Season II takes off  

The CIMA Spellmaster, an all island schools spelling competition took off once again this year with much more pomp and pageant, as the inaugural competition took place on September 22 in Kegalle at St. Joseph’s Balika Vidyalaya.

This spelling competition was introduced last year to promote and develop the English language skills of students islandwide in a fun and competitive manner and proved highly successful with 13 of the final 20 spellers coming from the outstations. With the year 2009 being declared the Year of English and IT, the Spellmaster programme will undoubtedly help support the mission of the government to make English as a life skill in all corners of Sri Lanka.

Two thousand students from 400 schools have entered the competition and the organisers said that they have made it very inclusive by arranging to conduct the competition in all 25 districts. The reason for the increase in the entries is attributed to the popularity of the programme amongst the students, parents and teachers who followed the inaugural programme and the general public who had the opportunity to share the excitement of this educative and entertaining programme which was telecast islandwide.

The competition takes a totally different spin this year giving more opportunities for the spellers to get into the final rounds. In the first round the spellers will be reduced to 500 and thereafter round two will bring down the competition to 100 spellers. The next stage of the completion will witness the 100 competitors being grouped into 20 spellers each and thereafter competing for four places in each group. The four winners from each of these groups will comprise of the main 20 entering the grand final.

Attractive prizes are on offer for winners even at the initial stages of the competition and the final round winners stand to win attractive prizes.