Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT), the pioneer in British higher education in Sri Lanka and the country’s premier IT and Business campus, successfully carried out a programme to create awareness among over 50 local ICT and Business companies on the numerous benefits of the InfoSchol programme.
The InfoSchol programme, a brainchild of Dr. Gamini Wickramasinghe – Founder and Chairman of the Informatics Group, offers fully-sponsored British IT and Business degree scholarships. For several years it has been providing talented schoolchildren from across Sri Lanka the opportunity to obtain a 100% sponsored degree from the University of Westminster – UK while doing a full-time internship at leading organisations in the country.
The event was attended by Dr. Peter Bonfield – Vice Chancellor of Westminster University, UK, Dr. Gamini Wickramasinghe – Founder and Chairman of the Informatics Group, Prof. Jayantha Wijeyaratne – Director of IIT, Naomi Krishnarajah – Dean of IIT, members of the IIT team and representatives from over 50 organisations.One of the key highlights of the event was the sharing of the positive personal experience of InfoSchol by two individuals, Thilan Warnakulage – Director Professional Services & TKM at Zone24x7 and Mrs. Tamara Dunusinghe, mother of Dr.Shashakthi Abesinghe – Area Tech Lead of Google US. Thilan and Dr. Shashakthi are two of the hundreds of InfoSchol success stories spread across some of the leading multinational and blue chip companies in Sri Lanka and abroad.
Professor Jayantha Wijeyaratne – Director of IIT stated, “IIT InfoSchol has been a great privilege to students over the years. It has provided the necessary pathway for students to reach their goals in terms of international higher education, additionally excelling in their professional careers with the benefit of the internships that IIT presents.”
Vajira Karunaratne, Project Manager, InfoSchol, stated, “InfoSchol is a vitally advanced opportunity for Sri Lankan students pursuing an international career through higher studies. School children who receive the InfoSchol scholarship will have access to a range of IT and Business degree programmes offered by the University of Westminster, UK. The programmes offered are the BEng (Hons) Software Engineering, BSc (Hons) Computer Science, BSc (Hons) Business Information Systems and BA (Hons) Business Management degree programmes.”
He added, “The degree programmes are part-time and will be 5 years in duration during which time IIT will assist the students to obtain placement in one of several reputed organisations in Sri Lanka, including multinational and blue-chip companies that have partnered with IIT to offer job opportunities to all selected InfoSchol students throughout the entire duration of their degree. At IIT, all students have access to a vibrant, well-rounded student life at an award-winning campus that offers an international study environment and flexible study structure, together with a diverse student community, highly-experienced lecturers, modern lecture rooms, well-stocked library as well as several extracurricular activities including sports, clubs and societies.”
Providing a parent’s perspective on how InfoSchol has positively impacted their lives, Mrs. Tamara Dunusinghe, mother of Dr. Shashakthi Abesinghe – Area Tech Lead – Google US stated, “After my son passed his A/L exam we heard about the InfoSchol scholarship programme at IIT and he was fortunate to get a chance to pursue his degree without any financial cost. Since IIT is very close to the best companies in Sri Lanka, they found my son a good job. I always tell teachers and parents to encourage children to take advantage of this amazing scholarship programme from IIT. They can save their hard-earned money and let their children study and work start right after A/Ls, giving them a head start in life. It is a wonderful opportunity that parents should not miss and I am very thankful to the wonderful staff of IIT for all their kindness and support.”
Prior to commencing their degree, IIT will offer all InfoSchol students a 3-month induction programme. During their 5-year part-time degree programme,studentswill have the advantage of putting what they learn into practice in the real world, giving them a significant advantage over full-time students who do not have time to obtain industry exposure during their study period. InfoSchol students will also receive a substantial allowance from the company while gaining valuable experience that is in line with the degree they are pursuing. These students who complete their 5-year degree will make a saving of over Rs.1.8 million due to the zero costs in Registration Fees, Tuition Fees, University Fees and Exam Fees related to the degree. Once they graduate with 5 years of work experience, they will be well-positioned to obtain employment at a managerial level in any local or international company of their choosing. Overall, at the end of the 5-year period, the student will enjoy a financial benefit of approximately Rs.6 million and will be geared to face the challenges of the business world of tomorrow.
IIT was established in 1990 as the first private higher education institute that awards reputed British degrees in the field of ICT and Business. IIT is an award-winning campus offering internal postgraduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Westminster, UK and Robert Gordon University, UK. IIT has played a pivotal role in strengthening the IT and Business sectors in Sri Lanka over the years by producing world-class graduates. These graduates have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs and IT/Business professionals in both local and international corporate and government entities. Since its inception, IIT has produced thousands of graduates who have excelled in hundreds of organisations around the globe.