Virtusa marks 5th anniversary of NSBM Green University with further investments

From left: Virtusa Head of Learning and Development SL Head of Learning and Development Lalitha Perera, Virtusa Head of Campus Reach SL Suweda Rajaratnam, Virtusa Head of HR SL Sampath Thrimavithana, Virtusa Head of Capability Transformation & Operations Leadership SL Shiham Nawaz, Senior Director for Asia Pacific & Europe Ahilan Vivekanandan, NSBM Faculty of Computing Dean Dr. Rasika Ranaweera and NSBM Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering Head/Senior Lecturer Pavithra Kankanamge 

Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of digital strategy, digital engineering, and IT services and solutions, celebrated the fifth anniversary milestone of the NSBM Green University with a pledge to enhance its industry partnership with the national higher educational institution through further long-term investments. 

Working closely with NSBM through its Campus Reach initiative, Virtusa recently extended its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance and recruit the next generation of IT professionals. 

The MoU was formalised by NSBM Green University Vice Chancellor Prof. E. A. Weerasinghe and Virtusa Sri Lanka Head of Human Resources Sampath Thrimavithana. Additionally, Senior Director for Asia Pacific & Europe Ahilan Vivekanandan, Head of Learning & Development Sri Lanka Lalitha Perera, Head of Capability Transformation & Operations Leadership Sri Lanka Shiham Nawaz and Head of Campus Reach Sri Lanka Suweda Rajaratnam represented Virtusa at the event, while Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Chaminda Rathnayake, Faculty of Computing Dean Dr. Rasika Ranaweera, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering Head/Senior Lecturer Pavithra Kankanamge from the NSBM Green University were also present at the signing of the MoU. 

“We are happy to level up our partnership with Sri Lanka’s leading IT and digital engineering company Virtusa, and synchronise our curriculum development with industry skill demand,” Prof. Weerasinghe commented. “Through strategic, long-term collaborations such as these, we can drive academic outcomes that ensure an effective entry for our graduates into a new talent landscape.”

With this MoU, Virtusa aims to elevate its industry partnership with NSBM to the next level by mapping current industry anticipation to relevant skill sets, developing competencies for employability in this rapidly evolving sector. NSBM’s IT talent pool stands to benefit greatly through mentorships, sponsorships, as well as international exposure through Virtusa’s network of global partners, and recruitment opportunities for over 150 top graduates annually.

“Top performing university students are not only sought for their employment potential by companies, they also form a very crucial and transformational link in our IT industry supply chain; one that propels growth, new thinking and innovation,” Thrimavithana stated. “IT graduates from NSBM and across Sri Lanka will remain one of Virtusa’s key investments as our company and industry evolves at a rapid pace.”

To date, Virtusa has introduced a number of programs at NSBM such as core technological skills, project management skills, and soft skills for non-technical human interactions to make the university-to-workplace-culture transition effortless for graduates. Virtusa also added a number of intelligent technologies and platforms into the curriculum under emerging technological skills. Young graduates will soon be able to explore such technologies at a dedicated incubation laboratory fully sponsored by Virtusa, scheduled to open by the end of 2021. 

Virtusa’s Campus Reach initiative – an industry-academia partnership – was designed to carry out IT curriculum development, internships and mentoring among partner universities and institutes of higher education, directly improving skill capacities of potential employees. The Campus Reach initiative helps the company forecast and plan entry-level talent acquisition, bridge skill gaps and map future talent needs by shaping a more relevant curriculum, and creating a highly compatible talent pool.