SLIIT student wins IDEATORS competition

Fathima Munazza Rafeek, an undergraduate at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) won the challenge trophy on the second season of ART TV’s popular reality TV show, IDEATORS.

IDEATORS, a reality TV enterprise competition organised by the British Council in association with ART TV, witnessed a successful second season, with 12 undergraduates from the UK and Sri Lanka battling it out in the true spirit of entrepreneurship in 12 new enterprise challenges to attain the coveted champion’s title.

The competition was conceptualised with the aim of recognising and rewarding graduate entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka and the UK. The programme consisted of 12 episodes each featuring a new enterprise challenge aimed at measuring the entrepreneurial skills of the competitors, which took place at various in-door and out-door locations. Members from the losing team were eliminated at the end of each episode by the judging panel.

The show was closely followed by an estimated two million viewers and was screened for the second time by popular demand.

Munazza, a student at SLIIT following a BBA (Hons) degree in Business Management – Sheffield Hallam University UK, speaks of her experiences during the competition and SLIIT’s role in facilitating her participation in IDEATORS.

“It was an honour to be part of the competition, which enabled me to gain a practical insight into the world of business while being in university and provided an opportunity to be able to build and develop some really good business networks. Through IDEATORS I was able to step into the corporate world and experience it with real life business tasks and projects, giving us a glimpse of different industries, some of which I never would even think of being a part of, if not for this competition. It has greatly helped me to identify some of my key strengths and apply the theoretical knowledge I have acquired during my studies.

“Winning this competition has given me the opportunity to attend a study tour in the UK, in Durham or Plymouth, and I look forward to developing business networks which will aid me as I progress in my career. I would not have been able to participate in this competition if not for SLIIT having approved my application and nominating me for IDEATORS, and I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation towards our Chairman Professor S. Karunaratne, our President and CEO Professor Lalith Gamage, Dr. Rohan, Dr. Theekshana Suraweera, my lecturers and parents for giving me this truly remarkable opportunity.

“SLIIT has motivated me to work towards gaining a world recognised qualification which not only enables me to gain an insight into the world of business but helps to foster innovation and creative thinking and learn the practical application of the concepts we study. This would not be possible without the dedicated lecture panel present at SLIIT, who work closely with the students to guide and support us to achieve the best in life. I believe that studying in a recognised and established institution such as SLIIT will give me a leading edge in my career. I would like to see another SLIIT student win the next season of IDEATORS as I believe that our students possess the skills and potential to achieve this feat.”

Chairman of SLIIT Professor S. Karunaratne said: “We strongly encourage and support our students to pursue competitions such as IDEATORS as it provides scope for personal development.”

Professor Lalith Gamage, President and CEO of SLIIT said: “Programmes of this nature are vital to developing and fine tuning students’ entrepreneurial skills and we are very proud of Munazza for taking on the challenges of the competition and wish her all the best for a fulfilling and exciting academic journey ahead.”

“SLIIT’s BBA (Hons) degree in Business Management programme enables students to carve out a niche for themselves within the arena of Business Management and Information Technology, and we strongly encourage our students to actively engage themselves with activities of this nature as it provides a vital platform for them to maximise their potential by showcasing their abilities within a fast evolving industry,” added Dr. Theekshana Suraweera, Head of Business and Information Management at SLIIT.