Wednesday Sep 02, 2026
Wednesday Sep 02, 2026
Wednesday, 2 September 2026 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Safna Malik
Sri Lanka’s AI Academy has entered a strategic partnership with Berlin-based Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences to launch challenge-based AI degrees through an integrated work-study model that eliminates the gap between education and employment.
The partnership will deliver two Tomorrow University-awarded qualifications: a BSc in Applied AI and an MBA in AI and Technological Transformation. Both degrees are offered through AI Academy’s local incubator structure, allowing Sri Lankan students to earn state-recognised German higher education credentials without relocating abroad.
The partnership was announced recently bringing together government policymakers, academic leaders, venture capital investors, and industry veterans to discuss applied technology skills, ethical AI frameworks, and cross-border startup acceleration. The timing reflects a broader policy shift in how Sri Lanka approaches tertiary education and economic development as the country repositions itself as a regional innovation hub.
Students get a chance to work on paid, real briefs for Sri Lankan and international companies rather than treating education and employment as separate life stages. Whilst pursuing a full university degree, they build portfolios, obtain hands-on experience, and apply classroom learning directly to real business challenges. The model places students in close contact with industry through challenges and placements spanning technology and startups, apparel, tea, tourism, logistics, and government sectors.
Tomorrow University’s MBA in AI and Technological Transformation targets working professionals who cannot leave employment to study. Structured to allow career continuity whilst developing new AI and technological capabilities, the program integrates business leadership with advanced technical knowledge.
The BSc in Applied AI focuses on applied learning pathways for school leavers and professionals seeking career transitions into AI-adjacent roles. Both programs are accredited by the German Accreditation Council via ACQUIN for MBA delivery and FIBAA for Bachelor programs, with qualifications recognised internationally.
Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe highlighted that traditional education has long limited Sri Lanka’s capacity for innovation and problem-solving. He noted that rigid school systems have held back the creative thinking needed for technical progress. To illustrate his point, he contrasted strict modern education with the open imagination of the 1800s and 1900s, which gave rise to electricity, biotechnology, and major scientific breakthroughs.
Abeysinghe emphasised that as AI replaces repetitive and data-driven tasks, organisations will require workers who can solve complex problems, exercise creative ability, and demonstrate empathy. These competencies cannot emerge from memorisation-based education systems. The government is therefore transforming early childhood education to prioritise problem-solving, empathy, and exploration rather than rote learning. The partnership with Tomorrow University aligns precisely with this policy direction as Sri Lanka targets a 300 billion dollar economy within the next decade by strengthening its entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.
AI Academy Founder Linda Speldewinde explained how the partnership bridges the gap between what universities teach and what industry genuinely needs. Drawing on two decades of experience building Sri Lanka’s design sector from scratch, Speldewinde developed not just designers but an entire creative economy spanning retail, manufacturing, and cultural platforms including Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and the Sri Lanka Design Festival. AOD graduates now compete head-to-head with graduates from the world’s best design schools, building international names for themselves globally. This outcome resulted from a single conviction: real work with real clients and real stakes from day one.
AI Academy is built on that identical principle, now applied to AI. Speldewinde emphasised that AI differs fundamentally from design or any previous profession. AI is not a profession. It’s a way of being, she said. The new generation must be equipped not merely to work with technology but to understand problems and turn knowledge into value across every economic sector.
The Tomorrow University partnership allows Sri Lankan students to access a state-recognised German degree without leaving the country. Students gain access to international peers, faculty, and a global learning environment whilst remaining based in Colombo. Unlike the design sector, which required decades to establish global credibility, AI Academy can leapfrog through this international partnership.
Speldewinde noted that the new generation of Sri Lankan global citizens can study globally, engage in international internships, and access international faculty without geographic relocation. The model offers an alternative to the traditional choice between studying abroad or accepting a conventional local degree.
Tomorrow University Founder Christian Rebernik brought insights from building five unicorn companies across Europe. He transformed European financial systems by creating a modern banking licence and rebuilding core banking infrastructure for the continent.
He helped build a digital health record platform that merges data for 37 health insurance companies serving 20 million people. He also contributed to the UN World Food Program’s meal-sharing platform, a donation system now used globally to help 300 million children.
Rebernik stressed a fundamental principle: the world pays for what you can do, not what you recall. University graduates often arrive with theoretical knowledge but lack the real skills required to build something under pressure in unprecedented circumstances.
Technology moves so rapidly that knowledge acquired during formal education becomes outdated within years. The true differentiator is the ability to solve problems that have never existed before and create meaningful solutions under real-world constraints rather than examination conditions.
AI Academy Chairperson and Investor Lin Gong Deutschmann reframed what policymakers typically call a talent shortage as actually a translation problem. Universities have failed to certify the talents and capabilities that industry genuinely needs.
She pointed out a clear global reality: for the first time in decades, people without a degree are now more likely to be unemployed than those without basic literacy. She brought up China’s fast school changes as an early sign of what lies ahead. Over the past five years, China has reformed one-third of its higher education system, cancelling 10,000 programs and adding 12,000 new ones, with mandatory AI learning required from age six onwards.
Deutschmann pointed to Germany’s apprenticeship model as the engine behind national economic success. In this model, industry is embedded within the degree itself rather than existing as a separate stage after graduation. Students build skill-based portfolios they can showcase rather than memorising examination content. Tomorrow University follows this lineage, designed specifically for the AI age.
Hatch Serial Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, and Data Scientist Jeevan Gnanam reinforced that knowledge is no longer a competitive differentiator in the AI era. Information sits at everyone’s fingertips through internet access. What matters is how individuals apply knowledge creatively within their specific circumstances and challenges. Hatch has accelerated over 850 startups by teaching founders to apply knowledge rapidly to real-world problems. The Tomorrow University partnership mirrors this ecosystem-based approach, making it directly relevant to Sri Lanka’s startup sector and entrepreneurial ambitions.
A key feature of these programs is that every graduate must complete a practical AI project aimed at helping an underserved community. This project connects technical knowledge and business skills with measurable social benefits. Students will also organise and run AI Academy’s annual APEX Summit, giving them a direct platform to present their work to industry leaders, employers, and investors. Additionally, the local incubator setup offers mentorship and industry support, helping future entrepreneurs develop and test new business ideas.
This work-study model offers a practical route for both school leavers and working adults. Instead of having to choose between earning an income, studying, or launching a venture, students can do all three at the same time. Working professionals who cannot commit to full-time classes can stay employed while building advanced AI and tech skills through the MBA track.
This partnership comes as AI moves beyond the traditional tech sector into fields like manufacturing, clothing, tourism, logistics, farming, and business services. The model is built for anyone wanting to apply AI in their work, regardless of whether they plan to pursue a career in core technology.
This launch marks a significant shift from Sri Lanka’s traditional approach to higher education. Instead of treating AI as a narrow technical field, the program positions it as a core capability that is reshaping industries across every sector.
By replacing the gap between education and employment, this work-study model ensures that a student’s career begins on day one of their degree. Ultimately, offering the next generation real-world experience while building a future-ready solution.
- Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe
