Sabaragamuwa University partners TMC to develop corporate-ready graduates

Do universities produce talent that matches the requirements of the corporate? Can the universities produce the required talent without the support of the corporate? The corporate experiences a gap between graduate competencies and corporate expectancies. Therefore, to bridge this talent gap, the collaboration of the corporate and universities is indispensable. 

In this backdrop, the Department of Business Management (DBM), of the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka partnered with The Management Club (TMC) Mt. Lavinia to design and launch a virtual corporate readiness webinar series intending to sharpen the competencies of young talents produced by the faculty.

The webinar series began on 18 January, with the presence of FMS Dean Prof. Athula Gnanapala, TMC Mt. Lavinia Chairman Roger Talayaratne, DBM Head Achintha Ekanayake, members of TMC, academic staff of FMS, and the final year students who are reading for BSc Honours Degrees in Financial Management, Banking and Insurance, Business Management, Marketing Management, Eco-Business Management, Hospitality Management, and Tourism Management. CEAT Sri Lanka Head of Marketing Prashan Costa conducted the inaugural corporate awareness session on the theme of “Are You Corporate Ready?” to groom their mindsets ready for the corporate.

The second session was conducted on 28 January by Roger Talayaratne on “Creating the First Impression” which spanned researching the corporate, preparation of a winning CV, and confidently facing interviews. The third session will be on “How to Create a Personal Brand?” The final session will be based on the concept of Human Library where a renowned corporate leader shares the path to success in the corporate arena. TMC Executive Committee Member Kanishka Rana-weera and DBM Senior Lect-urer Dr. H.P.R. Priyankara coordinated the webinar series.

“The fraternity of TMC brings the experience and futuristic knowledge in sharpening up young management talent of FMS of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. Remarkably, this virtual talent development programme is an excellent display of harnessing opportunities during the uncertain and physically disconnected milieu caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and TMC together strive to produce excellent management graduates and future leaders who add value to the corporate world and bring pride to the nation,” said Sabaragamuwa University Faculty of Management Studies Senior Lecturer Department of Business Management Dr. H.P. Rasika Priyankara.

Executive Committee Member, who oversees the Management Development activities of TMC – Mt. Lavinia Kanishka Ranaweera said: We are very happy to partner with University of Sabaragamuwa to uplift the skills and competencies of the young undergraduates who would be the future leaders of this country. This is very much in line with club ambition of helping current and future corporate leaders to harness their maximum potential to be the great leaders of their respective organisation and to take the country forward for prosperity.”