LCCI - an aid to corporate success

Hiran H. Senewiratne

TRADING: The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry International (LCCI) Sri Lanka body, will provide much needed training for corporate sector employees, especially for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) personnel and those who need proficiency in Business English, its Country Manager Neil Stephen said.

He said that LCCI awards were created for benchmarking standards of performance. In the UK their

 examinations have statutory approval in the educational system.

LCCI was launched in Sri Lanka to provide their qualifications training and other employment related skills for Sri Lankans facilitating foreign employment acquisition.

LCCI is one of the largest providers of business qualifications around the world, offering examinations in 120 countries and the Sri Lankan branch could help their students to get foreign jobs with that link, Stephen said.

Their qualifications are recognised by top professional Associations, including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in addition to universities around the world, he said. It also conducts many other programmes like IT, Secretarial and Business Administration, he said.

At present they conduct the LCCI Diploma Course and many foreign employers consider this qualification as equal to other marketing diplomas and their Business English programme is very popular in Sri Lanka, the Country Manager said.

According to Stephen they are now in the process of setting up a library and online educational programmes. They are also tied up with the Chamber of Commerce and are trying to promote the interests of their qualified members, he said.

They are also going to corporate workshops on Selling and Customer Services, targeted at Sales Executives conducted by foreign lecturers from UK and Singapore, he said.

Basic qualifications, guaranteed knowledge and employability are the areas needed for everybody to go up the corporate ladder. Therefore, to provide training, development and required skills for employment, educational institutes could play a lead role in the country.

Today, we find many educational institutes that provide different skill development programmes without any quality standards. Obtaining a recognised qualification or training helps the person to be up in the corporate ladder. Therefore, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry International (LCCI) has taken this initiative to provide basic qualifications, guaranteed knowledge and employability for school leavers and corporate sector employees in the country.

They not only provide training but also help qualified students to find overseas employment in many leading business organizations in the world, sources said.