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Nenasala programme gaining momentum:

ICTA joins hands with EDEX

EDEX and the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) are now concentrating on the rural youth of the country.

This strategic partnership paves the way for a better focused strategy to enhance opportunities for the rural community with a vision ‘To empower the Sri Lankan youth to be globally competitive’.

ICTA’s Nenasala programme is now gaining momentum with over 400 IT kiosks dotting even remote villages

 islandwide.

This program is incrementally making inroads to enhancing IT literacy, which is increasingly becoming a key skill in demand.

It is reported that over 10,000 mostly rural youth access Internet and other IT resources online everyday via the Nenasala network.

Benefiting from the synergies the ‘Nenasala’ and ICTA offer, EDEX - National Higher Education and Careers EXPO has decided to offer the benefits of the recently re-launched EDEX web portal www.edex.lk for the benefit of these rural youth.

Synergies derived from this initiative are expected to be a real boon to the aspiring youth in the country specially those in rural areas.

Bringing these rural youth a few steps closer to the opportunities that exist both within and outside the country, the EDEX web portal will offer them with invaluable online resources in higher education, skills development and employment in terms of guidance as well as placements.

Such rare exposure and access to related information will enable the out-of school young men and women to make informed decisions on choices, options and opportunities available.

EDEX is acclaimed to be the most comprehensive and the largest Education & Careers Fair in the country.

It has managed to create new standards in the exhibitions arena with its novelty/ value addition programmes such as seminars and workshops, on site job interviews, scholarship offers, greater coverage of relevant sectors representing both local and overseas participants and other special features, the pinnacle of which are the twin EDEX Exhibitions held in Colombo and Kandy in January each year.

Synergy ‘Insight Out’ translates knowledge into practice

Insight Out an innovative consumer insight programme designed by the Synergy School of Marketing drew to a close, with teams vying for top honours at an awards ceremony held at the Taj Samudra Hotel.

Insight Out was designed to give students an opportunity to have a hands on approach in experiencing market dynamics thus enabling them to apply their knowledge in practical settings. Each group was assigned a topic to be researched within a specified geographic area where they conducted qualitative and quantitative research into each topic.

Michael Ranasinghe and Mohomad Adamally, Directors of Synergy said, "We received over 150 entries and it was after much deliberation, that we finally narrowed the field down to four teams. We do hope to expand Insight Out in coming years.

At Synergy, our commitment is to develop many such programmes that will in the final analysis, help create marketing professionals whose knowledge and experience translates into a clear competitive advantage for his or her employer, which at the end of the day is what matters when it comes to professional education".

Insight Out this year involved four teams of six students each who unveiled their research findings to an audience comprising external judges, students and lecturers of Synergy.

The Panel of Judges headed by Graham Marshall, Head of Marketing ICI, included Shaheen Cader of The Nielsen Company and Director Grant McCann Erickson Stanly Carvalho.

The competing teams were The Transformers who researched lifestyles in different locations of Colombo; The Knowledge Hunters whose topic was life styles in the South (Kalutara, Bentota, Ambalangoda, Galle); The Spartans who looked at the retail trade in Kandy and Matale covering the modern trade, A/B/C groceries and whole sellers and Beautilicious who were assigned the topic the Cosmetics and beauty care market in Wattala, Ja-Ela, Seeduwa, Katunayake and Negombo.

Head of the panel of Judges for the Insight Out programme Graham Marshall said "The talent that the marketing fraternity has at it doorstep is tremendous - that was the general consensus of the panel of judges.

These students not only delivered presentations with excellent content, which was lucid and vivid, but displayed remarkable soft skills. They were confident presenters and managed their time well. Nuances and eccentricities of consumers and geographical segments were captured and the resulting impact on brand choice made listening to these presentations very interesting and stimulating.

Team Beautilicious emerged winners of this year's competition while the team known as the Transformers were named runner-up.

The winner and runner up teams were awarded cash prizes from Synergy while the members of the Winning Team were awarded full scholarship until they complete their marketing studies at Synergy. The Runners-Up were granted 50% scholarships. All the participating students were awarded certificates of challenge by Synergy.

Fiona Nanayakkara of the Winning Team said, "We are extremely thankful to Synergy for giving us the opportunity to participate in this event and we would call it an unforgettable lifetime experience.

None of us were experienced in Market research therefore we had to start from scratch. Going into the field from households to salons made us understand consumer's perception of the product.

Whilst developing our analytical and presentation skills we also build up team spirit considering the fact that we all got to know each other from Insight Out. We spent our weekends and after work hours in putting the presentation together.

Long hours we have spent with the team for the presentation and all the experience paid off and it feels really good to be the winning team. It was truly a fantastic opportunity to be a part of this project and we are proud to be students of Synergy!"

Shyam Sundar of the Transformers who was declared runners-up said "We are thrilled to be the runner-up at Insight Out this year - and we're glad all of our hard work paid off. This was a really exciting competition - and the kind of field experience we gained was invaluable. Taking part in the competition also taught us the value of teamwork, delegation and appreciating each other's strengths.

For all of us on the team, this was the first time we had been out conducting research - and it helped us to learn something new almost every minute.

We must thank Synergy for giving us the opportunity and our lecturers for guiding us and providing us with all the right tools for today's marketplace."

Fergasam bags ‘Silver’ awards for apparel exports

FERGASAM Garment Industries one of the leading apparel exporters in Sri Lanka secured the Silver Award for the year 2006 at the National Chamber of Exporters Awards ceremony held recently.

This is in appreciation of its excellence in the category of Extra Large business in the apparel sphere, which is a symbolic achievement, recognising its success.

Fergasam Garment Industries was established 35 years ago as a sole proprietorship business with 20

 employees and was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1994.

In today's context, we are well entrenched in the garment industry and we bring unparalleled supply chain integration breathing life into design-to-delivery solutions through innovation and flexibility.

Our styles go beyond the basics involving embellishments and intricate details. We are fastidious about our process and dedicate hours to create exceptional garments.

The constant growth fused together with exponential revenue, Fergasam has done more than its share on enhancing the awareness of the capabilities of Sri Lanka and by creating jobs for thousands of Sri Lankans and providing more opportunities along the way.

Fergasam comprehends the value of Human Resource Management and has taken all necessary procedures for not only the maintenance of the working environment to international standards but by exceeding all expectations.

Fergasam Garment Industries (Pvt) Ltd received the ISO Quality Standard Certificate in the year 2001 and has retained the certification since then by exceeding all expectations.

The possession of strength and with extreme high-end clients from the United States, Fergasam boasts the figures to assess the efficiency of the entire work force.

The steady growth proving a more calculated effort in the Scending of the corporate ladder rather than a lucky exponential streak, Fergasam flaunts the ideal administrative capabilities and an abundance of the best resources is clear vindication to its position as one of Sri Lanka's main stays in the apparel industry.

The clientele that Fergasam delivers to are some of the biggest fashion icons in the United States.

The Board of Directors envisages the expanding of its business boundaries beyond the shores of Sri Lanka as a part of its business strategic plan for the next ten years.

Sunshine chosen best value added exporter

Sunshine Tea (Private) Limited a leading tea exporter has been awarded the gold award for valued added tea export’s by the National Chamber of Exporters for its performance in 2006-2007.

Sunshine Tea is well known for its high quality products and services. Sunshine Tea packs and exports quality Ceylon tea for several leading brands to many destinations the world over.

Sunshine Teas commitments and efforts to create and enhance value for Ceylon teas has been recognised by the coveted award for value added tea exports. Managing Director Sunshine Holdings Vish Govindasamy received the award on behalf of the company.

Sunshine Tea was also awarded the Silver award for bulk tea exports. Sunshine Teas excellent track record has also contributed to it being selected as the exclusive packer for the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

New director at Central Industries

Nalin Abeysekere PC has joined the Board of the Central Industries PLC, Abeysekere fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Hemantha Warnakulasuriya PC, who has been appointed the Ambassador to Italy.

The other Members of the Board are S.V. Wanigasekera (Chairman), E.H. Wijenaike, Newton Wickramasuriya (CEO), E.M. Wijenaike, G.S.N. Peiris, C.S.W. De Costa, R.E. Rambukwelle and A.K. Gunaratne.

Central Industries PLC is a member of the Central Finance Group and manufacture the well known “National PVC” pipes and fittings and also the “Krypton” electrical switches.