Business Education

PATHE - training youth in developing talents

Sarath Malalasekera

As Sri Lanka envisages an unprecedented economic growth in every sphere through the accelerated development programmes, every citizen who wishes to contribute towards these programmes should be fully equipped intellectually and academically to face the challenges and successfully enter the development process and procure lucrative employment.

The vision of the People's Academy of Tertiary and Higher Education (PATHE) is to train youth to develop their talents in the proper direction, Managing Director, Dr. Sanjayadeve Munasinghe said.

The history of PATHE Academy runs back to 1996. It was the first private establishment to train medical professionals under a government funded project.

Since then PATHE has been offering theoretical and practical training through a full range of Allied Health Programmes.

PATHE's Distance Education Department is affiliated with Folk University of Sweden, University of London External System, U21 Global, TUI University to provide quality education right here in Sri Lanka and has won the prestigious status as one of the trusted academy providing useful and quality education. PATHE delivers quality education using the latest technology in the field of education. PATHE is an accredited test centre to provide the TOEFL iBT exams.

'Today seeking education in foreign countries is easier and hassle free. PATHE Overseas Student Placement Department (PATHE OSPD) is opening a modern resource Centre in Maya Avenue, Wellawatte.

Dr. Munasinghe emphasised that during a short period of time PATHE has developed into five faculties and four departments and a number of affiliated offices in Sri Lanka and abroad.

They have conducted number of seminars and workshops for both the private and public sector, to develop the quality of education in the country in keeping with the modern trends of developed countries.

Through affiliation with several foreign Universities, PATHE has become the seat of learning of high quality professionals, holding distinguished positions, who continue to practise in Sri Lanka and abroad.

The PATHE Academy is constantly in the process of evolving unique formula to upgrade training standards and keep pace with the new century state of the art.

Education offered - Primary, Secondary, Professional, Advanced vocational, Academic, Adult education, PATHE also has developed distance learning centres integrated with online resource facilities.

The Honorary Council - There is a Honorary Council which directs the Board of Managers and take major part in PATHE policy making. Professors, educators and internationally eminent professionals from various parts of the world are members of this council.

PATHE Vision - PATHE vision consists of providing all education through online integrated components.

Plans are under way to develop all existing programmes through online training by the year 2009.

Teaching Staff - PATHE maintains a pool of lecturers from the Universities and Professionals from administrative service and blue chip companies.

The Lecture Panel consists of 20 senior Lecturers and 115 Lecturers.

Teaching - PATHE have a variety of teaching methods, combining the traditional Lecturers with seminars, team-based group projects and laboratory-based practicals.

PATHE is proud of its small group teaching methods which help to develop analytical, presentation and communication skills.

Student Population - The student categories include from school children to adults.

As PATHE courses cater to most age groups which consists of all sectors of people and foreign citizens as students in PATHE students base is approximately 8500-9000 per year, which includes more than 60 Maldivian citizens.

The Quality Assurance - All lecturers are selected after a series of interviews by a panel of professionals. The PATHE Council lays down criteria for recruitment of each training department.

All lecturers are continuously evaluated through PATHE anonymous Lecturer Feedback system.

The examinations department officers distribute the feedback forms to the students on the third day of the class and the students render their feedback which is kept in utmost confidentiallity at the academic section.

Student Facilities - Students are provided with hostels and related support in emergency medical care, professional counselling, scholarship schemes, instalment payment and study loan schemes and in most programmes secure job guarantees !

Research and Funding - There is an international network of organisations PATHE is linked with for corporate and research activities.

PATHE has participated in many a programme funded by international organisations specially connected to SID and VISBY fund programmes.

PATHE is open for research and new educational projects worldwide.

ESOFT introduces BCS plus

Hathoon Sheriffdeen

"Vendor Certification on a platform gives a clear indication to the employer about the knowledge and the skill level of the holder," said Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, the Managing Director of ESOFT computer studies.

Particular software developers conduct examinations online to provide vendor certificates to specialised people in the IT industry. Students can prove their specialisation by submitting this certificate to the employment market. This is a very demanding and scarce qualification in the IT market. Early exposure to computerisation leads the younger generation to adopt to rapid technological changes. ESOFT will introduce "BCS plus" at the EDEX EXPO 2008 exhibition.

"BCS plus" is a twenty-month study programme, and the degree is awarded by the British Computer Society.

This degree will be treated equivalent to an honours degree in IT industry. This programme is designed to fulfill the urgent rise in demand for undergraduates in the industry.

"We give a comprehensive coverage of technologies available in the field under the BCS plus programme.

We have two batches for BCS plus in Kandy and Colombo and we are expecting over 400 students.

In the main, I expect the individuals interested in computers and computer technology to enter this course, as this will be advantageous for them to succeed in the profession, Rajapakse further stated.

ESOFT also trains students for the BIT external degree awarded by the school of computing of the University of Colombo. This is a very demanding IT degree in the industry.

Colombo Plan provides post-graduate scholarships

The Colombo Plan re-established its hallmark programme for long-term scholarship in 2004.

This long-term scholarship programme (LTSP) was one of Colombo Plan's most important programmes which, in the past, pioneered human resource development in many of its member countries, since Colombo Plan's establishment in 1951.

More than 300,000 recipients benefited from this scholarship during the period 1951-1989. Scholars were trained in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and United Kingdom.

Past generations of Colombo Plan scholars have contributed much to the respective development of their countries and there are many who are still serving in fields such as medicine, engineering, public administration, foreign affairs, among others.

Since 2004, the Colombo Plan LTSP has provided 54 postgraduate scholarships to officers from member countries in Korea, Malaysia and Thailand under South-south Cooperation where emerging donor countries are providing assistance to other developing countries.

The scholarships are intended for public sector officials who can make significant contributions to their own countries upon their return.

In 2007, the Colombo Plan offered a total of 19 scholarships for its member countries to meet their capacity development needs.

A one year Colombo Plan Master of Public Policy programme is offered jointly with the KDI School of Public Policy & Management of Seoul, Korea. Annually up to 7 scholarships will be offered.

Under the Colombo Plan - Thailand Fellowship Programme, 13 post-graduate scholarships had been offered in the fields of Horticulture, Business Administration, Civil Engineering, Public Health, Rural Development and Agricultural Systems in prestigious Universities such as Maejo University, Asian University, Kasetsart University, Chulalongkorn University, Khon Kane University and Chiangmai University.

Colombo Plan and Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be offering a one year Master of Strategy and Diplomacy. Beginning in 2008, up to 10 scholarships will be jointly offered to Colombo Plan member countries.

Beginning in 2008, Malaysia is offering additional scholarships under its Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) for post graduate studies in 7 of its public universities in a wide spectrum of academic studies from public administration, economics to peace studies, Islamic management and AIDS.

Details of the scholarships awarded under the different schemes can be obtained by visiting the Colombo Plan website www.colombo-plan-org.

CIM professional series on marketing accountability

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region has organized a full-day programme titled "Marketing Accountability - The New Shift In Performance".

The programme will be conducted by Mario Fonseka on January 24 from 8.30 to 5.00 pm at the Garnet Room, Ceylon Continental Hotel, Colombo. The objective of the programme is to increase awareness in marketing accountability and help marketers to develop practical ways in which they can boost results - the ultimate evaluation criteria in the emerging "performance culture".

Significance of "Accountability" in today's business environment and its impact on the marketing profession, marketing ROI, importance of measurement in marketing, marketing investment management (MIM) and modern marketing, developing marketing accountability metrics, marketing effectiveness maturity model, emerging characteristics of current best practices in marketing accountability and building brand equity through better marketing accountability for improved shareholder value will be the highlights of the programme outline.

Fonseka is an established finance professional who has over 13 years of experience in areas of Accounting, Finance, Strategic Planning and General Management in some of the country's renowned organisations. He is a Fellow Member of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK, and the Society of Certified Management Accountants (CMA), Sri Lanka.

He also holds the Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), UK.

He is a Master in Business Administration (with a merit pass) of the Postgraduate Institute of Management. His multi-disciplinary background and experience in different industrial settings have enabled him to be an effective trainer and a successful lecturer.

The programme has been organised under the CIM Professional Series for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) with the objective of contributing towards excellence in the marketing profession by developing marketing knowledge, skills and competencies amongst business professionals in the country while enabling CIM members to reach the next rung in their professional career ladder.