ADVERTORIAL

SLFFA gives back to society

The Sri Lanka Freight Forwarders' Association (SLFFA), the apex body of freight forwarders' in Sri Lanka, ventured on an ambitious Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project in October 2008. The objective was to build relationships among the community by partnering with the members of SLFFA and all their stake holders, by specifically making a positive impact on the homeless elders.

The SLFFA dinner dance held in October 2008 was the launching pad for this CSR project, and SLFFA dedicated all proceeds from the dance towards this project.

An aggressive campaign was embarked upon by the Executive Committee to make this project a success who sought the support and commitment from the entire SLFFA community.

After evaluating several on-going sites and locations, the Association came upon the 'Arthur Perera Elders' Home, on Hokandara Road, Pannipitiya. This Elders' Home has 18 inmates, both male and female and functions purely on donations provided by well-wishers. The staff consists of two persons, a Manager and a Matron.

Therefore, with the interest earned by the funds invested, the Executive Committee unanimously decided to donate equipment worth Rs 450,000 as per the request made by the home. The items donated were, 15 beds, mattresses, side cupboards and towel racks of the best quality.

An official handing out ceremony was organized by the Arthur Perera Elders' Home, where all the members of their board along with the management were present at this event. SLFFA Chairman Tony de Livera, CSR project committee head Jagath Pathirane along with SLFFA Secretary General Rohan Induruwa also participated at this occasion. The Board and the management expressed their gratitude to SLFFA for the high quality equipment provided.

Delship Services appointed recruiting agent

Muscat Beach Games 2010 in Oman:

Delship Services, a leading foreign employment bureau approved agent, [a subsidiary of the Delmege Group of Companies] has been appointed by Tawoos Renaissance a leading commercial conglomerate based in Oman, as the official agent for the Muscat Beach Games 2010.

Over 135 Sri Lankans from the hotel and service industry have been employed and will be travelling to Oman through Delship Services for the forthcoming games. Delship currently recruits Sri Lankans to service virtually the entire world. At present the company is in the process of recruiting staff for the international market namely the Seychelles, through to the Middle East, right down to Papua New Guinea in the south west pacific.

hSenid, Singapore Informatics HRM Enterprise Certificate:

First batch completes HRM course

hSenid Business Solutions (Pvt) Ltd in collaboration with Singapore Informatics, successfully launched "hSenid HRM Enterprise Certificate", a Human Resource Management Certificate Course on the September 24, and was successfully continued for two consecutive Fridays.

Designed for a delegation of HR Executives, HR Managers, Business Managers, Administration Staff and IT Professionals, this program catered and attracted a large number of HR professionals on the date of commencement.

The objective of this HRIS Training Program was to enhance the value of those who are currently engaged and aspired to be HR practioners with improved practical skills using a human resource management system as a management decision-making tool. Established in 1997 hSenid Business Solutions celebrates its 13th year in the ICT industry.

The company has shown its strength by being one of the few Sri Lankan multinationals by expanding and setting up offices in different continents of the world. hSenid which began operation with the aspiration of supplying high quality software products and services is currently having its offices in United States, Singapore and R&D centres in Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka.

Aitken Spence School of Hospitality :

Third batch from East, Uva

Considering the demand for skilled and experienced hotel staff in the country, Aitken Spence Hotels established a fully fledged hotel school located in the southwest of the island. The hotel school was built in an attempt to fill the skills gap in the tourism sector. It was established and operates as a corporate social responsibility initiative of the Company which opened its doors in November 2007. The school was established by Aitken Spence Hotels with the assistance of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Hilfswerk.

The most recent batch to enter the hospitality industry was a group of young men from the Eastern and Uva provinces of the country. Aitken Spence was privileged to be associated with USAID and Mercury Direct with this particular program in assisting the youth of the East and Uva.

This batch of students have undergone training programs in food and beverage services and most will join Aitken Spence Hotels in Sri Lanka as trainees. This is the third batch of students from the East and Uva who have undergone training at the Aitken Spence School of Hospitality.

Aitken Spence Hotels, a leader in the hospitality industry in Sri Lanka has reached great heights in both the domestic and international arena. One reason for its success is attributable to its stewardship in community welfare and development. It has been a pioneering corporate social responsibility initiative by the company to reach out to the conflict-affected youth in the North and the East by assisting them to enter the hospitality profession.

Aitken Spence Hotels and Resorts manage and own resorts in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Oman and India. The company's premier resorts operate under Heritance Hotels and Resorts. Its latest Heritance property in India will be Heritance Cochin, opening in the near future.

It will join the award-winning Heritance Hotels and Resorts portfolio consisting of Heritance Kandalama, Heritance Ahungalla, Heritance Tea Factory and Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara which is scheduled to open early next year.

SLIIT ushers in new academic year

The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) welcomed its new batch of undergraduates, who will be absorbed into the institutes ever growing student population. The new students were treated to a grand welcome on November 22 at SLIIT's Malabe Campus, which provides academic opportunities and broad scope for students both in Sri Lanka and abroad. In keeping with SLIIT's policy of upholding its firm resolve for national contribution, the institute continues to meet and redefine the needs of a fast expanding IT industry.

Today, SLIIT is the foremost degree awarding institute in Sri Lanka which is recognized by the University Grants Commission and encompasses a faculty of highly qualified and dedicated in-house academic staff.

Its capacity to nurture and ensure the availability of a rich pool of experts for the relevant industries within Sri Lanka acts as a boost to the nation's economy. Combined with innovative and outstanding facilities, SLIIT continues to expand its wings to encompass flexible study programs, connect with renowned foreign universities and industry partners, and ensure that students receive an enriching and enlightening experience during the course of their studies.

SLIIT's new intake will benefit through the extensive spectrum of B.Sc. Degree programs and new areas of specialization such as Software Engineering and Electronic Engineering alongside programs for Information Technology and Business Administration, with recognized partner universities in the UK, USA and Australia. SLIIT Chairman Professor S. Karunaratne speaks of the importance of a well-rounded education.

"Through the provision of a range of facilities for our students, including a fully-equipped gym, modern courts for tennis and basketball as well as other sporting events, we aim to extend our students' learning experience beyond an academic scope to a more comprehensive and well-rounded development."