SriLankan Airlines sharpens skills of university students

SriLankan Airlines partnered with two of Sri Lanka’s most reputed institutes of higher learning - the University of Colombo and the University of Sri Jayawardenepura - to strengthen and sharpen the skills of its leaders of the future through programmes that were especially designed for the National Carrier. Pradeepa Kekulawala, Head of Human Resources at SriLankan Airlines, said: “Global air transport is one of the most keenly competitive industries, and many of the Asian and Middle Eastern airlines that SriLankan Airlines is in direct competition with are widely recognized as being among the finest. It is therefore crucial that we continuously strengthen our managers and leaders of the future, in order to make our airline as competitive as possible.” One programme, conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, saw 22 members of the airline’s specially selected ‘Succession Pool’ of Managers and Executives undergoing training over a six-week period from 16th January to 27th February 2016. Another programme was carried out by the University of Colombo for a wider pool of 37 Managers and Executives who had consistently been ranked best in appraisals over the last two years. Buddhika Manage, Senior Manager Human Resource Development & Business Partnering, added: “We are indeed highly appreciative of the University of Colombo and University of Sri Jayawardenepura for joining together with us to strengthen the future of the National Carrier. SriLankan Airlines has enjoyed very strong relationships with both these universities and we often collaborate in assisting each other’s developmental efforts.” The High Performers Development Programme by the Management Faculty of the University of Colombo was customized in order to improve modern skills and soft skills which are vital in order to steer the organization to the next level of growth. Its participants had been identified by the airline’s management to shoulder expanded job responsibilities and career growth, and need to be up to date with current market trends. The programme was conducted by an experienced team of lecturers and facilitators drawn from the university’s faculty. The customized Management Development Programme by PIM focused on management, leadership knowledge and skills development. These participants have been identified for their potential, performance through consistency and critical nature of their positions to be trained and developed in order to shoulder expanded job responsibilities and higher managerial positions in the organization. The facilitators were well reputed management consultants and trainers Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri, Dr. Travis Perera, Mr. Ravi Edirisinghe and Dr. Trevor Mendis. The eight modules covered included Personal Excellence, Managing People, Team Dynamics, Financial Essentials, Strategic Management, Best Practices in Management, Decision Making & Problem Solving, and Creativity & Innovation. Graduation ceremonies for the two programmes were held on the 2nd of March at the Senate Hall of College House at the University of Colombo, and on 27th February at the Postgraduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura in Borella. Corporate Communications SriLankan Airlines