Eastern Promise – Plymouth University and the National School of Business Management

Plymouth University is the official UK education partner of the National School of Business Management ( NSBM) in Sri Lanka, creating an exemplary model for transnational higher education.

Harnessing the very best of both institutions, the innovative partnership, launched in July 2012, sees students enrol with NSBM and study for Plymouth University degrees, creating bright and sustainable futures for Sri Lankan graduates. The degree programmes have been carefully selected to provide the essential knowledge and skills that the Sri Lankan graduates of tomorrow will need to grow and prosper - degree programmes that are relevant in a globalised society, are respected by industry leaders internationally and are taught by world- class academics who make up a ‘ flying faculty team’ from Plymouth, supporting NSBM colleagues.

The degrees include International Management and Supply Chains and Operations – where in a globalised economy, an understanding of international business and trade will be critical to Sri Lankan graduates seeking a career in management. The partnership also offers Tourism and Hospitality, which is one of the Sri Lanka’s key business sectors and continues to g row rapidly, and Accounting and Finance, Computing and Marketing.

The partnership is not just a powerful one, but also a natural one in terms of shared values. Both institutions are united in their commitment to driving enterprise and innovation to create a vibrant knowledge economy – Plymouth University has been sharing its leading enterprise expertise in Sri Lanka for a number of years already by helping to deliver a programme of enterprise and employability as part of the Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education.

The shared vision for educational excellence also means delivering a first-class student experience that puts sustainability at the heart of everything it does across research, education and operations. This ethos permeates the physical learning environment, with undergraduates studying in the inspirational surroundings of a new campus, the ‘University Green Town’ which is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. Professor Simon Payne, Dean of Academic Partnerships at Plymouth, said the partnership had followed an extensive search of suitable universities in Sri Lanka, with the British Council playing a key role in identifying a strong ‘values match’.

He said: “What was clear to us was that there were two values in particular that we had in common. The first was a commitment to work with business and industry, and that focus on employability of students. And the second was sustainability, and the way that it is a philosophy for the curriculum.

“We recognised that NSBM was the kind of ambitious, well-established (with more than 20 years’ experience), highquality educational establishment that we wanted to work with, and we were delighted to sign an agreement with them.”

Plymouth University is one of the world’s top modern universities and was a recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize