Unleash your Creativity with Raffles
Learning is, and should be a “lifelong process” according to Prof Steve Rawlinson of Raffles Design Institute and, to create opportunities for all, the college is adding to its range of international degree programs a series of short certificate courses aimed at anyone who wants to develop their creative skills in a hands- on, enjoyable way. The courses ranging from “Rethinking Your Home” as an introduction to Interior Design through to the “Basics of Photography”, “Textile Printing”, “Animation”, “Fashion Sketching” and “Drafting and Sewing” do not focus on jargon and theoretical study, but rather help participants to develop useful, practical skills. All of the programs are taught by experienced lecturers who have national and international expertise in their particular areas, and the classes will make full use of the state- of- the- art facilities including the fully equipped photography studio at the Raffles Design Institute.
Prof. Steve Rawlinson and the faculty are committed to outcome-based education that has, as an important aim, the enjoyment of learning real world skills. The certificate courses are designed to facilitate maximum participation and to ensure that the students enjoy the process to the point that they want to continue in the learning process. Prof. Steve notes “there is a creative person inside all of us, and we at Raffles provide a rich learning environment that sparks the development of this creativity and provides opportunities for its development”.
Raffles Design Institute, Colombo is part of Raffles Education Corporation, the largest private education group in the Asia Pacific region that has an international reputation for excellence in education, particularly across all areas of design. Indeed, Raffles Design Institute’s fashion design programs were ranked in the top 50 in the world by the US- based fashion news site Fashionista. com in 2011. Creativity, however, is not only applicable to design subjects, it has critical relevance in all industries and professions in terms of innovation, competitiveness and business development. Based on this understanding, all of the international degree programs at Raffles incorporate elements of creativity and innovation along with additional life-skills to ensure that their graduates are fully employable upon graduation. As a key part of this process, students participate in a three month internship to support practical, industry-related, relevant skill building during their design education. Short certificate courses in “Brand Identity” and “Entrepreneurship” are also being offered for those who are interested in more business focused aspects of the creative process and applications are welcome from all who wish to develop or finely tune their capabilities in these areas.
There are many reasons that someone might take a short certificate course ranging from thinking about new career options to simple curiosity or the desire to keep the mind active and learn new skills, but whatever the reason, the courses at Raffles will be stimulating and fun for the participants. The courses are designed for people from all walks of life and there are no pre-requisites or prior qualifications required, just an interest to learn. Upon the conclusion of each short course, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. Anyone interested in finding out more about these courses should contact Raffles Design Institute on +94 11 4375 111