IIT attracts top notch IT and blue-chip companies at Careers Day
Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT), a pioneer in providing globally renowned higher education in the disciplines of Information Technology and Business in Sri Lanka, recently held its annual Careers Day with the participation of leading multinational, FMCG and IT companies.
Since the institute’s inception in 1990, IIT has produced over 3000 graduates that are empowering nearly 200 organizations across the globe. IIT graduates have a 100% employment assurance due to its strong academic foundation and industry exposure provided to its students.
IIT Careers Day was organized with the objective of providing an opportunity for their graduates and students to obtain employment and internship opportunities at some of Sri Lanka’s leading companies.
This year’s Careers Day was attended by over 300 students and graduates of the institute and included the participation of 39 leading IT and multinational companies. Some of the key industry leaders who were present at the event included Millennium IT, VirtusaPolaris, WSO2, John Keells Computer Services, Informatics International, Dialog Axiata, Cake Labs, Creative Solutions and other leading multinational FMCG companies.
Career Day presented students with a unique opportunity to meet some of the Senior Management Leaders and Human Resources Teams of these leading corporate organizations on a one-to-one basis, and to be briefed by these organizations on a wide range of career opportunities on offer. The event was a success not just in terms of introducing students to career opportunities available to them, but also because of the positive feedback received from students as well as participating organisations, who viewed this event as a recruitment opportunity.
The leading companies which were present noted that the primary reason for their presence over the years was the high calibre of the IIT students – who were superior in both technical and soft skills. Several companies in particular commended IIT for including a mandatory one-year industry placement (internship) as part of its degree, observing that the real-world exposure gained by the students as a result was a crucial differentiator which empowers these students to be indemand in the job market.
Head of HR of Cake Labs – Shiran Weerakone said that the company was taking part at the event to continue its long-standing relationship with IIT and that many of the members of the company’s leadership team were IIT alumni. “We have observed that IIT students are wellrounded in terms of both technical competency and soft skills,” he said.
Head of Talent Acquisition of VirtusaPolaris – Krishan Gunawardena noted that to maintain the company’s growth, it was on the lookout for top-notch technical talent. “We feel that IIT students are well-geared to add value in the areas in which we operate,” he said.
Stating that WSO2 has been participating at the IIT Careers Day for several years, Pramila Rajapaksa, Director HR of WSO2, commended IIT on including a one-year internship in its degree programme to enhance the competencies of its students. “The students of IIT meet the high calibre of the professionals employed by WSO2,” she said.
Head of HR of the IT Sector of John Keells – Niresh Samaranayake noted that the company had continued to witness the high quality of the IIT students over several years it had participated at the Careers Day. “The internship period being one year presents sufficient time and a win-win proposition for both the companies and the students,” he said.
Dialog Axiata Senior Executive (Product and Services Innovation) – Shafraz Rahim observed that the company is participating at the IIT Careers Day for the first time this year and were motivated to do so due to the strong performances and competency of the graduates produced by the institute.
“As global economies expand and airlines take delivery of tens of thousands of new commercial jetliners over the next 20 years, there is and will continue to be unprecedented demand for personnel to fly and maintain those airplanes.
In support of this tremendous growth, the aviation industry will need to supply more than one million new commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians between now and 2034”
Source: Boeing 2015 pilot & technician outlook
The vision to empower a young energetic workforce of qualified licensed commercial pilots and aeronautical engineers, who are industry ready for the global aviation industry, has set skyline’s sights on a mission - a mission that has seen a couple of hundred young aspiring pilots and engineers enter the field of aviation.
With training and resource facilities that exceed the expectations of the industry, skyline has gained an unparallelled reputation for producing some of the best interns for the aviation industry.
As global trade, business, tourism & leisure opportunities continue to grow and shift across the globe the demand for international travel will too. Industry figures have placed the annual growth at 4.6 per cent.
It is therefore an undisputed fact that the global aviation industry stands to prosper.
A look at the global giants in aircraft manufacturing – airbus and boeing – and their performance figures, will give us a good gauge of the future of global aviation and the opportunities it holds for those aspiring to be a part of it.
A comparison upto 30th November 2015 for the 11 month period alone shows that airbus delivered 1007 aircraft out of 1079 ordered – this is across its entire range, with boeing delivering 568 aircraft across its entire range.
Airbus predicts a total requirement of 32,600 aircraft for the 20 year period from 2015 to 2034, while boeing predicts a requirement of 38,050 aircrafts for the same period. If we take the average of these two, it works out to 35,325 aircrafts, which means an average of 2,943 aircrafts annually.
What interests us is the number of crews that would be needed to operate these aircrafts. Each of these aircrafts will need an average of 6 sets of crews (12 pilots plus 60-70 cabin crew. In addition, an equally strong team of at least 6 licensed aircraft maintenance engineers and 24 supporting technicians will also be required to successfully operate these machines. Source: boeing 2015 pilot & technician outlook Hence it is strongly believed that the scope over the next 20 years is extremely promising, with foreign airlines opening their doors to foreign license holders & technical staff.
These are professions that carry great responsibility. Professions that are ideally suited for men and women with integrity, dedication, honesty and self descipline - qualities that are common among successful aviators!
If you consider yourself to be someone who would like to be a part of the global aviation industry and enjoy what it holds for the future, then aviation needs you.
Skyline aviation, sri lanka’s premier aviation training institute invites those interested in following either the commercial pilot training programme or the licensed aircraft maintenance engineering programme to contact us on 0114 210 300 / 0112 635 600.