Pearson BTEC Higher Education Forum: “Employability and Entrepreneurship”
Enhancing youth employability and entrepreneurship within Sri Lanka, Pearson organised an extravagant evening for the Heads of Pearson BTEC Higher Education Centres under the theme “Employability & Entrepreneurship” at 8 Degrees, Cinnamon Lakeside. Representing Pearson Education Harish Doraiswamy, Vice President – Pearson India, Premila Paulraj – Regional Director – Asia, Laurent Lemaitre - Head of Progression & Recognition – Pearson UK and Suriya Bibile – Territory Manager were present at the Forum. Mr. Dilith Jayaweera, the founder of Triad, Group Chairman of George Steuart & Company Limited, and the Chairman TV Derana and FM Derana graced the evening as the key-note speaker.
Mr. Jayaweera shared his experiences as an entrepreneur and a business personality in Sri Lanka who now runs around 30 companies with diverse business interests. Addressing the gathering he mentioned that to thrive in the industry, people must be innovative and think outside the box with a practical approach in the work environment.
The generation in educational institutions today are not the same as what they used to be. The expectations from key stakeholders – industry and students -- have drastically changed. Therefore, Pearson works with employers and professional bodies in the UK and around the world to ensure the qualifications offer the best outcome for students and businesses.
More employers and Higher Education institutions than ever before are choosing BTEC-qualified candidates for their academic and practical knowledge and skills. Recognition for BTEC qualifications from Universities and organizations are growing at a significant rate. More than 300 universities including UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Singapore, Russia recognize Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals as a progression route to undergraduate degrees. The latest development is the agreement between Southern New Hampshire University in USAand Pearson to give stu- dents the option of progression directly into the final year of a 4 year programme. Similar agreements are also in place with universities of other countries including Royal Roads University in Canada.
Today’s economy needs practitioners who can think, and thinkers who can act. At its best, that is the combination that BTEC stands for. The importance of that combination has also been recognised by universities, many of which today do not only provide the groves of academe but energetic workshops of engineering, design, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation.
The demand for higher education is growing. The BTEC route is highly benefi- cial to students themselves: Many go directly into employment, but many decide to go to university before going into employment. And increasing numbers of students opt for a smart mix of A-Level and BTEC. The picket fence between academic and career and professional education is, slowly, piece-by-piece, being dismantled. Universities like Exeter, London Southbank and Huddersfield (along with most other universities) value BTEC students, 86% of whom go on to achieve a second class degree or better.
Pearson Test of English: Academic (PTE:A) is a desirable requirement for BTEC and other undergraduate and migration requirements. Employers too can use PTE - Academic as a test to assess the English language skills of potential employees.
Harish Doraiswamy – Vice President, Schools – Pearson said“the support and service rendered by the Higher Education institutions to uplift the standards of Education and opportunities of employability for students in Sri Lanka is tremendous.
As a responsibility of Pearson, we follow a stringent process of quality assurance with increasing resources being deployed supported by annual training for the teaching staff to ensure strict adherence to the standards in delivering BTEC courses in all Pearson BTEC approved centres.”
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