MAS Holdings Institute for textile and Apparel, English, IT and BPO training

MAS Holdings is opening its first education services venture at its textile zone in Thulhiriya, in February, aimed at training 2,000 people annually in subjects including etiquette.

The MAS Institute of Management Technology (MIMT), is a million dollar investment and a BOI company, aimed at providing employment oriented education to rural youth. The institute is located within the MAS Fabric Park that was launched in October last year.

“Although in Sri Lanka we have very good education standards, there is a weakness when it comes to higher education. There is a mismatch between the training and what is needed by companies. So this is an area we hope to target,” said CEO of MAS Investments, Dulindra Fernando, speaking at the press conference to launch MIMT.

MIMT itself is located in one of the poorest districts in Sri Lanka, Kurunegala. The training programmes are aimed at facilitating employment opportunities for young people in such under privileged areas. The subjects offered, also reflect this. In additon to providing courses in textile and garment manufacturing, MIMT will offer courses in IT and BPO and also English and etiquette.
“You could call it a sort of finishing school,” said CEO of MIMT, Chandan de Silva.

“There is a demand for English and there is an opportunity in IT and BPO employment. But our youth also need help to build personality, confidence and how to interact in a corporate environment,” said de Silva.

“We have had discussions with the national ICT Agency (ICTA) and they told us there is a large demand for persons in the IT-enabled and BPO sectors. Indian IT companies are interested in coming here but there is a shortage of skills. Right now we produce about 2,500 IT graduates per year but we need to reach the minimum threshold of 5,000,” said Fernando.

MIMT’s initial target is to train 2,000 persons per year, in total. The institute has 17 training rooms including laboratories for IT, textile processing and sewing machine mechanics and residential facilities for up 250 people.

The courses are delivered through partnerships with specialists in each specific area of education. MIMT can also offer customised programmes to address specific skill gaps in IT, BPO and textile and apparel industries. Companies can work with MIMT to develop the required training packages.

“We will operate with a visiting faculty. This will ensure that the training is always relevant,” said de Silva. “We are partnering with Informatics for IT training. We will offer a range of IT programmes from short courses in subjects like 3D graphics to diplomas and degrees. We have partnered with others for English and BPO courses,” said MIMIT’s head of youth education and corporate training, Ayin Shahjahan.

MIMT has also partnered with Borderlands to introduce an experiential learning component to its training programmes by incorporating outdoor activities like rock-climbing, canoeing and kayaking.

Some of the trained personnel would be absorbed by the MAS Fabric Park itself that is projected to generate up to 5,000 jobs over the next few years. The institute will also operate a job placement centre to match trainees with vacancies outside, as well as inside the park.