Many students who get through their A/Ls with sufficient marks to enter the university are unable to secure a place for themselves at state universities due to the fact that only a limited number is selected for the annual intake. This leaves good many a student disappointed and frustrated as they are unable to realize their future aspirations of higher education.
The Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) offers a second chance for those students with adequate qualifications who have missed the opportunity to enter state universities through the unique scholarship scheme which enables them to obtain a degree in Software Engineering and Information Systems with Business Management from the University of Westminster, UK. This scheme is comparatively more cost-efficient than most other alternative higher education programmes offered by the private educational institutes at present and it helps the deserving students to receive an affordable higher education and it also fulfills a national need by producing qualified IT professionals for whom there is a big demand in the island today.
Associate Professor Alfred Perera said that this scholarship scheme has been specially designed for the benefit of those students who have done well at the A/L exam but have failed to enter a national university. All applications for the scholarship scheme will be collected at one central location and out of these applicants a certain number will be selected for an aptitude test which will be conducted by an independent body. Those who qualify through this test will have to face a viva voce. This oral examination will test certain factors such as their efficiency in using English language for effective communication etc. The final selections for the scholarship programme will be made out of the students who pass through this viva process successfully.
The students who are selected for the scholarship programme will go through a full time four month programme that provides them with the skills and knowledge necessary to become a successful employee in the industry. By the time they complete this initial programme they will be qualified to become an intern in either IT or Business field. A number of leading organizations in the island have been selected to sponsor these interns. The idea behind this scheme is to produce professionals with an all round training who are suitable to be profitably employed by the industry.
The scholarship scheme includes two operational modes. In the first mode a student will receive full tuition fees for the entire programme from the organization and in the second mode the sponsoring organization will pay 75% of the student's tuition fees and the balance 25% has to borne by the student . The programme is conducted over a period of five years and the students are benefited by getting a chance to obtain a well recognized degree from the University of Westminster whilst gaining a hands on experience working for a leading organization which will furnish them with a high value in both local and foreign job markets. The sponsoring organization in turn will be benefited by securing the services of a properly trained and steady employee for the said five year period.
The scholarship scheme will enter the student, the sponsoring organization and the IIT into a tri-party agreement. During the internship the students will have lectures on Friday afternoons and Saturdays.
The growing demand from many organizations for more interns show how popular this scholarship programme with them and this is because of the benefits they receive through the scheme. IIT, one of the leading sponsors for the scheme, has been running it with great benefits for the students and the industry itself, for fifteen very successful years. |
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