Next School of Business, the premier CIM institute in Sri Lanka maintained its leadership position with its record student numbers for the last intake.

'A' Grade for Final Case Study - Ravin Weerawardane

Within a short time span NEXT became the undisputed market leader in CIM education in Sri Lanka with its EXPERT lecture panel and state- of- the- art study facilities. Speaking to Education Times, Ms Kumudu Abeyawardane, the General Manager of NEXT commented that the success is solely attributed to the expert panel of lecturers, including Dusty, Bertram and Ravi.

She went on to say 'all our lecturers are MBA qualified and trained by CIM in UK. They hold CEO and Heads of marketing positions in leading multinational and local companies in Sri Lanka and have the ability to impart practical knowledge to students with their own experiences'.

When Education Times inquired about the CIM stages and the changes to syllabi, Ms Aberwardene explained the current status and the changes that are taking place in detail so that students can be better prepared.

Stage 1 - New Syllabus

'The new syllabus for Stage 1 which commenced last year, is well established now and any student starting CIM will have to follow the new syllabus. NEXT has been a pioneer in adapting the new syllabus with close connections with CIM - UK and other UK study centres. NEXT secured two Sri Lanka prizes for Essentials of Marketing (EM) and Marketing Information & Research (MIR) subjects and recorded high pass rates. The success of Stage 1 is ample evidence of the capability of lecturers to coach students for both exam based and assignment based subjects. NEXT has developed easy to follow step by step guidelines for assignment based subjects and a special revision programme for exam based subjects to ensure high pass rates' Ms Abeywardene added.

Stage 2 - Old Syllabus

Commenting on the options for students in Stage 2, Ms Abeywardene said 'this session students have the option of following the old syllabus or the new syllabus and completing stage 2. At NEXT we offer both options and already we have got many students registering for both. We have Sri Lanka's best panel for stage 2 old syllabus and this is our biggest strength. Whether you are half way or yet to start stage 2, you have one last opportunity to get through the Professional Diploma (Stage 2) Old Syllabus with NEXT, with an unmatched panel of lecturers including Dusty, Bertram and Ravi. There are specially prepared NEXT Publications including course workbooks, revision kits, Q & A books and exam forecasts that none can match students who follow the old syllabus. We urge students to register fast as there are limited seats.

Stage 2 - New Syllabus

NEXT is fully geared to handle the new Stage 2 syllabus. The three assignment based subjects are supported with step by step easy to follow assignment guidelines specially prepared by the tutors. Ms Aberwardene explained the transition arrangement to the new syllabus for the benefit of students and parents.

Stage 3 - Old Syllabus

She explained the new developments that will take place in the final stages in detail; CIM - UK is rolling out a new syllabus to replace the current CIM Stage 3 (postgraduate diploma). The new qualification or new stage 3 will be known as 'the Chartered Postgraduate Diploma.

The new Chartered Postgraduate Diploma Level will consist of two phases. Like the current Postgraduate Diploma, Phase 1 will comprise of four units or subjects. The assessment criteria will be changed to assignment and work based projects except one subject. The new Phase 1 subjects will be:

Phase 2 will be known as 'leading marketing' and it will consist of 3 sections and will be evaluated through a work based assignment or project. This will also have 60 credits similar to Phase 1. NEXT will deliver this new syllabus from January 2010.

Ms Abeywardene said 'if you act fast, you have the chance to get CIM qualified real fast while the old syllabus is still available! If you do all 4 subjects or a few in Dec 2009 you can do the balance in June 2010 and complete CIM within the old syllabus. NEXT will conduct Old Syllabus classes only for Dec 2009 & June 2010 exam sessions. We will provide a comprehensive set of course workbooks, revision kits, Q & A books and exam forecasts to help students to complete their CIM'.

Apart from the expert lecture panel, NEXT School of Business has a state- of- the- art modern learning facility conveniently located at Havelock Road. NEXT is setting up a computer laboratory facility for the use of students. Ample parking and easy access through public transport are benefits students find at NEXT. Within a year of operation NEXT became the leader in CIM education in Sri Lanka and achieved recognition as a CIM Accredited Tuition Centre.

NEXT School of Business was set up by a group of professionals who are holding senior management positions in the Corporate Sector and who have in common the passion of empowering young executives with the knowledge, skills and competences required for career advancement and personal development.

For more information contact:
Ms. Kumudu Abeyawardane
General Manager
NEXT School of Business
327 Havelock Road
Colombo 06
Tel 5765404/05
E Mail info@next.lk
Web www.next.lk