A step towards a world of opportunities with SLIIT Academy
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SLIIT Academy (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), was established to provide education opportunities to a wider range of students who wish to progress their higher education with an industrial oriented learning experience. One of SLIIT Academy’s partner universities is the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom for undergraduate Degree Programmes. Dr. Tess Crosbie, a lecturer at University of Bedfordshire and the Link Coordinator, contacted online to interview her regarding the relationship of SLIIT Academy and University of Bedfordshire, UK.
Appearing below are some excerpts of the interview.
I became a Link Coordinator for University of Bedfordshire in 2016. I visit SLIIT Academy twice each year to meet students, hold discussions with the management of the SLIIT Academy and resolve any issues that may have come up. The University of Bedfordshire is having a very good relationship with the SLIIT Academy. We have come to know through experience that SLIIT Academy deeply cares about the welfare of the students and the quality of education they are getting.
SLIIT Academy is offering BSc(Hons) Computer Science & Software Engineering, BSc(Hons) Computer Networking, BA (Hons) Business Administration & BSc(Hons) Human Resources Management degrees from University of Bedfordshire. The students follow these courses in Sri Lanka until they graduate, Computer Science & Software Engineering and Computer Networking are very popular choices of Sri Lankan students. As many Sri Lankans are greatly concerned about employability, preferably overseas, we find that our degree programmes are very popular in Sri Lanka.
University of Bedfordshire supplies all teaching materials and the academic staff at SLIIT Academy do the teaching using the learning environment provided. Every student can access reference books, slide presentations and all other relevant learning materials that are made available to overseas students in accordance with international licensing requirements that the University has to comply with. Even when visiting staff from the University of Bedfordshire visit SLIIT Academy, they always get the assistance of the local staff. This is advantageous to all parties concerned because the visiting staff does not know anything about the students here.
An interesting fact we see that most of the Sri Lankan students are employed while attending the University. It is not the case in the United Kingdom where most students wait until they graduate to find employment. So, for many Sri Lanka students, a degree is an important step in career advancement. Most of them want to obtain post-graduate qualifications. The University of Bedfordshire welcomes such students. Some of them want to go to some other country such as the USA and Australia to continue their studies. Exceptionally bright students go for research. That is a big leap and an intense way of learning.
Q: What are the overseas opportunities for students graduating from University of Bedfordshire through SLIIT Academy?
As University of Bedfordshire is recognised world-wide, the overseas opportunities for graduates of the University are vast. They can go to any part of the world they like and find highly paid employment in their chosen field. At present, any person entering the United Kingdom on a student visa could stay there four months after graduation. But, the Government is going to change that from next year so a student visa holder can stay for two years after graduation. We are very happy about that decision. This makes a vast difference. They can put their newly acquired knowledge and talents to use almost immediately.
When students join SLIIT Academy to follow University of Bedfordshire degree programmes, they will be getting degrees with international value. When you are competing in the international arena, it is advantageous to have the highest qualifications from a globally recognised centre of learning. There are some countries where they seek very highly qualified people. A degree certificate from an internationally recognised university such as the University of Bedfordshire carries much weight anywhere in the world. The environment and the facilities at the SLIIT Academy are excellent and the staff work very hard to educate the students. This a very good place to start.
My life is an open book. I graduated with a Degree in Literature and I did not want to become a teacher or a journalist. So, I selected sales. I was in sales for quite a long time and during that time I got married and now I have four children. Once they started school, I looked round and decided on a university career. The University of Bedfordshire was having a course for people without a computing background to learn about computers. I like computers and I love playing games on my computer. Then, I learnt computers. I was a part-time student from 2005 to 2008. The difference between learning as an adult and leaning when you were young is vast. You don’t feel like wasting your time partying and just hanging around. You can really study hard. Anyway, I passed my final examination with distinction. Then the University wanted me to impart my knowledge to students. So, I told them that I do not have any teaching experience and that I would give it a try and, I absolutely loved it. Then, after teaching for quite a time, I was invited to become a link coordinator. At present I am the Link Coordinator for SLIIT Academy in Sri Lanka and another institution in Oman.
About University of Bedfordshire
The University of Bedfordshire is an internationally recognised award winning institution with an excellent academic and teaching reputation. It appears in the Times Higher Education World University rankings and was also ranked as one of the top 250 universities in the world under 50 years old in the Young University rankings.
The University celebrated a Silver award in the first ever Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and came eight in the UK in the People and Planet University Green League.
Bedfordshire is renowned for its vibrant and cosmopolitan student population that includes more than 20,000 students from over 100 countries. It is a modern university that offers a wide range of degree courses that are tailored to meet the needs of its students, providing them with transformational opportunities through access to an excellent educational experience.
About SLIIT Academy
Started in 2001, SLIIT Academy (Pvt) Ltd a subsidiary of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology which has been established to provide education opportunities to a wider range of students who wish to progress their higher education with an industrial oriented learning experience. SLIITA has around 1500 students studying in Foundation, Bachelors and Masters Degree programmes in the fields of Computing, Business & Engineering.