Financial Times

Overseas training for grads by new flour mill project
Two Sri Lankan graduates hired by Serendib Flour Mills, new entrant to Sri Lanka's flour milling industry, have completed a training course at the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India.

Manoj Ekanayake and Himesh Athukorale are graduates of the Peradeniya University. The company said in a statement it is currently in the process of setting up operations in Sri Lanka and embarked on this training programme after recognizing the serious lack of milling expertise in the country and the existing need for trained millers.

Ekanayake said he was happy to be selected to follow the course. "Now we have theoretical knowledge in flour milling and our practical experience in Dubai will help us to perform well in our jobs."

The company enrolled the two candidates for an 11-month training programme at the Mysore Institute and will now be sending them for further on-the-job training at their parent company National Flour Mills LLC in Dubai for a one year period.

Sathak Abdul Cader, CEO of Serendib Flour Mills, said it was good to invest in the training of these graduates. “The specialized training we offer will have long-term benefits for both the company as well as the country.”

The company plans to send out batches of two graduates for training each year for the next three years and have already earmarked their candidates for 2004/2005. The company is not only ensuring that they employ graduates fresh from university, they are also training them in a field, which Sri Lanka lacks professional expertise in.

Serendib Flour Mills is a subsidiary of the Al Ghurair Group who owns the National Flour Mills in Dubai. The company plans to commence operations in Sri Lanka by early 2006.

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