Sri Lanka's best known HR professionals have committed to teach on the new Edexcel HND in Business - Human Resource Management programme offered by the Human Resource Management Institute (HRMI) and scheduled to commence this month.

The Director of the Institute Mr. Gihan Talgodapitiya briefing the media on the new Edexcel Higher National Diploma reasoned out why HRMI has engaged the country's top-most resource persons to be on the faculty for this programme. He said, 'Edexcel Qualifications are evaluated on the basis of students attaining a high standard of professionalism in the assignments and projects they are required to submit. They need to learn modern management concepts and how they could apply them at work as the assignments involve practical applications. In order to facilitate this learning, the faculty must be qualified and exposed to contemporary management practices'. This required the teachers to be conversant on modern practices of managing people and performance. Unless the faculty has the exposure to these new concepts and management practices, students will not be able to fulfil the high standards of expectation set by the UK evaluators'.

He further stated that every lecturer has been hand-picked and invited to be on the faculty as they have the exposure at the highest level in leading banks, companies and multi-nationals. 'All our lecturers hold very high positions in the private sector and posses postgraduate qualifications from some of the best universities in the region. We are extremely happy to say that our students have a great opportunity to meet these professionals who not only impart the subject-matter, but also serve as a great source of inspiration to the young students'. HRMI students are placed on a well structured internship training programme over a period of six months.

The Director went on to say, 'Unlike in the past, today HR managers play a vital role in the survival and growth of a business. It is a core function and a major strategy for any organisation. Therefore we now need to train the next generation in a manner they can cope with any job, be it in Sri Lanka or elsewhere in the world'.

With a strong reputation as HR specialists together with internationally recognised qualifications, Human Resource Management Institute provides an unmatched combination of opportunities for students to excel in professional education and secure training and employment. The Degree Pathway at HRMI enables a student to pursue the HND and complete a degree within one year either in UK, Australia or Sri Lanka. Two passes at A/Ls or full or part professional qualification is acceptable for entry into the Edexcel HND pathway. Students with only O/Ls will need to follow the Pre-HND Foundation Certificate to gain entry to the HND.

The Professional Pathway at HRMI leads to an Executive Diploma in HRM which can be completed in one year. The entry requirements for the Executive Diploma specify A/Ls with 2 years of executive experience, a Degree or the Executive Certificate in HRM or equivalent. Apart from the Executive Diploma programme, HRMI offers a Preliminary Certificate in HRM, a Certificate in HRM and Executive Certificate in HRM programmes for school leavers as well as for those employed in HR as well as non-HR functions. The unique feature of these different programmes is that the students have the option of continuing their studies up to a Bachelor's or Master's Degree offered by some of the most respected British or Australian Universities.

The advantage HRMI students gain is the choice of universities as Edexcel HND is accepted by over 100 leading universities in UK, Australia, Malaysia and in other Commonwealth countries. According to an HRMI spokesperson, soon there will be opportunities to complete the entire degree in Sri Lanka at a very affordable cost. This Edexcel award to HRMI has resulted in Sri Lankan students being able to secure an international HR qualification at a fraction of a cost compared to what they would have to pay in England or Australia. On completion of the Bachelor's Degree in HR, students have the opportunity of pursuing a Master's Degree in Management / HR or Business Administration.

The course contents and details of the HRMI faculty are available at the website: www.hrmi.lk. School leavers and non-working students at HRMI have an additional advantage of securing internship training placement in good companies. Many students said the commitment and good work during 'internship training' resulted in securing employment offers on completion of training. The attractive monthly instalment plan available at HRMI enables many students to pursue a respectable and recognised British qualification which would have been out-of-reach for many.