University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Colombo joins CISI’s Worldwide Network of Partner Universities

By Lora Benson | Sep 06, 2016

The University of Sri Jayawardenapura (USJP), one of Sri Lanka’s largest state owned universities, has confirmed a partnership deal with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) to promote industry recognised professional qualifications, helping students distinguish themselves in the competitive graduate market.

The MoU was signed by Simon Culhane, Chartered FCSI, CISI Chief Executive and Prof. Sampath Amaratunge, Vice Chancellor, USJP in Colombo.  Under the agreement the CISI will provide exemptions and membership opportunities for faculty of Management and Commerce undergraduate students from the USJP.

The USJP faculty of Management Studies and Commerce is the largest faculty in the university system in Sri Lanka. Enrolling around 5,000 undergraduate students, the university attracts the top performers from the highly competitive Sri Lankan GCE Advanced Level Examination.

The CISI has been working in the South Asia region for ten years and has its regional operations hub in Sri Lanka. It has formed strategic alliances with local bodies with the objective of supporting the capacity building for the financial industry in Sri Lanka, including, Securities & Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC), Sri Lankan Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) and Centre for Banking Studies (CBS), Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka (APB) and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission and is also supported by many leading local and foreign banks.

“Many young people want to work in the financial industry but lack the experience and training required.  Our qualifications are developed by financial services industry practitioners. This, combined with a high-level academic partnership, offers graduates that important competitive edge in the jobs market and helps to build the talent the industry needs,” said Mr.Culhane.

Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said “The co-operation with the CISI is a significant step that will heighten our strategic intent of remaining as ‘the Centre of Excellence in Management Education in Sri Lanka and beyond’. I am optimistic about how such a partnership would help in moulding the next generation of finance professionals.”

The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Dr. U. Anura Kumara, Dean, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce USJP, Prof. Dissabandara, Professor of Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce USJP, Mr. Brian Slevanayagam, Country Manager CISI Sri Lanka and Mr. Asanaka Wijeratne Assistant Vice President CISI Sri Lanka.