12 Feb, 2010
‘The Final Step’ – a five-day series of soft skills workshops, presented by the John Keells Foundation (JKF), in collaboration with the Career Guidance Unit (CGU) of the University took place from 8-12 February 2010 at the University of Moratuwa. Changing the perspectives of employment in Sri Lanka, the programme also gave the participants a definite idea of what the private sector expected of them as qualified graduates.
Designed mainly to enhance the employability of graduates in the private sector, the programme involved panel discussions by industry greats, as well as interactive workshops by professional trainers. A wide range of topics such as Employer Expectations, Team Building and Leadership Skills, Adapting to the Corporate Environment, Personality Development and Confidence Building, Personal Grooming and Corporate Hospitality, were covered through the workshops.
The first panel discussion focussed on Employer Expectations while the second dealt with Team Building and Leadership Skills. The eminent panellists at the discussions were Faizal Salieh, Managing Director, Amana Investments Limited, Dilani Alagaratnam,
President – Human Resources and Legal, John Keells Holdings PLC, Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne CEO, Jetwing Eco Holidays, Sandya Salgado Director/CEO, Ogilvy Action. Ronnie Peiris, Group Finance Director, John Keells Holdings PLC, Ms Sharmini Ratwatte, Non-Executive Director, JKL, Chairman Environmental Foundation Limited, Dr. Harsha Alles, Director, Gateway Group, Rohantha Athukorala, Head of National Portfolio Development – Sri Lanka and the Maldives, United Nations Operations (UNOPS). Dr Uditha Liyanage, Director, Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM) moderated the panel discussions.
Three days of interactive workshops followed, with Ms. Nayana Karunaratne of Image Consultants presenting tips on personal grooming and corporate hospitality including social etiquette. Undergraduates were also introduced to the unwritten rules of the corporate environment, by Prasanna Perera, Director, Vishvaka Marketing (Pvt) Ltd; while Ajit Bopitiya General Manager, Group HR Browns Group of Companies, addressed the students on the important aspects of personality development and confidence building.