ESOFT Computer Studies, which is a well known name in the Sri Lankan Training and Education field, recently started offering Edexcel International's Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes. The first product to be rolled out by ESOFT was the HND in Computing.

The HND is an 18 to 24 month academic programme that can be completed either on a full time or part time basis, thereby giving the student a valuable qualification that is equivalent to the first two years of a three year British B.Sc (Hons) Degree. It is absolute value for money, as the approximate cost of the entire programme is around Rs. 200,000. Students can then do one more year of studies to top-up their qualification with a B.Sc (Hons) Degree from a prestigious UK University, thereby earning their Degree in record time, with a minimal investment. ESOFT is well known in the training and education sector for leading several products. For the benefit of those that do not recollect, a few highlights are:

nOur academic panel is one of the best due to the qualifications they hold and the many years of teaching experience in some of the most demanding programmes. ESOFT is proud of the Academic Panel that we have assembled at all of our Centres. We lay emphasis on obtaining people with sound educational backgrounds with graduate and post graduate qualifications, and we employ a majority of them on a full time basis. We rely on a minimum of visiting lecturers as we believe they have constraints in their time allocations due to their other careers.

Our lecturers are employed by us full time, and are therefore fully prepared for any lectures they conduct, and easily accessible to the students for solving their queries. Maintaining a high calibre academic panel is difficult due to their inclination to move into the ICT industry as Software Engineers and Designers. We retain them by providing attractive remunerations and perks thereby guaranteeing the best resources for you. This is how we have reached the pinnacle for the BCS and BIT programmes that we conduct.

nWe lead the market for the British Computer Society (BCS) Professional Examinations in IT, and have produced some of the best results in the entire world, where our students have won many World Prizes for their accomplishments.

At the last graduation ceremony, students of ESOFT walked away with 10 out of the 11 prizes that were on offer. This shows the commitment and expertise of our academic panel. ESOFT is the only "Accredited Course Provider" in Sri Lanka for all three levels of the exams.

"We lead the market for the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) Degree of the University of Colombo School of Computing, having the largest student numbers island wide through our branch network. ESOFT is one of the few institutions who can claim that we conducted the BIT Programme from its inception in the year 2000 and we are one of the few remaining. Many others who offered BIT have not been able to compete to meet the demands of the students.

nWe also conduct classes for the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) External Degree of the University of Moratuwa. Being selected as a collaborative partner of the University exemplifies the level of our academic and physical resources available for learners at ESOFT.

Students that complete their HND can then go on to complete their final year of the Degree at ESOFT itself thereby graduating from one of the finest Universities in the UK. All arrangements are currently being prepared for the introduction of four different B.Sc (Hons) streams in Computing, Business Management, and Engineering.

Even absolute beginners can join into ESOFT's HND Programme as our goal is to ensure that everyone receives the maximum benefit of what we have to offer. Students that do not have any exposure to IT can first enter into our bridging programme which is conducted over a two month period, absolutely free of charge. Successfully completing this bridging programme entitles the student to a valued certificate as well. The student can then proceed onto the HND programme and continue with the normal studies with the confidence that he or she can perform well.

ESOFT has been involved in the education sector since the year 2000 and is ISO 9001:2008 Certified. We have branches in Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala, Matara, and Negombo. Our latest branch will be opened in Jaffna by August. For further information, please call us on 077 309 9 301 or 2 553 883. You can also get more information by visiting our website at www.esoft.lk