The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) has reached another milestone as the educational forerunner to produce the highest number of Sri Lankan undergraduates at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), one of the most coveted universities in the United Kingdom.

Named as a top choice for Sri Lankan students studying in UK, SHU has the largest total number of Sri Lankan students of any university outside London, according to a study conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), where it was revealed that Sheffield Hallam welcomed 99 Sri Lankan undergraduate students in 2008, a majority of which hail from SLIIT. In 2009 SHU enrolled another 96 students from SLIIT and 2010 will see 121 SLIIT students enrolling at the university to pursue their studies.

The partnership between the two institutions allows suitably qualified SLIIT undergraduates to come to SHU during the summer period to top up their area of study to the honours degree programmes offered by the university in the spheres of Information Technology and Business Management. Successful students progress to Master's courses at the University, where job placement programmes also play a key role in aiding students to carve out a niche for themselves within their chosen field of interest.

Professor S. Karunaratne, Chancellor and Chairman of SLIIT, voices the need to make such opportunities available to larger numbers of students. "At SLIIT, we strive to make those opportunities possible through our time-honoured collaborations with many acclaimed foreign universities broadening the scope for education and ensuring that only the very best services are made available to our students."

"The courses conducted at SLIIT comply with international standards and we have created a Partnership Development Fund with the aim of strengthening the collaborative relationship between the two institutions by providing significant training programmes and PhD scholarships for SLIIT staff", elaborates Professor Lalith Gamage, President and CEO of SLIIT. The fund, initiated in 2009, will also cover necessary expenses during periods of postgraduate or doctoral level study at the university.

Professor Terrence Perera, Assistant Dean of Academic Resources in the faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences (ACES) at SHU, said: "Sheffield has a low cost of living for students and is a friendly and welcoming city. Our innovative and career-orientated courses are ideal for students looking to enhance their employability and many of our graduates find good jobs after they have completed their studies."

As the foremost tertiary institution in Sri Lanka to possess strong global links with many high-ranking universities, SLIIT continues to strive towards the evolving bar of educational excellence to gear students for the challenges within the industry.