Undoubtedly, the world is in need of Engineers as never before. The unprecedented pace of development in infrastructure in the developed and oil rich countries and the rapid urbanization and industrialization of the developing countries has made the Engineering profession the highest sought after and one of the highest paid jobs in the world.
 The continuous occupation of Engineering as the top priority skilled labour category for migration to UK, Canada and Australia for the past decade is ample testimony to the very high demand for Engineers possessing recognized degrees of high standard.
Identifying the demand for Engineering graduates, most universities and higher educational institutes around the world have launched new courses in Engineering, developed and expanded their existing curriculums and have invested heavily in research in collaboration with the industry to enhance course programmes. Unfortunately at the same time many mushroom institutes have sprung up to cash in to the opportunity offering a wide array of Engineering courses at certificate, Diploma and Degree levels, luring unsuspecting students into sub-standard study programmes severely undermining their career prospects. In the light of this scenario, it is timely and prudent for the parents to scrutinize carefully the background and the operational aspects of institutes offering Engineering degree programmes with emphasis on the following:
1. Infrastructure facilities
A successful degree programme can be conducted only if a comprehensive range of laboratories, complete with state-of-the-art and updated equipment are available on site. It is also necessary that the institute is complete with modern lecture halls and having multi-media facilities and a well stocked library.
2. Academic staff
Only an experienced academic staff with recognized postgraduate qualifications and well established links with the industry can successfully guide the students towards successfully achieving educational goals. For an Engineering degree programme to be maintained at international standards in a fast evolving field of study, a high quality top end academic staff with a proven track record is a must.
 3. Recognition to the degree awarded
Out of thousands of universities awarding Engineering degrees only a few are recognized as offering top end world-class degree programmes where successful graduates are assured of ready and rewarding employment world over. Thus it is imperative to find out the standing of the degree awarding university with regard to its links with the industry and the employability of its graduates.
Considering the above many knowledgeable Sri Lankan parents have opted to send their offspring abroad for reputed Engineering degrees that had opened the path for a whole generation of bright Sri Lankan graduates to reap the benefits of the developed world. However, more recently Sri Lankan parents hitherto having the daunting task of mustering huge sums of money for providing quality education to their sons and daughters in such reputed foreign universities are now faced with the added problem of obtaining visas in developed countries where severe restrictions are imposed.
In this background therefore it is heartening to note South Asian Institute of Technology and Management (SAITM) at Malabe, a brainchild project of Dr Neville Fernando has stepped in to fill the void by providing a-state-of-the art university campus complete with all the infrastructure facilities and an excellent faculty to offer degrees in affiliation with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, a world renowned independent university specialized in Engineering education, offering an immense opportunity to all young aspiring Engineers in Sri Lanka. AIT offering 4 year internationally recognized Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSc. Eng.) degree programmes in Civil & Infrastructure, Mechatronics, Electronics, Telecommunication, ICT in Engineering and a BSc. degree programme in Computer Science & IT in an environment of most modern facilities is well positioned to provide employment opportunities to the successful graduates through the vast network of industries it is linked with throughout the world in all five continents. Further, AIT guarantees scholarships to high performers with ample opportunities of entry in to MSc and PhD programmes in addition to tuition waivers and financial assistance.
Most importantly, all this will be at a fraction of the cost of obtaining a degree totally in foreign soil incurring a massive cost, plus the young student being away from his/her family for an extended period of time. SAITM having its first batch of students in Engineering following degree programmes in various fields very successfully is now in the process of registering new students for the next intake which is due to commence in September 2010.
Those who sat the London or local A/L can now apply with or pending results for entry.
Further information can be obtained from www.saitm.edu.lk or 011 2413331. |
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