Beyond A/Ls: Structuring a Serious Start to Your Career
With the release of the 2025 GCE Advanced Level results, 62.64 percent of candidates have qualified for university admission. But for many students, the next step will fall outside the traditional university pathway.
They are entering an education landscape filled with degrees, diplomas, international pathways, and professional qualifications. There are more options than ever before, but not always more clarity.
Priyanga Dassanayake – CEO, Brandix Corporate Campus
Today, A/Ls are no longer simply an endpoint. They have become a major decision point. The real question is no longer what students can study, but which pathways lead to meaningful careers and long-term growth.
As Brandix Corporate Campus opens applications for its June intake, CEO Priyanga Dassanayake shares his perspective on what students and parents should prioritise at this stage, and why structured, industry-aligned pathways are becoming increasingly relevant.
With more options than ever after A/Ls, why are so many students still struggling to
make the “right” choice?
The issue is not a lack of options, but a lack of clarity around outcomes. Students are exposed to many pathways, but not always a clear understanding of where those pathways lead.
Too often, decisions are centred around the qualification itself rather than the outcome. The more important question is: what will this pathway prepare me for, and how quickly can I get there?
I that clarity is missing at the start, it delays everything that follows.
The apparel industry is still widely seen as limited to a fewroles. How far is that perception from reality today?
Completely. Today, the apparel industry is a global fashion and business ecosystem. It connects design, product development, sourcing, merchandising, manufacturing, and retail across multiple countries, brands, and markets.
In Sri Lanka, it is also one of the country’s most globally connected industries, contributing close to 30 percent of total exports.That alone makes one thing clear. This is not a niche industry. It is a major economic driver with significant and often underestimated career potential.
So what does the real career landscape in apparel look like today?
The industry is far more dynamic than many people expect.This is not a space where you remain in one role forever. Someone might begin in procurement or operations and later move into merchandising, marketing, or brand strategy. That flexibility is part of the appeal.
The industry is also deeply global. Professionals work with international brands, suppliers, and teams across different countries. That exposure can include travel to sourcing markets and fashion hubs in places like Europe or the United States.
The industry itself has evolved significantly. Earlier models focused mainly on outsourcing production. Today, companies like ours work collaboratively with global brands, contributing to design, innovation, and strategy. We are not simply manufacturing products anymore. We are helping shape them.
There is also a strong focus on speed and innovation. In some cases, products move from concept to delivery within weeks. That level of agility means professionals are constantly learning and adapting.
At its core, apparel sits at the intersection of creativity and business. It combines consumer trends, global supply chains, brand strategy, and product innovation within one industry.
There’s a lot of conversation today about the gap between education and employability. Where do you see that gap most clearly?
It is most visible in the transition from academic understanding to real-world application.Students may understand concepts in theory, but often have limited exposure to how those concepts work in practice. They may not fully understand commercial timelines, cross-functional collaboration, or how global expectations shape decisions.
Without early exposure to these environments, there is naturally a period of adjustment before graduates can contribute meaningfully.
“Industry readiness” has become a key expectation. What does that actually mean?
Industry readiness means being able to step into a role and begin contributing with confidence, awareness, and context. Not perfectly, but with enough understanding to engage meaningfully from day one.That is built through structured exposure over time. Students need opportunities to apply what they learn and experience real working environments early in their journey.
How has Brandix Corporate Campus been designed to respond to this shift?
Our approach is centred on one idea: Two pathways, one serious start to your future.We offer two distinct 24-month programmes: the Advanced Diploma in Fashion Apparel & Textiles (ADFAT) and the Diploma in Fashion Design (DFD). While the focus areas differ, both pathways are designed to create structured entry into the global fashion and apparel industry.
ADFAT is designed for students interested in merchandising, apparel technology, supply chain, and operations. A key feature is early immersion, where students complete 16 weeks of in-plant exposure before internships. This gives them practical insight into manufacturing and product development environments from an early stage.
DFD focuses on the creative and product side of the industry. But the emphasis is not only on creativity. Students are trained to translate ideas into market-ready collections aligned with international standards and expectations.
Access is also an important part of the model. Through merit-based scholarships of up to Rs. 300,000, the Campus aims to ensure that capable students can enter industry-aligned pathways regardless of financial background.
Ultimately, these are not isolated academic programmes. They are structured entry points into corporate careers within a global industry.
In a landscape where students are spoilt for choice, what should students and parents prioritise when evaluating the next step?
They should prioritise direction, not just options.Students and parents should evaluate how early a pathway exposes students to real environments, how clearly it connects to career opportunities, and how effectively it builds capability over time.
Students who enter structured, industry-linked programmes are not waiting until the end of a long academic cycle to begin. They are building exposure, confidence, and direction from the start.
That means that by 2028, many of them are already inside the industry, working in executive-level entry roles, engaging with global brands, and building real careers.
That is the difference.
The focus should be on pathways that reduce uncertainty, not add to it. Because ultimately, the goal is not just to study. It is to start.
As Sri Lanka’s apparel industry continues to evolve, the demand for talent that can work across functions will only continue to grow. For students standing at this critical decision point, the question is no longer simply what to study, but how to begin.
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