In the photograph (L to R) are Nimal Wirasekara (Executive Director SLIM), Chandrani Adikaram (Manager Education SLIM), Rohan Somawansa (Vice President SLIM), Saliya Wirasekara (President SLIM), K. Vignesh (Chief Executive – IIS Jaffna), Thushara Perera (Vice President SLIM in Charge of Education and Chinthaka Wanasinghe (Marketing Manager SLIM).

Under this partnership, students in the North will get the opportunity to chart a professional career path through the Preliminary Certificate in Marketing (PCM) leading upto graduate level studies, PG Diploma upto the MBA. This provides a comprehensive knowledge in both practice and theory with the ultimate opportunity to gain a well recognised professional qualification in marketing.

President SLIM Saliya Weerasekara said, “As Sri Lanka’s national body of marketers, our aim is to consistently support people across all geographical barriers and provide them with opportunities in the marketing profession. SLIM Education Division has already partnered many leading institutes and provides professional marketing education through 16 accredited Study Centres islandwide. Expanding to the North and East was thus a logical sequence to our vision. The enthusiasm shown by Jaffna students has proved that the demand for marketing education in northern Sri Lanka is great. We undoubtedly owe it to the youth of our country to rebuild the nation”.  Vice President SLIM in Charge of Education Thushara Perera said that with the opening up of the North and the Government’s “Uthuru Wasanthaya” programme, employment opportunities have arisen for the people of Jaffna.

“A lot of corporates such as banks, insurance companies etc have opened up branches in the North. This, in turn, requires a large number of qualified persons. I am confident that young persons armed with a SLIM qualification thus have a greater chance with regard to meaningful employability”.  CEO of the IIS Mr. K. Vignesh said that the time is now opportune to give the youth of the North and East the same opportunities in marketing education enjoyed by their counterparts in the rest of the country. “I am grateful to SLIM for creating this in valuable opportunity. With its excellent track record as the country’s national body of marketers, I have no doubt that SLIM is the perfect choice for this partnership. The fact that among our educational partners are also Edexcel, UCSC, ACTOS, TVEC, ICBT and the Manipal University, is an endorsement of the standard of our Institute”, he said.

Established in 1996, the IIS fast earned a reputation as a centre of excellence for Information and Communication studies in the North and East. It is equipped with all the resources necessary to continue one’s education from Diploma level to a Master’s Degree in Information Technology, Business Management and Engineering.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing is the country’s National Institute of Marketing with a student base of over 10,000 students and a membership of over 3000 vibrant marketing professionals. It conducts highly sought after marketing courses such as PCM, PG Dip, CIM (UK) and Buckinghamshire New University MBA.

SLIM actively promotes marketing as an essential business philosophy to facilitate the mission of “establishing marketing as the driving force which enhances business and national value”.

SLIM conducts national events as a service to the marketing fraternity by providing opportunities for networking among practicing marketers in the country through seminars and workshops, thus enhancing the subject knowledge. Other services offered by SLIM are recruitment, consultancy and task-specific training programmes for marketing personnel in individual companies.