SLIIT’s Faculty of Computing recently partnered with Fidenz Technologies by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), creating exciting career opportunities for students through internships, training, and job placements.
Initiated by the Industry Engagement Unit, Faculty of Computing, Dr. Nuwan Kodagoda, Dean, Faculty of Computing, and Lahiru Hettiarachchi, Chief Operations Officer, Fidenz (Pvt.) Ltd, were the signatories for the MoU, while the ceremony was attended by the Management of the Faculty of Computing, representatives from SLIIT Student Services, and personnel from Fidenz.
Commenting on the MoU, Dr. Nuwan Kodagoda, Dean – Faculty of Computing, SLIIT stated, “We are excited to partner with Fidenz to build a pathway that will expose, educate and inspire students. This MoU will provide that opportunity for our students to develop their skills and knowledge through hands-on experience with a global company. The collaboration will also facilitate students to benefit and access curated learning offered by the Fidenz Academy, which will enhance their creative thinking, make them stronger leaders and better team members, and could subsequently support their quest for employment within the company and beyond.”
The Faculty of Computing BSc (Hons) in Information Technology offers seven IT-related specializations for undergraduate students such as Cybersecurity, Data Science, Computer Systems and Network Engineering, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Interactive Media, and Information Systems Engineering. The Faculty is also offering two new degrees in 2023 for students who are following the A/L Physical Science stream on B.Sc (Hons) in Computer Science and B.Sc (Hons) in Computer Systems Engineering.
Based on the MoU, SLIIT students gain internship opportunities, job placements, industry visits, training programs – for both students and staff – and knowledge-sharing sessions. Additionally, based on SLIIT requests, Fidenz may provide financial sponsorships for student- and faculty-organized events such as competitions, research conferences, etc.
A key element of the MoU is the role of Fidenz Academy, a part of the company’s novel employee recruitment process, which selects, trains, and mentors individuals. SLIIT students can undertake the Academy’s online aptitude test and participate in an interview process. Upon successful completion, they are provided a self-study assignment to complete within a given time frame, with final evaluations conducted by Academy staff.
Selected students are then onboarded and provided with extensive paid training for two months and are regularly evaluated by senior software engineers. This gives them the opportunity to work on multiple technologies to understand and practice the fundamentals of computer programming with real-world problems. Upon competition of the program, SLIIT students may be provided with job placements ranging from interns and trainees to associate engineers.
Ajith Samaratunga, Head of Academy, Fidenz Technologies, noted, “We are pleased to have signed our very first MoU to onboard talent with SLIIT. The main objective of the Fidenz Academy is to source the best talent, groom students according to the skills required, and create employment opportunities. We, in turn, aim to expose students to advanced industry practices and increase their skill set, contributing to their employability. SLIIT offers educational excellence, and with a large student base studying software engineering, we are assured of quality talent. Moreover, nearly 60% of our current software-related staff are SLIIT graduates!”
