IFS Sri Lanka will increase the number of its staff to around 1200 in the coming year with a substantial investment said Vice President South Asia and Managing Director IFS Sri Lanka, Jayantha de Silva.
The company currently comprises around 1,000 employees involved in product research and development, sales, implementation, consulting and support.
“Around 400 of our staff will be moving into a state of the art complex while parallelly the existing office will be refurbished,” de Silva said.
IFS Group President and CEO, Alastair Sorbie speaking at a ceremony in Colombo last week said IFS will continue to invest in Sri Lanka in developing its human capital.
“IFS will continue to invest in the education sphere in Sri Lanka,’ Sorbie said.
He said “Building partnerships with universities goes a long way towards furthering pure and applied research and building a vibrant industry-ready talent pool in Sri Lanka. IFS has decided to direct its CSR efforts on education since it is an area that IFS as a knowledge based company understands well”.
The global enterprise software company marked last week two decades of partnership with local universities in providing work-integrated learning opportunities, mentoring and soft skills development.
The company has contributed over Rs 500 million toward university activities in Sri Lanka through its partnership which commenced in 1997.
Teaching and curriculum enrichment, mentoring programs, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship aimed at fostering research and developing industry-ready graduates are some of the other activities carried out by IFS in collaboration with universities in the country.
Over 15 state and private universities were felicitated with awards of appreciation for the role in contributing towards strengthening bonds between industry and higher education.
Senior Vice President and Head of IFS World Operations Sri Lanka, Ranil Rajapakse said that the two decades of partnership has created a robust and sustainable platform for industry-university collaboration. Such collaboration that produces talent and drives innovation is crucial for the country to be a game changer for a knowledge based economy that propels technological advancement.
IFS signed an agreement with the University of Moratuwa to set up an IFS innovation and entrepreneurship incubator at the university premises.
The company has set up an ‘IFS Endowed Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ to boost research and foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at the university.
Moratuwa University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ananda Jayawardane said the university is fast turning out to be known for its forward-thinking and innovative outlook, attracting the best minds and creating a culture on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Twenty students of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology were presented scholarships to pursue their passion for information technology.
IFS has recruited over 1600 students from state and private universities since 1997.
A global enterprise software vendor which provides solutions that enable corporates to secure better returns on investments was established in 1983 and currently the company has over 3,300 employees globally and supports over one million users from its network of local offices.