SLIIT to provide 50 percent of IT professionals

IT: Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) is expected to provide 50 percent of the required IT professionals to the local IT industry.

Managing Director/CEO of the SLIIT Prof. Lalith Gamage told the media at the launching of the B.Sc. Degree Programme in Computer Systems and Networking recently that at present they are producing 40 percent of the total required IT professionals to the industry.

However SLIIT has produced over 1100 graduates to the industry and it will be 1500 by the end of this year. Annually SLIIT provides 500 to 600 graduates to the industry.

Now Sri Lanka has a growing market demand for specialists in the fields of computer network, wireless and mobile communication technologies created by the rapid growth of data networks both locally and globally, Gamage said.

A fresh IT graduate will get Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 and after three years they could demand for Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 80,000 per month, he added.

Chairman/President of the SLIIT Prof. Sam Karunaratne said that there should be a surplus of IT professionals in the industry to gain more business opportunities in the global IT sector.

The IT industry is an ample sector to venture out for countries like Sri Lanka since it does not need high infrastructure that is required for industries such as manufacturing, he said.

SLIIT has lunched a B.Sc. degree programme in computer systems and networking with the leading university in Australia Curtin University of technology for local students.