APIIT signs MoU with Nestle Lanka to boost SMEs

Nestlé Lanka Managing Director Jason Avanceña (front left) and APIIT Business School Head Dr. Hasuli Perera with the MoU. Standing behind (from left): Nestlé Lanka Senior Vice President/Head of Sales Jagath Wedage, APIIT Law School Head Dr. Chathura Warnasuriya, APIIT Chief Academic Officer Gamindu Hemachandra, APIIT Chairman Bandula Egodage and APIIT Graduate School and School of Computing Head Dr. Rohantha Athukorala

The inaugural APIIT “athval” project by APIIT Business School in collaboration with Nestlé Lanka PLC aims to uplift the business of small-scale traders and enterprises. The collaboration was formalised with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions on 5 September, with APIIT Business School Head Dr. Hasuli Perera and Nestlé Lanka Managing Director Jason Avanceña as the signatories. 

With the signing of the MoU, representatives of Nestlé Lanka will now conduct a series of focused workshops to train the Business School students on practical aspects of running a small trading business, such as merchandising, stock control, and working capital management as part of this retailer business development program. 

In turn, each student will work with one traditional street-based local trader in their neighbourhood to assist this small-scale retailer to better optimise resources and manage operations in the current turbulent environment. 

APIIT Business School Head Dr. Hasuli Perera said: “The “athval” project is a unique learning experience that will inspire students to uplift the lives of others, which in this instance is the small-scale trader community, while giving them an opportunity to learn the practicalities of the small-scale retail sector.

Nestle Lanka Managing Director Jason Avanceña said: “We are pleased to work with APIIT to uplift rural communities by educating Sri Lanka’s future generation – our youth – about the local retail industry in fulfilment of Nestlé Lanka’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for people and communities we work with.”

APIIT Sri Lanka conducts undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs in Business, Computing, and Law, awarded by Staffordshire University, UK. With a current student population of over 2,000 students and an annual intake close to 1000 students, APIIT Sri Lanka is the largest provider of British degree programs in Sri Lanka. Over the past 22 years, APIIT has produced more than 4,000 resourceful and enterprising graduates and set a benchmark for quality and standards in private higher education in Sri Lanka. 

APIIT Sri Lanka’s purpose is to revolutionise the higher education landscape in the country by igniting a passion for the intrinsic value of learning to nurture future leaders who will uplift lives. APIIT “athval” will be the first of a series of programs powering partnerships with leading business organisations in the country that will enable APIIT students to make a meaningful and tangible impact on community.