‘FastTrack15’ returns for 6th consecutive year

Ceylon Tobacco Company, Commercial Bank of Ceylon and John Keells Holdings PLC team up in 2016 to host the much-sought-after internship programme‘FastTrack15’ (FT15) which was first launched in 2010. Commencing in July each year FT15, provides 15 undergraduates, an opportunity to engage in a six-week internship, at all three companies which partner on this initiative. 

Harini Indiketiya from 2014 batch of FT15 and is at present the Learning & Sourcing Executive at Ceylon Tobacco Company, recalled that “as an undergraduate, the internship was an opportunity for me to understand what the corporate world was like, and to understand the opportunities that were available for me to explore. The experiences gained during the internship was invaluable and the networks that I built during this time, really helped me kick-start my career.”

Returning for the sixth consecutive year FT15 exposes the interns to unique career opportunities, not only by providing learning and understanding in the nine business sectors of leisure, real estate, consumer foods and retail, manufacturing, information technology, banking, financial services, and transportation, but also by enhancing their soft skills, through workshops aimed at improving networking, business etiquette and presentation skills. 

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC Deputy General Manager Human Resource Management Isuru Tillakawardana said: “We are delighted to come on board FT15 this year! Being able to provide undergraduates hands-on experience of what the Sri Lankan corporate sector has to offer, in such a diverse range of businesses, is important, not only because it encourages them to seek career opportunities in the corporate sector, but because it gives us access to a pool of talent in the form of highly motivated and talented Millennials.”

FT15 aims to provide a framework which stimulates real time experiences, through practical work assignments, by helping the undergraduates to relate their academic and educational backgrounds to the work place and also offers the participants the chance to interact with prominent business personalities, develop soft skills, network and receive mentoring and guidance from experienced professionals. 

Mevan Peiris and Eneeshya Perera both of whom were interns in the 2013 batch of FT15, are now with the John Keells Group, as Assistant Manager – Events and Social Media (Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts) and Executive – Corporate Finance & Strategy, respectively. 

They expressed: “As opposed to other internships, the structure of FT15 with its six weeks of hands-on learning and intense training sessions was a key differentiator and proved very valuable. Simultaneous to the training sessions, we were given a project to work on and we assumed it was simply one of those projects that companies gave interns, just to keep them occupied! However, we were pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong! For our batch, it was extremely rewarding to see John Keells incorporate the ideas we presented at our final project, into their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to eradicate violence against women and children. Beyond all of this, what made Fast Track 15 a truly unforgettable experience for us, was the amazing people that we met. Trust us; you’re bound to add some favourites to your contacts list!”

Interested candidates can send in their applications on or before 30 May to [email protected].