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Aspirations Education (AE), an international career guidance and student placement service centre in Sri Lanka, recently celebrated its sixth year anniversary at the counselling centre.
The centre currently works with over 100 prominent universities and institutes in Australia, UK, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Malaysia, India and Singapore.
With the education industry in Sri Lanka being in the spotlight with local universities and the Government’s attention towards international education and Sri Lanka’s highly literate population with a positive attitude towards solid education, there is immense potential for the industry to grow rapidly.
Speaking about the current education options and Aspirations Education’s credo, Chairman of Aspirations Education Ajith Abeysekera said: “Aspirations Education was born out of a resolute commitment to be a fountain of inspiration to the Sri Lankan community to help them realise their aspirations. Our core business model is providing career guidance and counselling services to students who wish to pursue their education overseas.”
He added: “Students who aspire to study abroad should be given proper guidance at the right time. They should be able to get accurate and authentic information with regard to options available. Such guidance will help students with lower costs, increased chances of university acceptance, cultural adaptability and even increased chances of financial assistance. This may also improve students’ profile to obtaining visas and most of all enhance career opportunities in today’s global economy.
“Proper counselling in the areas of both education and careers help students pick the university that best meets their needs maximising the chances of financial assistance and career opportunities. Comprehensive guidance will not mislead students at the crucial juncture in their lives, which can break or make their future; this is what Aspirations is all about.”
International education enables students to be more fluent in other languages, better understand other cultures and have a greater appreciation of their own. As a result, they are able to better determine their career choices and begin building resumes well before college.
Another very real practical benefit is the fact that corporates place a high value on applicants who have had international education experiences, which opens admissions options to the most respected institutions. Once students do go to college, they are more committed than most of their peers and the demand among many professions for global skills and experience in cross-culture awareness open doors for more career options.
Another special service through the centre is its free operational services. General Manager of Aspirations Education Deepamala Abeysekera said: “We ensure that all student applications are handled efficiently and all correspondence with foreign institutions are conducted in an ethical and timely manner. Our expertise in preparing visa documentation, too, is widely acknowledged by our students and is underscored by our high rate of visa approvals. In addition, we provide information on study programmes conducted in Sri Lanka and other countries, which would enable students to obtain exemptions for subjects, subsequently saving millions of rupees and valuable time.”
Approved and authorised by the Australian High Commission to assess and issue Pre Visa Assessments (PVA), Aspirations Education is registered in the UCAS customer database and is permitted to process the application via UCAS. The centre has been trained and certified as a Singapore Education Specialist by Government-owned Singapore Education.
It is also a pioneer member of the British Education Representatives Association in Sri Lanka, (BERA) established with the British Council. Accredited as one of the leading student placement centres for Malaysian Universities, Aspirations Educations is also certified as a New Zealand Education Specialist by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.