By Channa Fernandopulle
The University of Sri Jayawardenepura’s Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce announced the establishment of a Masters in Entrepreneurship qualification from January 2014.

The programme is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka and will run parallel to the Department of Entrepreneurship’s other qualifications ranging from entry level certificate courses in Entrepreneurial Business Management up to a Postgraduate Diploma

“Entrepreneurship is the missing ingredient needed to drive the Sri Lankan economy and it is for this reason that the Faculty of Management has placed such an emphasis on supporting entrepreneurs.

If Sri Lanka is to truly become a free and independent country we must have economic independence and that is only possible if we work to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship.” Department Head, Shyaman Udayanga said.

The department also announced the establishment of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Support Unit to further encourage budding entrepreneurs by linking academia with industry.

“Sri Lanka is yet to produce a single truly global brand and this is due to a lack of entrepreneurial culture. There is an urgent need for our graduates to start creating jobs for themselves

By becoming job creators instead of job seekers, these graduates will add value to the economy and as the Sri Lankan economy grows, more opportunities will be available will be created that must be capitalized on.” Udayanga stated.

Each course runs for a duration of one year comprising a range of topics from basic business planning to banking and taxation for entrepreneurs.