EDUCATOR AND CORPORATE TRAINER Anjalika Wijesinghe

Having trained employees in premium five-star hotels, multinationals and blue-chip companies in Sri Lanka, Anjalika feels that training the staff is essential as they will be the brand ambassadors for 
their companies

Anjalika Wijesinghe wears multiple hats. She juggles her professional life as an entrepreneur, corporate trainer and Directress at Wiz Kidz International, Kiribathgoda while also being a wife to a hotelier and a mother to three daughters. Anjalika completed her primary and secondary education at Bishop’s College and Stafford International. Thereafter she went on to read for an MBA programme and obtained a Master’s degree specializing in Human Resource from the University of Leicester in the U.K. In addition to the MBA, she has also successfully completed several diploma programmes. In recognition of the service rendered over the past 24 years in the childhood education industry and in the field of corporate training Anjalika received the Miracle of Asia Award, the Miracle of Asia Honorary Certificate, and the Service Excellence Award Certificate in Best Education Coaching for the Year 2024.

Her passion to become a corporate trainer had stemmed from the fact that she herself is a tough customer. "Tough in the sense I expect the service for what I pay " she said in an interview with the Daily Mirror Life while adding that human relations are more important than robots.

Having trained employees in premium five-star hotels, multinationals and blue-chip companies in Sri Lanka, Anjalika feels that training the staff is essential as they will be the brand ambassadors for their companies. With technological advances replacing job opportunities, Anjalika feels that a proper training provides a chance of survival. “People will always go to a place with the best service,” she added. 

However, the fact that most companies have stopped allocating funds for training is a worrying concern. During turbulent times the first thing organizations cut off is their Training budget. She observes that many employees in corporate entities lack fine skills as they are only trained on subject matter relating to products. Her key programmes include Customer Service, Business Protocol, Personal Hygiene & Grooming and Telephone Etiquette.

Therefore, participants at these programmes are being trained to improve everything from their dress code to body language to the way they speak, their email etiquette, mobile etiquette, dining etiquette and even minor things like going in a lift. She believes that participants could in turn adopt these behaviours in their day-to-day lives as well. “In my trainings I take a limited number of participants and I prefer to have a one-to-one bonding rather than addressing them with mics like in a big tuition class." Her passion for training is fuelled by the positive feedback she receives from the organizations she works with.  

In appreciation of her commitment and dedication towards her career for the past 24 years, Anjalika recently won the Asia Miracle Award for the best Education and Coaching for 2024

Customer service is an integral part in any business and Anjalika feels that sometimes, customers too have high expectations. “During a rebranding for instance, I anticipate a problem and would train participants to address the problem in a delicate manner,” she added. Anjalika believes that interacting with new people during trainings allows her to learn something new everyday. “Each participant is different in a training session. There may be seniors who are experts in their subject matter but lack refined skills. Sometimes, they may be reluctant to listen to your input. These are some of the challenges,” she said. 

As mentioned earlier, Anjalika is not only a corporate trainer but a passionate educator as well. Her inspiration to start Wiz Kidz International, Kiribathgoda stems from the fact that she enjoys being around children. Children who enroll are being trained on various life skills including ranging from cooking, cleaning to washing, thereby giving them a sense of responsibility and independence. “We take admissions from toddlers to lower kindergarten and our curriculum has been tried and tested for 24 years,” Anjalika added. At Wiz Kidz International, a child wouldn’t just be painting a book during an art class or be singing in a music class. For them, every moment is a new experience. “For art, they would try out many mediums from sand painting to salt painting, fruit and vegetable printing, building block to tyre prints etc. It is very difficult to retain the attention of toddlers as they lose their interest on a task fast. Therefore, we need to come up with activities that keeps their interest and would keep them engaged while they are in school,” she explained further. The curriculum includes Arts, Physical training, Maths, Science, English, Sinhala, Environmental studies, Music, Dancing in addition to many extracurricular events that allow children to build their team spirit. 

Her main goal is to prepare her students to get placements at ‘top’ schools in Colombo. 

“In my trainings I have realized that most people don’t have a solid personality. This is something that should be developed from their formative years,” she added. Her curriculum stands out from the rest, as she incorporates a variety of value additions which holistically develops the children. She expressed concern about some parents and their attitudes towards their children. She explained that they widely use mobile phones and other screen times to entertain their children. Their busy schedules don’t allow them to spend quality time with their children. Unfortunately, this in turn widely leads to speech delays and learning disabilities. "I encounter many children like that, which inspired me to initiate a special needs education course." 

Her school follows a No-Discrimination and No-Gifts policy, where all teachers should prioritize on providing their services to the children without accepting any rewards from parents in return. “We don’t discriminate against any ethnic, age-based or communal differences either,” she added. We also maintain a cordial and professional relationship with all parents whilst delivering our best service at all times. On the onset at the point of admission she clearly informs parents that they need to work hand-in-hand with the school in order to bring out the best in their child.

In appreciation of her commitment and dedication towards her career for the past 24 years, Anjalika recently won the Asia Miracle Award for the best Education and Coaching for 2024. She is truly honoured and satisfied for being appreciated for the tireless work that she has done. “There were many others competing in the same category and I’m humbled to have won this award,” she said with a captivating smile. 

Pix courtesy Anjalika