Soft Skills Development Workshop Series – Alumni Association

Soft Skills Development

Workshop Series

The Alumni Association, in partnership with John Keells Foundation, organiseda series of workshops on soft skills development for the undergraduates of the Faculty of Law of theUniversity of Colombo, in September 2022.

The workshops – organised under The Final Stepprogramme of John Keells Foundation – comprised one panel discussion involving senior management drawn largely from the private sector as well as interactive sessionsby professional trainers covering a wide range of aspects such as employer expectations, leadership and team building, CV writing and interview facing, developing confidence and personality, working in a corporate environment, corporate hospitality (including social etiquette) and personal grooming.

The first workshop was held on 26thSeptember with Prof. Sampath Punchihewa, Dean of the Faculty of Lawemphasising the importance of developing the personality and capability of students beyond academics to ensure better success in theircareers. He encouraged the students to actively participate and get the maximum benefit of the programme and thanked John Keells Foundation and the Alumni Association for their contribution in organising the event.

“I am delighted to inaugurate The Final Step at the Faculty of Law, which marks the 17th edition of this popular programme already conducted in another 12 Universities of the countryimpacting over 8,500 undergraduates”, said Ms. Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR, John Keells Holdings PLC. “It is aimed at providing practical learning and tools to prepare you for the demands of the world of work.”

“We have gone through a pandemic and an economic downturn. For you students, who have not been able to be present physically at the faculty for over two years, the challenge to prepare for the “world of work” is going to be much more difficult as the world around us has changed and Sri Lanka is not the country, we knew six months ago.” Ms. Dilani Alagaratnam, The President of the Alumni Association explained in her speech.“Merely having a degree or becoming a lawyer does not mean you would necessarily get the job you want. In this context this programme will give you an insight into how you can prepare yourself for the world of work”.

The programme commenced with a panel discussionon “Employer Expectations and Opportunities”. Mrs. Aruni Goonatilleke, Chairperson – Hatton National Bank PLC, Mrs. Ayomi Aluwihare, Precedent Partner – F J & G De Saram, Attorneys at Law and Ms. Carmeline Jayasuriya, Attorney-at-law – Head of CSR, John Keells Holdings PLC shared their experiences and insights. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Dileep Mudadeniya – Global Alliances & Partnerships Leisure Group Head of Corporate Affairs John Keells Holdings PLC.

The workshop covered “Personality Development and Confidence Building”

John Keells Foundation is the CSR entity of the John Keells Group which since its establishment in 2005 has been carrying out a range of medium to long-term strategic and sustainable projects towards “Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow”. The University Soft Skills Programme endorsed by the University Grants Commission is designed for the benefit of university undergraduates towards grooming them for employment.