Mentoring Session under the Skill Development Program of Intern Accountants

Mentoring Session under the Skill Development Program of Intern Accountants

Under the Skill Development Program of Intern Accountants of the B.Sc. Accounting (Special) Degree program, a Mentoring Session was held on 04th August 2017 from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm at the Prof. Munasighe auditorium for the Second-Year undergraduates of the Department of Accounting. This mentoring session was conducted with the objective of making the second-year undergraduates aware of the opportunities available for internship, challenges faced during the internship program and how to meet these challenges successfully.

Following resource persons contributed for the mentoring session, and all of them are illustrious members of the alumni of the Department of Accounting.

Name Designation and Organization
1.      Mr. Pradeep Amarawardena CFO at B. Braun Lanka – A global pharmaceutical company
2.      Ms. Lakmali Priyangika Director / Digital Finance Transformation Consultant at Beyond Business (Pvt) Limited.
3.      Ms. Nayana Sanjeewani Partner at Ernst & Young – International Chartered Accountants
4.      Mr. Manosh Kulasena Assistant Manger-Financial Accounting & Reporting at Nestlé Lanka PLC

Their speeches were based on the following dimensions:

  1. The story of success of the speakers – how they had achieved the present highest level in their career and how the Department of Accounting and the internship experience had been instrumental in such achievement. In this aspect of their speech, their remarks were intended to inspire the young minds by looking at some of the highest successful living examples of the Department of Accounting.
  1.  Challenges faced and attitudes required in a transitional stage – As some students face certain challenges in transitioning and adapting to their training environment, they highlighted that trainee students need to be loyal and committed to their training organization while balancing their educational activities.
  1. The expectations of the training organizations on the trainees.
  1. Internship opportunities available for accounting undergraduates.

The speeches were well received by the audience, where the undergraduates were moved by the personal success stories of these well-accomplished graduates. After their speeches, a panel discussion was carried out with the participation of above mentioned resource persons as panelists; which was moderated by Prof. Samanthi Senaratne (the Overall Coordinator of the Skill Development Program of Intern Accountants of the Department of Accounting). The Department appreciates Dr. Roshan Ajward for coordinating this forum with the assistance of Mr. Chaturanga Sandaruwan, Mr. Roshan Herath, Ms. Radhika Ponnaperuma, Ms. Thilni Silva, Ms. Chethana Dabare, and its student body – Accountancy and Financial Management Association (AFMA) and its Internship Committee. Dr Harendra Kariyawasam, Head, Department of Accounting, Emeritus Professor MW Wickramarachchi and Ms. Sanjeewani Cooray graced the occasion.