National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) is powered by its five major pillars: Leadership, Stability, Quality, Technology and Innovation. These are five thrust areas that create a strong foundation to position NIBM in the minds of its learners and in the industry of higher education in Sri Lanka. NIBM was found in 1968. However, the world is more decidedly a complex, diverse & multi-faced than it was in 1968. NIBM’s remarkable 50th anniversary offers us a unique opportunity to remember, celebrate & dream about its future. We take great pride in achieving educational excellence & strategic partnership with the global education providers, also boast about our outstanding character & brand reputation both locally & internationally by producing strong network of professionals.

Pillar -1 Leadership

Amongst many qualities that make us highlighted, NIBM stands tall with our heritage & culture, which has been thriving upon over the past 51 years. Our faculty with the support of our extra ordinary leadership & the staff has mothered & groomed many leaders to the society. The name, National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) is today synonymous with educational services with international standards. Following its vision of becoming the best business education and consultancy institute in the island, NIBM has been offering unmatched educational opportunities in Management, Information Technology, Engineering, Design and Languages in Sri Lanka.

NIBM today has a student population of more than 10000 both in full time and professional categories and permanent academic faculty of more than 70 with the support of 200 external faculty members. We at NIBM are still young & passionate about improving the higher educational sector by setting standards based on a platform of best practices. We firmly believe we create a cutting edge by being the best amongst the other players in the industry.

Through its dynamic partnerships with international universities such as Coventry University, which an award-winning UK university, ranked 12th in the UK, renowned for excellent teaching, learning and student experience, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, which is also an international University with a global presence across four continents, with international students coming from over 150 countries, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) a public researchintensive university in Engineering, Science and Technology, NIBM currently offers higher education opportunities at unbelievably affordable prices for the Sri Lankan students.

Pillar 2: Stability

As a fully state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons, Co-operative Development and Vocational Training & Skills Development, it is an institute that any student can join with trust, to achieve academic excellence. We provide intensive coaching and continuous development experiences at all levels of the organization with clear articulation of the experiences, exposure, expertise, and meet expectations of effective leaders. The stability of being a fully state owned institute mixed with the customer driven philosophy, which NIBM has adopted, convert to well recognized qualifications at reasonable cost offered to the employed as well as school leavers for professional and personal development.

Pillar 3: Quality

We at NIBM passionately believe, that higher education must engage with the real world & must emulate with real world practices. We also believe that we must compete in the business world & collaborate with partners who practice the same philosophy. It is our duty to prepare learners to be able to produce avenues for themselves rather than seeking jobs. Being a national level government institute, we must be mindful of the expectations of the government & the community at large. Our mission revolves around preparing our learners to become self-made individuals, local & global citizens, community leaders and entrepreneurs who create wealth for economic prosperity.

Similarly, with research we are also mindful of knowledge transfers, downstream applications as well as adding value to human productivity. TDF the academic model of NIBM is a human value-creating model to fill the gap between the workplace and academic or teaching organizations. TDF stands for Thinking, Doing and Finishing. This approach identifies drivers or enablers for learning, upskilling strategies and interventions, roles and attributes to be developed by individuals who underwent the learning process and the final outcomes are being performed.

Organizations are places where learners are first exposed to theories and the best practices and then they are passed on to a workplace where they are challenged to convert theories in to actions. Doing Organizations (DO) are incubators designed with TDF tools for new employees to groom and test them on the capability of converting ideas in to productive solutions. Hence TDF model helps improving human productivity and bring in the best in people to create high-performing organizations at no extra cost.

Pillar 4: Technology

Technology is transforming how prospective students evaluate and select an institution, how they interact with their peers and faculty, and how faculty provides instruction. Globalization and automation are prompting debates about the very nature of what students need to learn to compete in a new economy. Leaner Interfaces include all teaching and learning technologies that support learners to gain the optimum level of learning experience on process improvement (Kaizen). Learner interface has to be designed in such a way that it complements and enhances the willingness to learn and to learn from team members across the organization at all levels.

The look and the feel should be attractive enough and tech-savvy so that the new generation (Gen Z) begins learning spontaneously. The human society has entered the era of Information and Internet; the field of education is no exception. IoT has opened up a whole new world of possibilities in higher education. The increased connectivity between devices and “everyday things” means better data tracking and analytics, and improved communication between the students, professor, and institutions, and often without ever saying a word (Mark Leuba, 2015). IoT makes it easier for students to learn when, how, and where they want, while providing professors’ support to create a more flexible and connected learning environment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. AI makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks.

Pillar 5: Innovation

Institutions in higher education, research and innovation play a central role in the advancement of societies and economies. They foster economic growth, strengthen technological progress, and enhance job creation. In addition, higher education institutions contribute to the personal development of individuals and help educate proactive citizens in societies. To achieve the best possible results, these institutions require modern and effective management. National Innovation Centre of NIBM is the first platform for creative technologies established in Sri Lanka.

Technology offers numerous innovative tools that teachers can use in order to enhance their students’ learning experience. Online or blended learning technology has done a significant contribution in changing how higher education institutions operate, educate, and innovate over the past few years. This will enable universities to reach students to whom they were previously unable to provide better services.

Professionals who have issues in accessing higher education due to scheduling issues also can have access to our learning facilities thanks to advances in online learning. NIBM has created a robust LMS, which is open for internal students free of charge and it delivers blended-learning courses at an affordable price. We at NIBM are still young & passionate about improving the higher education sector by setting standards based on a platform of best practices. We firmly believe we create a cutting edge by being the best amongst the other players in the industry. We strive to sustain our leadership by keeping well ahead of the industry.