SLIIT marked a significant milestone with the successful conclusion of its September 2026 Convocation, honouring over 3,500 graduates, the largest graduating cohort in the institution’s history. Held from 14 to 19 September 2026 at the SLIIT Malabe Campus, the six-day convocation brought together undergraduate and postgraduate graduates across Computing, Business, Engineering and Architecture, Humanities and Sciences.

The scale of this year’s graduating cohort bears significance beyond SLIIT’s organisational milestone. More than 3,500 industry-ready graduates are now progressing into employment, entrepreneurship, research and postgraduate pathways at a time when Sri Lanka is seeking to strengthen the skilled workforce required for economic transformation.

Under Sri Lanka’s Public Investment Programme 2026–2030, the country is targeting annual ICT exports of USD 5 billion, a USD 15 billion digital economy and a digitally skilled workforce of 200,000 by 2030. Innovation, entrepreneurship, and cybersecurity are also priorities signaling the need for stronger alignment between education and industry needs.

A key strength behind this graduate contribution is SLIIT’s employability focus. The institution records a 98% graduate employment rate within six months of graduation. This is supported by an education model shaped closely around industry requirements, with academic departments maintaining regular industry consultation and industry partners contributing to curriculum development and emerging skills needs.

Students are also exposed to internships, industrial training, career guidance, and employer engagement strengthening technical competence alongside communication, adaptability, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

SLIIT’s graduates also benefit from a strong research-led academic environment. Six SLIIT academics are recognised among the world’s top 2% of scientists in the 2025 Stanford–Elsevier Global Rankings, providing students with access to internationally recognised academic expertise, research-informed teaching and mentorship.

The institution also encourages entrepreneurship alongside conventional employment. Through its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, students and researchers receive support in startup development, industry collaboration, intellectual property and commercialisation, creating the potential for graduates not only to fill existing jobs, but also to build businesses, develop new solutions and create employment.

Adding further significance to the occasion, the convocation ceremonies were graced by distinguished Chief Guests from government, industry and international academia, including Mr. Duminda Hulangamuwa, Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka and Senior Economic Adviser to the President; Professor Timothy James Nichol of Liverpool John Moores University; Mr. Mega Kularatne, Joint Managing Director of Maga Engineering Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Chris Marshall of the University of Bedfordshire Business School; Dr. Rachelle Viader Knowles of Manchester Metropolitan University; and Ms. Shehara De Silva, Managing Director of the McLarens Group of Companies.