LCB acts on demand with UK accredited ICT courses

THE Laksamana College of Business (LCB) is branching into providing United Kingdom accredited Information Technology (IT) courses to cater to local industry demands, which it expects will result in a hike in student intake.

Catering to all levels and needs, the eight-year old educational institution will be including the IT sector in its September 2010 intakes by offering two Higher National Certificates (HNC) and two Higher National Diploma (HND) each in General Computing and Computing (ICT Systems Support) for the first time.

The courses are accredited by a United Kingdom body, said the college's top executive.

When asked if the decision to branch out into IT was a response to industry demand for skilled professionals, Siva Rajah, Chief Operations Officer at LCB, answered in the affirmative, adding that the government's recent emphasis on the e-Government scheme and increased focus on the ICT industry indicate the need for such courses. "It's a good move to develop local talent," he added.

Haslina Taib, chief executive officer of the BAG Networks, has previously stated that Brunei would benefit from improving the number of skilled professionals in the IT industry. "If the IT industry were to do that, and if other industries were to do that, then it would actually be a collaborative effort between the public and the private sector, to move towards one common denominator, which is the 'skilling up' of labour. Once we have skilled up the labour, then we can move to actually export the labour to other Apec regions."

Rajah said that aside from the new IT course offerings, the institution is definitely expecting more students and has prepared for the new intake with the recent expansion of its facilities to incorporate a new floor and renovated rooftop.

Rajah said the college has seen a consistent level of demand for its courses, estimating that year on year, they have seen a 30 to 40 per cent increase of students. However, Rajah said, "Some years are good, some not."

With about 200 students, Rajah said the college already offered a number of business- focused courses that allow its students to progress either professionally or academically, such as their one-year diploma course which is equivalent to the A Level's certification. By providing courses that can lead to a direct entry into university, he said parents can save money by choosing a cheaper study option with the same level of accreditation one would find overseas. The Brunei Times