The PRISL is a founding member of the Sri Lanka Society of Rubber Industry (SRI), which is the national association of polymer industry professionals established in 1960 as the local section of the Institute of the Rubber Industry in London. The PRISL, as the only technical training and education institute of the industry which is private sector driven, has made a significant contribution to the development and growth of the polymer industry in Sri Lanka during the last 47 years of its existence.
The membership of the institute comprises of a wide range of professionals employed at technical, supervisory and higher levels in rubber and plastics industries in Sri Lanka. In addition to its substantive educational programs, it acts as the forum and center for networking for professionals in the manufacturing industry and assists in promoting their professional interests through regular technical meetings, seminars and conferences and visits to manufacturing plants and industrial sites, etc.
Core business of the Institute is continuous professional development of industry personnel that includes technical education. For the services it rendered, the Institute has been formally recognized by the government since 1995 under the ‘Tertiary Vocational Education Commission ‘as the professional body that has the capability and competence to carry out structured study courses to cater to the increasing need to enhance the knowledge of personnel at technological and managerial levels.
The enthusiasm shown by the students and employees over the years indicates the growing demand that exists for the polymer education in Sri Lanka. In 2006, nearly 100 students enrolled in Diploma and Certificate programs conducted by the PRISL, which can be considered very significant in private sector workforce development context. The increasing demand is due to the rapid growth of the rubber products manufacturing and export industry. For example, the compounded annual growth rate of rubber products industry over the last decade exceeds 17% and the industry turnover in 2006 exceeded US $ 500 Million. Such a rapid growth cannot be sustained unless an equally strong HR development program is run concurrently.
The PRISL has accorded high priority to conducting relevant educational and professional courses with the aim of satisfying industry wide Human Resource needs while setting high performance standards for the professionals in the Sri Lankan rubber industry. This is being done by the regular exposure of local practitioners to best practices in other countries and industry sectors through study tours, seminars and workshops.
