digitalLEARNING-Feb-2011-[8]-Upgrading Skills through Professional Courses

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Upgrading Skills through Professional Courses The increase in the number of job opportunities in the current global economy has witnessed an enhanced demand for skilled and qualified workforce. Management courses for working professionals are being currently offered, specifically to cater to the requirements of budding entrepreneurs and employed professionals who want to create an edge for themselves on the career front. Combined with virtual learning environments, these courses are reaching out to its burgeoning target audience.

By Sheena Joseph

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xecutive education programmes are rapidly gaining momentum with increasing competition in the job market and are in a constant need to be updated in a swiftly transforming world. Working professionals of today need to be well informed about changing global practices and be equipped to face and handle new challenges. Worldwide affairs have always

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been full of activity. However, of late, the tide has changed towards increasing pressure on working professionals to be updated about global regulations, geopolitics and the world economy.

In order to cope with the changing information requirements and gain more productivity through knowledge acquisition, the workforce is promoted to constantly renew their understanding

and skills. This is one of the predominant requisites for qualified professionals operating in dynamic fields like global affairs.

B-Schools Setting the Trend Realising the importance of continuous learning and skill building for the workforce, leading B-Schools in India are offering tailor-made management

programmes designed to suit the requirements of working executives.

Working professionals, in a busy job environment, would not always have time to attend regular classroom learning structures. Nowadays, fortunately, there are a numerous courses being created and offered for both personal and professional development. These may include competitive intelligence newsfeeds, independent tailor-made reports, peer forums and management development programmes.

Management Development Institute (MDI) has been providing several such executive education programmes in India. Prof V K Gupta, director of MDI elaborates that their educational programmes attempt to help executives in broadening their understanding and improving their skills to pre-

pare them to face the challenges at higher positions. MDI conducts more than 100 management development programmes every year. These programmes are of varying duration and the structure focuses on the current areas of interest to executives at the senior, middle or junior management levels. While the programmes provide inputs to fill knowledge gaps, the emphasis is also on broadening the horizons of participants through case studies, business games, role-plays and exercises. “Interaction with experienced faculty and fellow participants provide new insights and help crystallise concepts to enhance the thinking process for better quality decisionmaking”, he says. MDI also fosters alliances with other business schools, industry and individual experts to of-

fer joint programmes to address the diverse needs in executive education. The institute focuses on ethics and valuebased management.

Part Time MBA for Working Professionals

India today has become the centre for outstanding management education, with numerous management institutions providing world-class infrastructure and unmatched teaching technology. Large numbers of students are choosing MBA programmes to sharpen their industry skills and thereby, seize the best opportunities in the employment circuit both within India and abroad. Key industries are also queuing up to hire exceptional talents having competent and updated skills.

Full time MBA programme emerges

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“The executive educational programmes attempt to help executives in broadening their understanding and improving their skills to prepare them to face the challenges at higher positions” Prof V K Gupta

Director, Management Development Institute (MDI)

Realising the importance of continuous learning and skill building for the workforce, leading B-Schools in India are offering tailor made management programmes designed to suit the requirements of working executives as the greatest solution for students wanting to gain a unique edge to their careers. On the other hand, professionals who have already entered the career path do not necessarily have that option. In such cases, options for executive MBA programmes are available which can easily augment one’s management skills and provide value addition to their future prospects.

However, though several executive MBA programmes have a pre-requisite of having at least 3 to 5 years of jobexperience.

Scores of management institutions in India have come out with part time management programmes with classes taking place during evening hours or on weekends to suit the requirements of working professionals. Assortment of qualification-based courses available are intended to assist working professionals in advancing their performance by using university level education in the workplace.

The executive management courses are delivered on a part-time basis, sup-

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plemented with monthly on-campus workshops, thereby enabling the student to get a distinguished qualification from a renowned university whilst in full-time employment. “Several major corporates encourage, promote and sponsor executive development programs for their employees – batch after batch, since they clearly see the payoff

in enhancing skill sets”, emphasises Shraman Jha, head at NIIT Imperia

Technology Devices for Programmes Several technologies have helped in creating a wider reach for engineering and management courses among the target audience. Highlighting the importance of private education providers partnering with leading higher education institutes in providing education for working professionals, Jha says “reach and convenience of delivery are critical in making the repository of learning at top institutes available to a wider audience.”

This is where private education providers fill a vital and critical need, and bring about scale, accessibility and rigour to the academic process. Elaborating on the technology used by NIIT Imperia, Jha says, “The synchronous learning technology deployed by NIIT Imperia is used to deliver interactive, faculty led academic sessions to large number of student batches who are geographically scattered. It allows for real time intraclass interaction, quizzes and multiple formats for class participation.”

The synchronous learning environment proves to be advantageous to the workforce, as it brings to them a quality and standard of education that would otherwise not be available to them at all.

It neutralises the negative effects of location, travel schedules and office timings.

The provision of online professional

“Several major corporates encourage, promote and sponsor executive development programmes for their employees – batch after batch, since they clearly see the payoff in enhancing skill sets” Shraman Jha

Head, NIIT Imperia

courses for the workforce becomes very vital in the present time. Education is no longer a one- stop, pre employment requirement. Continuously skill upgradation is required in these changing times.

Various forms of modern education – delivered live, or otherwise – through the use of technology aid this process.

As Anish Srikrishna, chief marketing officer at Pearson Education India, adds, “Employer’s demands on professionals passing out of management and engineering schools are rapidly changing. In a world where information is available easily, skill sets beyond just theoretical knowledge are sought. In this context, educators have to prepare students to better understand and deal with technology. In this, international education providers can collaborate significantly with higher education institutes in India.”

pressive business results. The executive Programme has been specially designed to help students gain awareness and ability to work in international companies and environment. The programme covers aspects related to international business environment, challenges in international marketing and sales, international operations, international logistics and supply chain.

IMT, Ghaziabad, has been providing distance management education with the aim of providing specialised

Assortment of qualificationbased courses is available which are intended to assist working professionals in advancing their performance by using university level education in the workplace

Sneak Peek at Institutes Offering Management Development Programmes Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the world’s largest Open University, in 2009, launched executive MBA programmes for working professionals, in collaboration with NIIT. Through this alliance, IGNOU and NIIT have provided quality MBA programmes especially created and tailored for working professionals to furnish them with modern industry management skills and train them for job expansion opportunities.

With the changing patterns in international business environment and business analytics, the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) introduced new courses for working professionals including ‘Executive Programme in Business Analytics’ and ‘Executive Programme in International Business’.

IIMC over the past years has introduced several programmes based on its front line teaching, research and consulting.

Business Analytics is about sophisticated, quantitative & statistical analysis and predictive modeling used towards building competitive strategies around datadriven insights that in turn generate im-

education in a flexible academic package which is appropriately suited for working professionals. All programmes consist of personal contact programmes synergised with specially prepared study materials. The IMT CDL Study Centre caters to numerous student managers from different industries like IT, ITES, KPO`s, BPO`s, banks, insurance, manufacturing and other large/SME organisations.

XLRI Jamshedpur, along with Reliance World, in an attempt to provide a platform for working professionals to un-

“Employer’s demands on professionals are rapidly changing. In a world where information is available easily, skill sets beyond just theoretical knowledge are sought” Anish Srikrishna

Chief marketing officer, Pearson Education India

dertake management programmes from institutes of repute have come together to offer postgraduate certificate programmes for graduates with minimum 2 years of work experience. Certificate programmes are included in the field of business management, human resource management, aales and marketing management. All programmes are delivered

by XLRI faculty on Reliance World’s virtual classroom platforms across India, thereby enabling professionals to enroll at the nearest virtual classroom centre and attend lectures.

The Symbiosis Institute of Business Management recently roped in the EMBA programme. It not only helps students in interacting with highly qualified faculty, but also in getting cutting edge management experience, enabling problem solving at workplace and in gaining international exposure. The programme is said to serve the training needs of companies, that is, in acquiring new skill capabilities in individuals serving the organisation, which otherwise could have been difficult for companies. A comprehensive management course allows companies to have reliable training options, rather than planning for numerous and sporadic training courses for employees. \\

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