MET’s founder and vice chairman, CA Sunil G Karve explains how courses can be designed to prepare industry-ready students.
In 1997-98, we converted our MBA programme into e-MBA programme. Computerisation had picked up by then, so the thought was to enable all specialities. When a student joins the industry, the companies will have all systems computerised, so they should not feel out of place.
They should know what are the latest trends in the workplace; if the student has done MBA in HR, it is essential to know all the software used in the HR department of companies. That adds value to the students' career.
MBA specialisation has traditionally been on a function basis, Marketing, Finance, HR, and so on. Five years ago we thought, lets start MBA for high growth sectors. We did a survey and found that when companies hire MBAs, they spend seven or eight months training them. The candidate only starts contributing after that. If we can reduce this time gap, the industry will also be happy.
We had seen that most of our 'MBA in Finance' students were getting placed in the insurance sector. The sector was growing fast, so we felt, 'why not do super specialisation?' Therefore, we launched MBA with sectoral specialisation - Insurance MBA - General MBA module plus insurance module. It proved to be a win-win situation for the students and the industry.
Then we looked at Mass Media. Again we did an industry survey and asked people what they were looking for. We started that course four years ago. At that stage we had to convince students and the industry. Here too, the candidates started contributing right from day one.
We had interacted with Chartered Insurance Institutes (CCI), London and discussed our MBA programme with them. They were happy to get associated and since we have mastered the general MBA module, we suggested they design the insurance module. The students get associate membership of CII and that is a passport to the insurance industry across the world.
Then we have the post graduate programme in software development in collaboration with C-DAC. We also have our own software development programme designed in consultation with the industry. Once anybody does that, he can go to any industry, walk into anything and start contributing from day one. We are C-DAC's highest rated centre and in terms of student preference we are number one.
We also offer diploma and degree programmes in Trichology in collaboration with the Institute of Trichology, Australia.
We have started an Institute of Alternative Learning. Our first programme is Music Therapy. It received such a good response that we had to start two batches simultaneously. It is for music lovers those who understand music and also for people from the medical profession. We are also planning a few other such 'offbeat' courses.
We have started a Centre of Education Technology, which is working on converting all our programmes into structured, modular format where they can be taken into distance learning mode - live through the Internet - and made more participative, interactive.
I feel that technology has to be for actual consumption of knowledge. All lectures should be converted into a video format. If you have missed a class, go to library, put on the headphone and listen. If you can’t grasp something during a lecture, again this facility will help.
We teach our students basic yoga techniques so that they are calm from within. The idea is that any student coming from a MET campus should not feel out of place anywhere in the corporate world.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}