Global leaders in education to converge at career and college counselling conference in Mumbai

The inaugural International Career and College Counselling (IC3) Conference will be held in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1. The event will bring over 300 delegates from high schools and universities around the world and is being organised with the objective of “Transforming lives globally through Career and College Counseling,” by devising policies and practices that can ensure good education and career decisions for the youth of India and beyond.

The delegates at the conference will represent over 98 cities from 12 countries, capturing the most popular education destinations of United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada, India, Australia, Singapore and more. The two-day program will feature over 30 sessions conducted by over 100 educators to share knowledge and drive discussion about counselling, admissions and careers.

The IC3 Conference seeks to make a major impact in enabling school leaders in India to set up infrastructure and policies to guide students to choose and succeed in careers that best fit their ambitions and interests. “We are living the dream to impact hundreds of thousands of students around the world”, said Ganesh Kohli, IC3 Conference Chair and also a well-renowned educator for the past 20 years. “A sound college and career counseling setup is as essential as a Maths or an English department in a school. It is critical for young people to make the right career choices to ensure their happiness and success later in life”. 

The conference is being led by a group of 27 high school counsellors and principals from India and Southeast Asia, representing 17 cities from 5 countries. “School counsellors understand the abilities, needs, and goals of students, on multiple planes. A counslelor’s input — as liaison, and sometimes advocate — cannot be overstated. Indiana University looks forward to seeing many of Asia’s leading schools at the IC3 Conference”, said John Wilkerson, Director of International Admissions at Indiana University, Bloomington.

The keynote address at the conference will be delivered by Kiran Bir Sethi, well-renowned educator and TED speaker, who founded the Riverside School in Ahmedabad. In 2009, she founded "Design for Change" (DFC) – the world’s largest movement of change, of and by children. In March 2015, she was amongst the Top 10 Educators, nominated for the Global Teacher Prize. Amongst other renowned speakers at the conference will also be award-winning film producer and director Mansoor Khan, widely known for directing superhit films including Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. Educated at Cornell and MIT, Mansoor Khan will speak about “The Third Curve,” offering insights from his recent book and drawing implications for educators at the conference.

With many Indian universities emerging as high-quality alternatives to going abroad, the conference will also showcase some of the leading institutions in India. Notable amongst the universities participating are OP Jindal Global University, VIT University and Hindustan University. 

Half of India's population is below the age of 25 and current projections estimate the country will have surplus graduates by 2020. The conference is aiming at creating opportunity for this demographic and a global hub of skilled talent in the country. “The IC3 Conference is a key initiative which will take us closer to this goal,” said Kohli.

The IC3 conference is being co-hosted by KIC UnivAssist and registrations are currently open online.