Careers 360 July09

contents

2 July 2009360careers

COVER STORY

149 InstItutIons

you must know

LEad STORY

50 Industry supportedcourses

a careers360 presentation on all the public institutions set up by GoI that offer academic programmes

list of offerings from each institute in 11 diciplines/sectors

examining the new breed of career oriented non-degree certifications supported by a firm or a sector

Detailed analysis of all the 50 courses.

Learning a Foreign Language 58Mastery over languages throws open vast career opportunities and salaries too are attractive

Fashion as a career 66Be a celebrity stylist, a fashion editor, or an entrepreneur who dabbles in top of the line fashion brands

MSc in environment studies 72Booming career opportunities as most companies take up corporate social responsibilities

CaREERS and COuRSES

66

34 46


PublisherMaheshwer Peri

EditorB Mahesh sarma

Executive EditorMoitreyee chatterjee

Special Correspondentsurmila rao sumita Vaid Dixit

DesignArt Directoranshul sharma

Sr Visualiserrajesh chawla

Jr. VisualiserThomas Mampilly

ResearchDr. Nimesh chandraBharti M Borah Priya Naikshiphony Pavithran

Business Office

Ad salesNorth [email protected]

West [email protected]

Bangalore [email protected]

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Head OfficeaB-12, s.J. enclave,New Delhi — 110 029Tel: 40591800-807;e-mail: [email protected]

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Printed and published by Maheshwer Peri on behalf of Pathfinder Publishing Private limited. editor: B Mahesh sarma. Printed at: International Print-O-Pac limited, c 4-c 11, Phase II, Noida and published from aB-12, s.J. enclave, New Delhi — 110 029

Distributed by Outlook Publishing (India) Pvt. ltd., aB-10, safdurjung enclave, New Delhi-110029

Cover DesignAnshul Sharma

July 2009 l Volume I l Issue 4

careers360

ADViSORyCracking AiEEE 26an effective preparation strategy to clear the exam

Online CAT 32Focus on a strong conceptual foundation before fine-tuning your online skills

internship 56an opportunity to experience real work life

FEATURES

Students’ Alert 14regulations in professional education and the plight of students

iiPM- yet another lie 16Post our exposé IIPM changes tack on foreign degree but the saga of lies continues

How fair are job fairs? 20Job fairs now are increasingly an image building exercise for companies

Promise of india 76India’s economy is robust enough for businesses to grow

How to pick a Counsellor? 78Follow a counsellor or rely on your studied judgement to select a course

REgUlARSletters 4

in the News 8

Motivation 24early rising, a winning habit

Teachers’ Talk 30Foreign universities in India

Scholarship Review 80swedish Institute

iiiT Bangalore 84charting industry-academia collaboration

Book Review 87To do as best negotiators do

Career guidance 88Pervin Malhotra

World & india 90entrepreneurial indicators

Ready Reckoner 91

UpcloseImran Khan

“…whatever I’d do, I would be good at.”

96

“More choice will force institutions to adopt

transparency norms. It will also eliminate poor quality

institutions and help in capacity building”

RAJENDRA S PAWAR

gURUgyAN

18

Letters

4 july 2009360careers

The June 09 issue is quite exciting. It shows you are now getting your bearings right. The structuring of the contents pages is more user-friendly and to the point.

Navigation is right now much better. The exposé shows, you are not yet another magazine out to sell feel good

stuff. Keep up the good work. Publish more advisories. Your piece on getting to a US university is wonderful.

I just hope IIPM is not a one story wonder, but standing up for the student is hardwired on to your DNA

Ranjeetha Kumar, Ranchi

June 2009 Rs 40

FIRST PERSONKIRAN

MAZUMDAR SHAW

COURSE REVIEW COMPUTER

SCIENCE

CAMPUS REVIEW

TERI UNIVERSITY

UPSC TOPPER TALKS TO

CAREERS360

Also HOW TO CHOOSE A CAREER ■ TEACHER TALK: PROF PREM VRAT ■ HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CV

CAREERS360ON ELECTIONS 1951-2009 INSIDEFREE

BOOK

Final june cover.indd 1 5/22/09 7:08:46 PM

I’ve come across the lat-est edition of your magazine CAREERS360; it gives me immense pleasure to say that you and your team are doing a great job in guid-ing the upcoming talents in various streams. Your maga-zine gives them a complete picture which helps them in identifying the right oppor-tunities for themselves.Looking forward to your

next edition and hoping that your team shall continue to do a wonderful job going for-ward.

Abu Suri, on the web

Kudos on bringing forth a magazine that shows light on lot of career dilemmas. The article revealing shocking information on IIPM is truly an eye opener. Being a com-merce graduate, I have often seen that no one discusses any other career opportuni-ties for commerce students other than MBA. I liked the article on CA/ICWA, but I would like you to cover details of other small cours-es like CFP, CFA (both India and USA) and also promis-ing foreign degrees that has huge market value in India life CPA, USA/ACCA, UK and CIMA, UK.

Suresh Prabhu, Bangalore

You guys are doing great job by exposing these kinds of fraud institutes. Are these articles going into vernacu-lar press also? A great num-ber of people can be made aware through that medium only. I hope that IIPM can be brought to book for this kind of hoax.

Rohit Agarwal on the web. Not only are the claims of this institute false but also that of their consulting divi-sions too. Employees work-ing here get salaries based

Letter of the month

I congratulate your initiative which I am sure requires a lot of constant backbreak-ing research, and objective presentation. The detailed effort is very much visible when one goes through the magazine.

I was initially skeptical as to whether this magazine is targeting a very narrow read-ership segment. Much to my amazement, I found young-sters reading it. And people much older to me discussing with me some information which had interested them, and which had appeared in one of your previous issues. Initially, I had only browsed through the first issue. Now, I realise it is engrossing and engaging enough to look for-ward to the next one.

Would appreciate it if you, at any time in the future, focus on the need for qual-ity teachers or an investiga-tive piece on cubby-holed coaching classes and wheth-er students have a right to demand better facilities (basic ones).

Shishir Joshi thru email

Hi, Amazing Magazine...just right for all my needs. Being from the education sector, we needed something like a ready reckoner...and your magazine is an answer to all our prayers... Keep up the good work.

Pawan Solanki, on the web

In the article on open course-ware Stanford address was given www.see.stanford.edu but correct URL is www.soe.stanford.edu

Gokulnath, on the web

Sir, make it popular. No doubt this will be a leading magazine in the world. Many of the students don’t know this.

Aslesha, on the web

The Teachers’ Talk by Prof.Prem Vrat was wonderful. Very well said in limited words and encouraging arti-cle. Matter of chance I was feeling little deviated from my work and reading this article reminds me to carry on my work.

Devendra, on the web

Great article on IIPM. It’s time someone stood up for the students’ rights. But a word of caution - 90% of the students dont’ need the rights. They know exactly what the institute is worth and want to have a good time for two years. Articles like these might take the good times away from them and the institutes might force them to actually work hard-er. Beware we may have tal-ent explosion in that case.

Vikrant, on the web

The story on IIPM is gener-ally good and an eye open-er. But there are scores of others who offer campus programmes illegally, they are actually allowed to award degrees in their jurisdic-tion, but establish centers in other cities of another State where they are actually reg-istered. They charge exor-bitant fees and award fake degrees. Sadly the corpo-rates too support such ven-tures and encourage them to flourish. Are you going to write something about them too?

J Sarosh, on the web

I was lucky enough to go through the 1st edition of your magazine and was very much impressed and it is more helpful for the pros-pects for our children.

C.Vasudeva Rao, on the web

You are interesting

Letters


on the authority’s whims and fancies. There is neither professionalism nor a corpo-rate culture in this company and they claim to be India’s only 360 degree consult-ing organisation. God only knows what it means. People boast of the ad spend to proj-ect big about the company, wherein internally there is nothing strong or profes-sional. People do not get salaries, are fired upon wishes of managers and need to fight for reimbursements, etc. People who study in IIPM and do not get jobs outside are taken in this consulting divisions and claimed place-ments.

Rip, on the web

I am Manish, a student of IIPM. The first day when I attended the IIPM orienta-tion by Mr Arindam Choud-hary he claimed that IIPM is the best uni-versity on earth, it gives you knowl-edge of econom-ics and CAT is the stupidest exam on earth. He also declared that 90% of the lec-turers in the col-lege are pass outs of IIPM.

There is no selection proce-dure for getting into the college. Just a for-mality exam and every-one get into it. People who got 30% in their bachelor’s are also eligible and admitted. I had also vis-ited GOTA through IIPM. It’s like regular classes in other universities. They don’t even provide food to you abroad but they will just give you trivial amount for you to have your day’s meal. They will not provide you

any plans to visit the city and leave it upon you to plan your own trip. It is similar to the act of leaving or free-ing the pets in the jungle to roam for some time and then returning to the master.

Manish, on the web

This is extremely scary and devastating. For all these years while interviewing candidates from IIPM and other such business schools with tall claims I always wondered, “How is it pos-sible that such a supposedly great B-school is unable to

I will spread this report far and wide through my net-works to ensure that the next IIPM batch does not see any students! Students also must realise that if they secured admission in one of these institutes just because they got the money, there ought to be something fishy!

Vikas Das, on the web

I attended IIPM way back in 1986-88. Basically it is a shop which was run by Dr.M.C.Chaudhary, now assisted by his son. They have been taking students

his started off as a normal investigation, into the malaise affecting the education system and the checks and balances that need to be brought in. After all, we all know that the gov-

ernment cannot be a sole participant in making the youth employable and the country a prosperous one.

Everyone that we spoke to was of the unanimous opinion – while a systemic overhaul is essential to improve the quality of many bad institutions in the country, the least we could do is to protect students and parents from being misguided and misled by willful wrong-doers. There are institutes where stu-dents walk in with their eyes open and know what to expect. And there are those where they walk in, blinded – misled, misguided and misinformed, by a campaign where media, regulatory agencies and aca-demia become willing accomplices. While we can’t do much about the informed decisions, we have to take up the cause of those who were cheated, an act that robs students of their career and in a way, their life.

As we scanned the ads, spoke to experts, affected parties and counselors, we realised that one name cropped up the most – IIPM. We decided to inves-tigate. We sent mails to all those, that IIPM draws upon to validate its claims in its advertisements, namely – journalists, editors, foreign universities, employers. We spoke to current and former students and their parents. What our investigation unravelled left us cold. Here is an institution that enjoys all the privileges of an academic institution (according to IT authorities, it claimed exemptions citing Section 10(23C) (VI) of the Income Tax act, 1961) with zero responsibility and accountability. Here is an institu-tion that brazenly uses its power and reach to make unsubstantiated claims that play with the lives of students and parents alike. We know we are opening a Pandora’s Box, but are prepared for the repercus-sions, knowing fully well that you, our readers are with us. We were shocked by our findings, and what you are reading is just a part of it. We await your verdict.

Haas gave us a series of three responses. See box in the next page

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK,

BARCLAYS, DUBAI

DEUTSCHE BANK

BASED ON some of the claims about MNC employers participating in the campus recruitments at IIPM, we checked with a few of them. We are listing a few responses, of employers, who have denied having recruited from the IIPM campus from the class of 2008, though IIPM claims otherwise. There have been a few more, who did not respond and we did not pursue, as we already got a sample of what is in store. Some gave us information but refused to come on record.

IIPM CLAIMS to award PG/UG degrees from IMI Belgium. We checked with NVAO, the accreditation organization of Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) about IMI Belgium. The response from them is given below. This implies that the degree that students earn would be useless for higher education or employment anywhere in the world, where formal degrees are required.

Dear Urmila,

BBA/MBA degrees International collaborations

Campus placement

-----Original Message-----From: Axel Aerden [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:14 PMTo: [email protected]; [email protected]: RE: Kind attn: Mr.Axel Aerden, as per telecon yesterdayDear Mr. PeriTo answer your first question, I would refer to our official register of recognised institutions and degrees: http://www.highereducation.be . Please read two items in our section FAQ:- http://www.hogeronderwijsregister.be/faq/117/48 - http://www.hogeronderwijsregister.be/faq/117/49IMI Belgium is not a recognised higher education institution

(neither in the Dutch nor the French speaking part of Belgium). Since it is not recognised it cannot award recognised degrees.In our position it is difficult to answer your second question.

For us only registered institutions with accredited programmes are considered credible.Best regards

20-23_IIPM.indd 20-21 5/25/09 10:41:16 PM

I am an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur and a resident of Dubai...The monthly house rents are in the range of 3000-4000 AED...for a small studio....and this is after a steep 70% fall in house rents!!.... How can a person survive with 3500 AED of salary here? If he happens to be married, then it is simply impossible.... I think this research was long overdue...the person respon-sible needs to be put behind bars ASAP for misguiding gullible students. This is just a scheme to make quick fix money by claiming various Tax exemptions...The new HRD minister needs to take immediate actions in order to salvage the situation.

Srinivas, on the web

A good researched article but the comments seem to be biased. Even I am against this marketing make-up of IIPM and their way of branding and false promo-tions. It has always targeted the Tier-2 and 3 cities as its potential consumers and they are lured by the gim-micks. If it was such a fraud it wouldn’t have survived but

Dear Shahrukh,

I am one of those mil-lions who are in awe of your screen presence and admire your plain speak in real life. I’m writing to you this letter for I know that,

as a pan-Indian icon, innumerable stu-

dents have lot of faith and trust in you and consume brands primarily because of your endorsement. I’m sure that you are

also aware that it is the trust and

a d m i r a t i o n that we place in you that helps make

business sense for all brands.

What has propelled me to write this letter to you is your association with a so- called educational institu-tion, IIPM. Do you know that IIPM has been tak-ing students for a ride, as Careers360 has compre-hensively exposed? It suc-ceeds primarily because it has successfully mastered the art of telling lie loudly and repeatedly. When that is not enough, it ropes in people, who have credibil-ity. And that’s what they have done with you.Please don’t endorse a brand that will take thou-sands of students into a black hole.

With regardsManish

New Delhi

produce quality profession-als!” Now the truth is out, students who take up these courses in such B-schools are mostly not selected via merit - it’s the finances. It is shocking that a scam was being carried out with such audacity! Full page ads in national newspapers!

and their parents for one hell of a ride. This institu-tion has no credibility in the corporate world. However, the father-son duo continues to rake in money and make a fool of this country. Minis-try of HRD should seriously look into their operations.

Sandeep Singhal, on the web


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it is still strong on its student intakes. This essentially means two things: a) People are just plain dumb and are lured into this. b) This school is serving at least some pur-pose for the students who have no knowledge or influ-ence to break into a decent job. At the end of it, if one is good and learns to utilize the time in a B-school he is bound to get good shot at an interview and convert it. The brand name does matter and the top 25 B-schools are definitely niche. There is no comparison between IIPM and IIMs for sure.

Pooja, on the web

Hello Careers360 Team,Congratulations for this awe-some job. I’ve always been wondering how come they claim to be one of the top B-Schools in India. Some-times even they claim to beat IIMs too. That’s ridiculous. Keep up the good work

Amit Gupta, on the web

Wow, you have com-pletely exposed a fraud institution. But your work will go waste until the MHRD takes

some action against them. But nevertheless you people have done a great job....Now it’s the job of Newspaper people to carry it further.

Sameer, on the web

The veracity of your find-ings with respect to IIPM might still be disputed by some but it brings to light a more pressing issue. The impunity with which purely commercial establishments are posing as ‘educational institutions’ is truly alarm-ing. UGC has an important link which it updates regu-larly http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/fakealerts.html but still more needs to be done to disseminate such infor-mation to the students.

Amit, on the web

If you guys are really seri-ous about “exposing” such institutes, u should take it up with the UGC/AICTE/Education ministry and see to it that there is some con-clusion to it. We have seen many a such exposé and nothing much has happened later on. Dont just do it to increase hits and sell more magazines

Ameya, on the web

I have always found it unconvincing that an edu-cational institute can give

his started off as a normal investigation, into the malaise affecting the education system and the checks and balances that need to be brought in. After all, we all know that the gov-

ernment cannot be a sole participant in making the youth employable and the country a prosperous one.

Everyone that we spoke to was of the unanimous opinion – while a systemic overhaul is essential to improve the quality of many bad institutions in the country, the least we could do is to protect students and parents from being misguided and misled by willful wrong-doers. There are institutes where stu-dents walk in with their eyes open and know what to expect. And there are those where they walk in, blinded – misled, misguided and misinformed, by a campaign where media, regulatory agencies and aca-demia become willing accomplices. While we can’t do much about the informed decisions, we have to take up the cause of those who were cheated, an act that robs students of their career and in a way, their life.

As we scanned the ads, spoke to experts, affected parties and counselors, we realised that one name cropped up the most – IIPM. We decided to inves-tigate. We sent mails to all those, that IIPM draws upon to validate its claims in its advertisements, namely – journalists, editors, foreign universities, employers. We spoke to current and former students and their parents. What our investigation unravelled left us cold. Here is an institution that enjoys all the privileges of an academic institution (according to IT authorities, it claimed exemptions citing Section 10(23C) (VI) of the Income Tax act, 1961) with zero responsibility and accountability. Here is an institu-tion that brazenly uses its power and reach to make unsubstantiated claims that play with the lives of students and parents alike. We know we are opening a Pandora’s Box, but are prepared for the repercus-sions, knowing fully well that you, our readers are with us. We were shocked by our findings, and what you are reading is just a part of it. We await your verdict.

Haas gave us a series of three responses. See box in the next page

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK,

BARCLAYS, DUBAI

DEUTSCHE BANK

BASED ON some of the claims about MNC employers participating in the campus recruitments at IIPM, we checked with a few of them. We are listing a few responses, of employers, who have denied having recruited from the IIPM campus from the class of 2008, though IIPM claims otherwise. There have been a few more, who did not respond and we did not pursue, as we already got a sample of what is in store. Some gave us information but refused to come on record.

IIPM CLAIMS to award PG/UG degrees from IMI Belgium. We checked with NVAO, the accreditation organization of Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) about IMI Belgium. The response from them is given below. This implies that the degree that students earn would be useless for higher education or employment anywhere in the world, where formal degrees are required.

Dear Urmila,

BBA/MBA degrees International collaborations

Campus placement

-----Original Message-----From: Axel Aerden [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:14 PMTo: [email protected]; [email protected]: RE: Kind attn: Mr.Axel Aerden, as per telecon yesterdayDear Mr. PeriTo answer your first question, I would refer to our official register of recognised institutions and degrees: http://www.highereducation.be . Please read two items in our section FAQ:- http://www.hogeronderwijsregister.be/faq/117/48 - http://www.hogeronderwijsregister.be/faq/117/49IMI Belgium is not a recognised higher education institution

(neither in the Dutch nor the French speaking part of Belgium). Since it is not recognised it cannot award recognised degrees.In our position it is difficult to answer your second question.

For us only registered institutions with accredited programmes are considered credible.Best regards

20-23_IIPM.indd 20-21 5/25/09 10:41:16 PM

full page advertisement in every national newspaper almost every week. I mean how they will provide facili-ties to the students, because it is ultimately the students’ money which will be used for advertisement. Such a waste of money of students’ parents!!!And see their claims...IIT, IIMs, Harvard, and Yale...whatever institute their chief knows the name of!!

I am a student of National Institute of Technology and I know how funds have to be carefully managed by an institute so as to provide maximum facilities to a stu-dent at minimum cost. Insti-tutes like IIPM which use so much of their money in advertisements have obvi-ously the focus of cashing in on more and more money rather than teaching the students and building the nation strong by providing us with good trained man-power.

We should ban such insti-tutes.

Neeraj Shukla, on the web

I belong to the batch of 2005-2007, I can assure all the readers one thing about this institution that it’s an absolute disaster. They have lied and made promises they could never deliver. All

this is expected because it is run by India’s only self proclaimed management GURU!

Mathew, on the web

I appreciate the efforts made by Career360. It’s an eye opening investiga-tion and facts are enough to SAY NO to IIPM. How- ever IIPM can’t be blamed alone. Now-a-days many stu-dents think that it’s the insti-tute which can give them job or make their career. Those students have no confidence in themselves. IIPM is opportunistic and doing business by manipu-lating those students.

Indrajit, on the web

Hey someone make SRK also aware of these facts. I hope you guys know that he recently made a deal to host their B-School Quiz for 3 years. I am sure that he would never take this if he knew these facts...Believe me if he is going to host it then no doubt people will still go to IIPM despite knowing all this.

Ankit, on the web

This article serves the purpose well… by expos-ing the fraudulent claims of the scamsters, it makes it imperative on us readers to question the very authen-ticity of like articles in the media....we got to start somewhere right? And what better way than to confront the frauds with facts? And as for the media...well they may buy the print media…but we have a major tool in the form of electronic medium - don’t we? I guess that’s why we need to spread this news....and encourage the author for an encore!!!

Vivek, on the web


careers NeWs caMPus NeWs NeW cOurses eVeNTs

Watchout For !

UPSC-Geologists Examination 2009

The UPSC will hold the Geologists Examination,2009 on 5th December, 2009 for recruitment to the Geological Survey of India and Hydrogeological Sur-vey of India in the Central Ground Water Board. Last date: 20th July 2009

For further details visit website:

www.upsc.gov.in

May sees slowdownHiring activity was down by 1.9% in May ’09 as compared to April ’09, according to the monthly update of Naukri JobSpeak. The overall job index declined by 1.9% from 677 in April ’09 to 664 in May ’09.

Telecom and pharma sectors saw a drop of 12% and 14% respectively during the period.

FMCG, Food & Beverage industry, however, registered a growth in hiring by 9% in May ’09.

Financial Assistance

For SC/ST/OBC/Minority students from economically weak sections of the population the Govt. of Delhi has annouced reimbursement of tuition fees and other compulsory Fees.

For more details visit the Depart-ment’s website www.scstwelfare.delhigovt.nic.in

Last date for applications:31st August, 2009

Reforming higher educationUnion Minister for Human Resource

Development, Kapil Sibal announced an ambitious reform plan for higher edu-cation system in India. Sibal unveiled a string of reform proposals at legislative and policy levels to be initiated in his first 100-days of work. Some of the major initiatives include:

n An autonomous over-reaching author-ity (something akin to SEBI for the stock markets) that would replace all other regu-latory bodies like UGC, AICTE, Medical Council of India, Dental Council of India, Distance educational Council etc. This fol-lows the recommendations of the Yashpal Committee and National Knowledge Com-mission report. n The minister also proposed formulat-ing a law to prevent, prohibit and punish educational malpractices. “This includes practices like capitation fees, ragging and non-adherence to prospectus,” said Sibal. n A law to regulate entry and operation of foreign education providers.n A law for mandatory assessment and accreditation in higher education through an independent regula-tory authority. This would ensure that the quality of education would have cer-tain standardization.n Establishing of a tribunal to fast track educational disputes between teachers, students, employees and management.n Launching of interest subsidy on educational loans taken for professional courses by the economical-ly weaker sections for higher education.n A law to establish a Tribunal to fast-track adjudication of disputes concerning stake-holders ( students, teachers, employees and managment) in the education system.n Launching a new policy for Distance Education.n Most importantly, the new policy intends to push the process of examination reforms by making class X examination optional, thus permitting students continuing in the same school and to take an internal school

assessment instead.n A proposal to review the functioning of deemed universities is also on the cards.

The proposals aimed at overhauling the higher education sys-tem are timely and long overdue. If achieved, they would save the pain and agony that is caused to a lot of students and par-ents who fall prey to the mechanizations of a few institutes. On a brighter note, the policy aims to ensure that the standard of higher education is maintained while open-ing it up for foreign uni-

versities. The regulated entry of foreign universities would have the salutary effect of increasing the standard of education in India while making the qualifications acceptable universally.

While we may all debate on what needs to be done and whether the policies suggested are the right ones, most would agree that the system needs a large-scale overhaul. We wish Mr.Sibal all success in his endea-vour to revamp the much neglected higher education system in India.

“The nature of the higher education authority would

take shape depending on the

committee recomendations”

Despite layoffs IT still Top of the mind

The latest edition of Nel-son Campus Track T-Schools study, found that nearly 43% of respondents voted for IT as their preferred work sec-tor. Accenture, Bosch, Google, Infosys, L&T, IOC, TCS , and Wipro among others, were their top destinations. The study sur-veyed nearly 4352 students in about 151 engineering colleges (including the IITs,NITs) and other leading regional colleges. The survey also revealed Ratan Tata as the most preferred role model for the students.


Sharada group of institutions have been confered University status by the UP government. The university would have 14 colleges spread across four campuses located in Greater Noida, Noida, Agra and Mathura. The univeristy offers programmes in man-agement, engineering, mass communica-tion, fine arts and environmental sciences. According to Vice Chancellor Prof. R.P. Singh, the insitute would endeavour to pro-vide a stress-free learning experience to students by adopting a fully flexible credit- based education system and digital learn-ing environment.

UP confers university status to SGI,Noida

The Information and Library Network centre (INFLIBNET) will set up an online archive of PhD thesis from UGC recognized universities for the benefit of research stu-dents. This will not only prevent duplicat-ing research done in the past but will also help in curbing plagiarism. A world wide practice, the IISc Bangalore already has an operational system in place. INFLIBNET intends to begin with 50 universities and will eventually cover all 171 universities under the UGC. Dr. Jagdish Arora, direc-tor of INFLIBMET, Ahmedabad stated, “We want to open up our research output to the world as is the trend worldwide.”

Reserach at your mouse tips

Mumbai-based Graphiti is offering a bouquet of courses in animation to aspiring professionals. The courses have been designed in sync with the industry requirements and pays particular attention to making students studio-ready on completion. Launched at three levels, the course duration would vary from one to three years. Led by Rammohan , a doyen of animation, the institute also claims to offer placement assistance to students.

Communication conclaveA national conference entitled ‘Communication in global business: the changing spectrum’ has been announced by Rajagiri School of Management. The conference is open for all interested individuals. The school also welcomes abstracts of papers/case studies on global business communication and acceptance would be notified by 15th July, 2009. Last date for full paper submission 16th August, 2009.

Log on to www.rajagiri.edu for complete details.

Oscar winner’s offer for oneResul Pookutty of Oscars fame will sponsor a student at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune where he himself studied a while back. The annual scholarship with a grant of $5,000 will be available to one lucky student, “ a technically talented student’ in the words of Pookutty. The fellowship also gives the recepeint the opportunity to do an internship with Pookutty in his studio. It would take effect from the coming academic year (2010-2011).

A course in animation technology

Science Express to roll on

The ‘Science Express’, a Indo-German venture has completed 17,000 km and covered 51 cities in a span of 182 days. This brought the world of science into the lives of 22

lakh visitors. The train provides the visitors a first experience on various basic scientific principles as well as exciting interactive games. The Department of Science and Tech-nology helped evolve the 16-coach train that visited various cities for three to four days, allowing people the opportunity to visit the free exhibition. “If India has to be a global power, the push has to come from science. If such experiments can ignite the curiosity of young minds like this train has, the day won’t be far when India will be a superpower,” said Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Science and Technology. The next phase covering 60 cities is scheduled to be flagged off on August 12th from Ahmedabad.

Infosys BPO Ltd. has gone one step ahead to small towns to hire employees. This move would allow the company to hire at less cost to company in terms of salaries offered so that the com-pany’s growth would be higher due to cost efficient moves. Amitabh Chaudhry, chief executive officer, Infosys BPO stated, “The Indi-an BPO market will only grow rapidly over the next five-seven years.” This could be a move that works positively for both par-ties, company would increase its revenues and employees would not be required to work grave- yard shifts.

Small towns, new pit-stops for hiring

Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses-Fellowship 2009

Institute of Defence Studies and Analy-ses announces Research Fellowship tenable for 2-3 years and extendable further,if required,for research in stra-tegic and security issues.Emoluments range from Rs.36,000/- for Associate Fellow to Rs.85,000/- per month for Senior Fellows. See for details www.idsa.in

Watchout For !



Investing for innovation; Biocon sets up a centre at ISBKiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon CMD and Executive Board member Indian School

of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, announced the setting up of the Biocon Cell for Innovation Management under the aegis of the ISB’s Centre for Leadership, Innovation & Change (CLIC). Biocon is slated to invest Rs. 20 crore in the project over a minimum period of 10 years. This initiative will help companies find and bridge gaps in their ability to innovate, manage risks that go with innovation and produce high quality innovation at low cost. Prof. Kaipa, CLIC Executive Director, said that the board of the Biocon cell will comprise eminent industrialists besides a Biocon representative and himself. The board will play an advisory role and provide research ideas. Mr Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB, said that they may also allow other companies to join the innovation cell.

Vocad , a newly launched vocational training academy has already set up eight schools in various parts of the country that offer courses on lifestyle, telecom, healthcare, travel and hospitality in order to provide a larger section of the youth population with skills to find jobs. The courses on offer will be of three-month duration and fees would range from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 7,500. The emphasis, company claims is on providing a wide range of programmes to enhance and facilitate employability, career opportunities and entrepreneurship skills in the target group.

Professionals to run a packaging courseMagnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals announces admission to the next batch of students for its six-month course on packaging. Commencing from early July, 09 the course would cost Rs 60,000. Minimum eligibility is 10+ 2 pass or 18 years of age. Job opportunities include employment in food sector, wedding industry, fashion designing industry, event management companies, or as an independent packaging consultant.

CREMA launches new healthcare MBACREMA, a clinical reserach training provider is now offering an MBA in heathcare management. The two year full-time programme offered by CREMA would prepare the candidate for a degree from Dibrugarh University, Assam.

The course has been designed in tune with the needs of the health care industry, claims the institution. For details see www.cremaindia.org

Vocational courses go highbrow

Watchout For !

ICMR launches new fellowships

The Indian Council of Medical Research has asked for applications from Indian biomedical scientists. For details on how to apply and financial support log on to http://www.icmr.nic.in. Last date to receive applications is

15th July, 2009.

A ‘Total’ job of cleaning out your money

An RTI was filed by Nitesh Duhan, a MBA student on April 9, 2008 and he still awaits a break-up of marks. So the CIC has sent a show cause notice to the Dean of FMS. The CIC notice clearly stated that the information should be provided by August 14, 2008 but no response was provided till March 31, 2009. The CIC stated recently, “It is apparent that the deemed PIO, Professor J.K. Mitra, dean FMS, is guilty of not furnishing informa-tion within the time specified.” The CIC commented that the stance of FMS was unacceptable and observed that all offi-cers of public authority are bound to obey the law and the structures thereof. FMS as on date has not officially responded to the said notice, as for Nitesh the wait for the marks still continues.

Admission test marks are still forbidden fruits

A candidate in Hyderabad found a job opening in a French oil and natural gas company in “Total”, put up at XING, a popular job portal. On contacting them, he received a mail from a person identify-ing himself as Mr Philip Jorden, head of careers and recruitments of “Total” in the UK. They asked him to fill an application form. As all the questions were relevant to the job he applied, he did not suspect any foul play. He was asked to come to London for an interview and deposit 33% of the total expenses inclusive of travel. Oshan deposited £1,489. He was again asked to deposit another £4,000.Suspi-cous he logged on to the official website of “Total”, only to discover that he has been duped.

Fully Air Conditioned & Wi-Fi Campus •

State-of-art Infrastructure •

Qualified, experience & committed faculty •

Quality Education •

Record Placements & Results •

ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED •



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You may be an academic, student or a professional. You could be a CEO, a man-ager or an executive. But, all you need to have is a flair for writing concisely, have a nose for data and numbers, be obsessed with getting facts right, and above all, have an abiding commitment to the youth of the country.

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New course announcements,university/institute news,

conferences, summer schools,

job announcements

Delhi University’s School of Open Learn-ing (SOL) can be a viable option for stu-dents not making it to the college of their choice. SOL had launched five new cours-es designed in association with private companies to make the degree holders more employable. The course also has a built -in internship offer as well. Savita Dutta, director of SOL stated, “All these courses are specifically designed for imparting professional training to students.” So, get to SOL and see the available options, last date to apply is August 27th. Don’t miss out.

The Ministry of External Affairs realized the harsh reality that the HRD Ministry maintains records of only those students who have gone abroad via exchange pro-grammes. On account of the recent attacks on Indian students, a new registration sys-tem has been proposed to make records of students available to Indian missions abroad so that help is available readily for students abroad. The Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry plans to provide pre-de-parture tips to students before they leave the country to study so that they get a fair idea of what to expect abroad.

Job-ready Degrees from School of Open Learning, DU

Take comfort! The Govt. knows where you are...

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has altered the definition of ragging to keep close vigil to check misdeeds. Addressing it as a conduct issue, it entails “whether by

words spoken or written or by an act, which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness a fresher or any other student” to be all encompassing. The offence would also include any act “deriving sadistic pleasure or showing off power or authority on one student on another.” Students and parents would be required to provide undertakings that they are aware of the anti-ragging laws and the punishments for participating in such an act. Deepak Pental, Delhi University’s vice-chancellor emphasized, “All forms of coercion amount to ragging. There is nothing academic about it.” On 20th June, barely days before the commencement of the new academic session the Government of India launched a toll-free 24-hour anti-ragging helpline for distressed students. The helpline (1800-180-5522) will operate round-the-clock and function as a watchdog.

Ragging definition gets modified

Campus newsletter: If your school, college, institute has one, send us a copy. We will feature the best pieces

If there is an event, seminar or conference at your institute, mail us

at: [email protected]

Mail your letters to us at: [email protected]

Narendra Bisht

www.careers360.com

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Students’ Alert Regulation

14 july 2009360caReeRs

by B. Mahesh Sarma

The antics of all the actors - insti-tutes, regulatory agencies, gov-erning councils, directors and sundry other actors, in each of

the above case, would be comical, if not for the fact that, they actually are mak-ing life hell for a host of students. And in each case, a little regulatory interven-tion and a little caution from the affected parties would have made life easy for the hapless students.

The biggest factor here is the conflict of legislations, which institutions use to their advantage. The game begins with the 2003 UGC notification on private universities (See box alongside for the relevant excerpts), which clearly states that no private university can ever set up any off- campus, off-shore or study cen-tre, anywhere outside the state, in which they were set up, for the first five years of their existence. And this policy is in concurrence with the Supreme Court ruling as well.

But the establishment of Distance Education Council (DEC) complicated matters. The DEC norms say nothing about UGC restriction of a minimum five year requirement. So, quite a few private universities had got themselves conveniently registered with DEC. A classic case of taking away with the right hand and giving it back with the left hand.

Now private universities have a means to bypass the UGC regulation. Even the UGC notification dated June 11, 2009 says so. “For running programmes in distance mode, the approval of Joint Committee of UGC-AICTE-DEC is required. Distance Education Council

is the Coordinator of the Joint Com-mittee” (See relevant excerpts). It is this farce of a regulation that enabled the Director of Delhi Business School, Divya Rajput, to inform the Mid-day journalist with injured innocence that “She even offered to shift students to Punjab Technical University”. Unfor-tunately for her, the students, ungrateful

Professional education; students caught in regulatory ambiguityWhile a ugc notification prevents private institutions from setting up off-campus study centre, the Distance education council norms says nothing about this ugc restriction.

june 17, 2009:

The Supreme Court comes down heavily on “runaway commer cialization of education by the protagonists of private education, without any che cks and balances”.

june 10, 2009:

28 students of Delhi Business School, who enrolled for an MBA (Hospital Man agement), discovered they were actually being taught for a distance learning programme by EIILM University of Tripura, which never had permission to offer such a programme.

creatures that they are, instead of meek-ly taking the offer had the guts to refuse it and fight for their rights. So now we have truly reached academic nirvana. Students are cattle to be auctioned off to the highest bidder (any DEC Accredited University).

The regulatory confusion lies in the joint mechanism of DEC-AICTE and


Professional education; students caught in regulatory ambiguityWhile a uGc notification prevents private institutions from setting up off-campus study centre, the Distance education council norms says nothing about this uGc restriction.

june 17, 2009:

The Supreme Court comes down heavily on “runaway commer cialization of education by the protagonists of private education, without any che cks and balances”.

june 10, 2009:

28 students of Delhi Business School, who enrolled for an MBA (Hospital Man agement), discovered they were actually being taught for a distance learning programme by EIILM University of Tripura, which never had permission to offer such a programme.

the UGC. Interestingly this evolved from May 10, 2007, and the DEC web-site displays a fantastic policy state-ment on how they had arrived at a joint mechanism (See relevant excerpts), so that distance learning permission could be granted through a single window. Point 5 of the document proudly says “As per the recent decision taken in the

june 12 2009:

Madras High Court ordered the closure of all colleges, which were offering courses from ICFAI University,

Dehradun and the university now claims that none of these institutions have any relationship with it.

Joint Committee meeting held on 12th Sept, 2008, the Committee constituted by the Chairman should also include nominees from UGC and AICTE from the panel of experts provided by them, particularly the former in the case of all Universities and the latter for

private institutions offering Profes-sional and Technical Programmes”. In other words, UGC does not permit off campus/study centres to be set up by any private university for the first five years of its existence. But the same experts representing UGC have allowed quite a few private universities to set up distance learning programmes, which could not be effectively run without off campus or at least study centres.

Now one can appreciate the intend of the UGC regulation. It takes time for an academic institution to establish itself. So ideally it should concentrate on its primary campus for the first five years of its existence. If that is the case how could the DEC bypass that intend and law? It beats me. We have written to UGC and DEC asking for clarifications. Look out for these pages in the coming issues.

But then in most of these cases, DEC actually has given provi-sional recognition until the visit of expert committees. If DEC were the licensing authority for motor vehicles, we will have a host of drivers with conditional licenses to drive, subject to passing a test somewhere in the near future. Thankfully it is dealing with harmless issues like higher education and student’s future!


IIPM Makes yet another claIM - over to you Mr.sIbal

Investigation

The ad clearly mentions that the MBA/BBA degrees are from IMI,Belgium.

A two page ad, that announces that IIPM students would earn their degrees from University of Buckingham.

15 June (TOI) 18 June (TOI) 22 June

by B Mahesh Sarma

When we ended our investiga-tive piece on IIPM last month, we were hoping for a response

from IIPM disputing our story. We were prepared, armed with all information (some of which we published). The lack of response proves that IIPM has noth-ing to contest. However, there was a response, through double page ads in media.

One of the many false claims by IIPM, that we exposed in the last issue of Careers360 (www.careers360.com), was about the BBA/MBA degrees on offer. The degrees awarded by IIPM in collaboration with IMI Belgium were, in fact, unrecognized. Even after the expo-sé IIPM continued to use IMI, Belgium. As recent as 15th June, an ad released in the Times of India mentioned the IMI degrees on offer.

On 18th June, post our exposé, we saw an ad in TOI and Hindustan Times, where the BBA/MBA degree was now being offered from Buckingham Busi-ness School. Aware of the past history of the claims made by IIPM, we sent a mail to the University of Buckingham to verify this new claim. Their response left us despairing (see the mail above). The University of Buckingham’s response

From: Anne Matsuoka [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 5:03 PMTo: Mahesh SarmaSubject: Message from BuckinghamDear Mr Sarma, I apologise that I could not respond to your request before today, and do hope this is not too late. I have been in touch with the relevant people and the reply to your que-ries is as follows:The University does not have a formal

agreement with IIPM although it has been holding talks with them in Delhi for some time. The advertisements referred to were not published with the University’s consent and no such consent would be forthcoming until their programmes had been formally accredited under the QAA guidelines for Collaborations in Higher Education. I hope this will help,With very best wishes,Anne

IIPM claims to award MBa/BBa from university of Buckingham, and the university denies having any arrangement with IIPM as of date. The false claims continue

NOTe: readers may await the counter view of IIPM/response from the university of Buckingham, if received.

implies that:1. The university of Buckingham hasn’t

consented to the advertisements (and the claims made in it).

2. That no such consent would be forthcoming until their programmes (IIPM’s programmes) are formally accredited under the QAA guidelines.

3. That no such arrangement exists as on date.The QAA in UK is similar to National

Board of Accreditation (NBA) in India. IIPM’s programmes are not accredited by NBA. We wonder, how IIPM would submit its programmes to QAA when it refused to submit itself to the NBA.

So as we file this story, the students are not guaranteed of a University of Buck-ingham degree. We called up the Vice Chancellor’s office of the University of Buckingham on 23rd June and wrote to him on the 24th of June (after the response from their PR department)but haven’t recieved any response.

However, we are at a loss to deal with

the brazenness of these claims; each bigger than the other. Is there a way to discourage such institutes from making these false claims in the name of great education? Would Mr.Kapil Sibal, the current HRD minister and one India’s best lawyers, take an active interest to bring in some transparency to prevent institutes from taking students for a ride? Can the regulators, government and judiciary impose certain account-ability for such claims on all institutes? Or would this be another investigation that bites the dust for want of follow-up and regulatory action? We have done our job. It is over to you Mr.Sibal.

Dear readers, we greatly value your sug-gestions, so visit us at (www.careers360.com) and give us your comments. If you need to maintain confidentiality, drop in a mail to the editor, at [email protected].

Guru Gyan rajendra S pawar

18 july 2009360careerS

Bring in transparency in educationOver the years, IT training organisation NIIT reinvented itself many times to ride the lows and highs of economic tide with

remarkable panache. A survivor to the core, the 28- year old organisation has scripted a success story like no other. The launch of NIIT University adds another feather in their cap. NIIT Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of NIIT University, Rajendra S Pawar

gives Urmila Rao, his take on how students should train themselves early on to embark on a career of their choice, and talks about paucity of quality faculty in the realm of higher education and liberalisation of the sector

Q: Over the last few years a plethora of institutions have entered the edu-cation sector. How does a student identify which ones are offering qual-ity education? A: Today students spend very little time in investigating the institute and intro-specting on their career choices. In my opinion the school system should impart the necessary skills latest by class XI. Students are worried about what parents want them to do, what friends want them to do and what is nice to do. They miss out the most fundamental part, which is what they want to do. The big problem is that we are not triggering the process of making a discerning choice early on. It should start in class X or latest by the early part of class XI. One of the issues with kids today is that they know exactly what they want to be after 10 years. But if you look at people who have done engineering or pursued any professional education, they have changed their line of work! Students should identify their passion first but the passion shouldn’t be on very narrow lines like - I want to do computer security systems. It should be broader. Am I more interested in creative work or am I interested in tinkering with equipment, am I inter-ested in writing or in theatre. Passion has been inhibited for too long because everybody else has been deciding on the students’ behalf. In our counselling ses-sions, many kids quietly ask - “Can you tell this to my dad because this is what I want to do.” If students introspect, then they would at least have a sense of and know what they are looking for. So the first step should be introspection fol-lowed by seeking information. This they

looking forward to the challenge of running a university


Bring in transparency in educationcan do by visiting institutions, libraries, websites and maintaining a good peer group contact.

Q: Why is it incumbent on the stu-dents to investigate any institute? Shouldn’t the institutions voluntarily adopt full disclosure norms and stop functioning opaquely? A: In the areas of higher and vocation-al education, a young adult can make informed decisions and he is quite aware of the consequences of his engagement. They can make up a tentative economic equation too regarding the time spent, the cost incurred and the returns gener-ated with respect to the choice of insti-tution they have made. We should start liberating the education sector at this level allowing more institutions to open up. Institutions will then be forced to adopt transparency norms as there will be far more choices. The additional sup-ply will eliminate the poor quality insti-tutions and will also necessiate capacity building.

Q: What is your take regarding the talk of foreign universities being allowed entry in India? A: Foreign varsities should surely be allowed entry. As a country we have decided to globalise. There is a system-atic way to do this. The first step is liber-alisation, followed by privatisation and then globalisation. Artificial constraints should be removed. Such hindrances only create imbalance and shortage and shortages always create inefficiency. Liberalisation will act as a catalyst in building internal ability and capac-ity. However, entry of foreign universi-ties should be a moderated and well-planned process of opening up which will enable good domestic institutions to be ready to compete and flourish. We should also take into consideration that unlike an industry, foreign educa-tional institutions will be unable to serve at price points we need for a while to come. They will also find it difficult to

function because our market has to mature and be ready.

Q: Do you think operation of foreign universities will benefit students out here?A: Foreign Universities on Indian shores will open up a lot more choice to our students. Today, Indian students spend anywhere between 4 and 10 billion dol-lars a year on pursuing studies abroad. That is a lot of money and if that money is to be spent on an institution, whether it is Indian or foreign in India, just imag-ine the extent of capacity building which will happen in our land. The benefit will be that the additional money will be spent on campus and expertise building, not to mention the other secondary and tertiary benefits this will attract.

- to select. So, why then do we have to wait for a slowdown. We should have more capacity even during good times so that this cleaning up act can con-tinue. But if, as we have seen so far, you keep having a situation of short supply of required services and facilities, then even shoddy goods and services gets sold and picked up by hapless customers.

Q: What is the idea behind formation of the NIIT University? How is it dif-ferent from other institutes?A: The founders of NIIT started think-ing about it in the 90s. By 2008, we started building the university at Neem-rana, a fully residential, 100-acre scal-able campus. The idea is to set up an example of what a 21st century Univer-sity should be. The first academic ses-sion will start in September 2009. This is our differentiating factor. We will pro-vide education which is industry-linked, technology based, research-driven and is seamless. Undergrads in year one will start getting into research and will start working on their projects along with PhD students so that research skills are built from the very outset. It would be seamless in the sense that a maths stu-dent will know a bit of literature and history student will know a bit of maths. It is just the opposite of the prevailing compartmentalised education we are so familiar with. This seamless character is also evident in our campus design.

Q: How are you tackling the issue of absence of quality faculty? A: That is actually one of the most chal-lenging parts which goes into establish-ing the university. We have recruited faculty with years of experience behind them and we will recruit a large number of fresh faculties too who can be suitably moulded to be in sync with requirements of the new system. We see faculty build-ing as our primary responsibility and task. Experienced ‘mentor-professors’ will reside on campus and spend time with students and younger colleagues. They will dedicate two or three years to help the young professors develop their acumen. We will also have a dozen eminent professors who will be regular visitors to the NIIT University - they will be on campus at least once every three months.

Students should identify their passion first. Passion has been inhibited for too long because everybody else has been deciding on the students’ behalf. So the first step should be introspection

Q: The economic slowdown has exposed flaws in our education sys-tem. There is definitely a gap between industry’s requirement and the edu-cation imparted in colleges.A: What slowdowns do is give rise to conditions that necessitate a reviewing and realigning of demand and supply. This results in the supply exceeding the demand. The moment that happens we begin to see market forces at work. Peo-ple now have the luxury to be choosey

Feature Job Fairs


by Urmila Rao

A media conglomerate recently concluded the eighth edition of its job fair. Brandishing it as a grand success it pompously

said, “We would have created six to ten thousand jobs over three days.” Though exciting, it can’t get more misleading than this. By using ‘would’, the media giant itself raises questions on the verac-ity of the figure it mentions. Upon vali-dation, these numbers are bound to fall flat on its face.

For all practical purposes, how much steam does a job fair hold these days? One cannot but wonder!

It’s a concept of boom times when mass recruitments were being done by companies growing at a hectic pace. The idea was to attract fresh talent for spot-hirings. However, of late the nature of job fairs have undergone a major shift. Such fairs now merely serve as a plat-form for branding and image building exercise for companies. “It is no longer a career and employment fair,” say HR experts. On-the-spot hiring activities have taken a backseat.

At best, candidates drop their résu-més at various stalls and wait for inter-

How fair are job fairs?

Illustrations : Gouri Nanda

Job fairs is a concept of boom times. it was meant to attract fresh talent for spot-hirings. Now they are more of a platform for branding and image building exercise

Before approaching a recruiter decide the sectors and role functions you like to go in for, depending upon your qualification, skill and interest


view calls. And companies rue that they don’t get quality talent.

Moot Question: The question is why would a talented resource go to a job fair at all? A traditional or an on-line medium of recruitment would eas-ily fetch him a job. So, then why are big companies even participating in the fairs knowing well that a quality candidate is hard to come by?

“It’s a cost-effective way for companies to get candidates,” reasons M.S Shivaku-mar, principal consultant, ExpertusHR.

The conversion rate, from submitting the résumé to getting the job, is dismally low. The Korean Embassy, which par-ticipated recently in a job fair, received more than 1,000 CVs. “Out of which we hired one person in the New Delhi office of Daewoo International Ltd., a global trading company,” apprises Jaya Nayar,

business manager, New Delhi Korea Trade Center, Korean Embassy.

While job fairs may still hold a charm in small cities, they are definitely losing their sheen in metros. Last year, the above mentioned media conglomerate had about 100 companies participating in the job fair held at Pragati Maidan but saw only 35 firms this year, confirms an industry source. HR experts strongly feel that job fairs are outmoded.

All thAt JAzz: The question is not as much about quality of the candidates as it is about unpreparedness of the can-didate. Most job-applicants, fresh out of college, are starry-eyed and easily impressed by jazzy stalls and glitzy bro-chures of the companies. The informa-tion doled out by the companies is taken at face value. No questions are asked and no information verified. Either the job-seekers are intimidated or are too shy to extract the requisite informa-tion. Companies on the other hand, feel that while they get bundles of résumés, most of them don’t fit the profile. Says Shivakumar, “Companies look to assess quantitative, analytical and verbal skills of a candidate and the candidate has only a minute to impress the recruiter.” The disappointment comes when this connect fails to happen.

PrePAre soMe More: Most job-seekers actually have no clear idea about their job description, feels Shivakumar. The sentiment is also endorsed by Sunil Kalra, a job consultant from a lead-ing HR firm. Candidates should have clarity about their goal, he says. Before approaching a recruiter, decide depend-ing upon your academic background, knowledge, skill and interest, the sec-tors and role functions you would like to go in for. Don’t feel shy to ask ques-tions and find answers to your queries from the prospective recruiter. “If the job seeker has clarity about his goal then achieving it is a natural process, as he will definitely work towards realising it,” says Kalra.

Before attending the fairs, it’s a good idea to evaluate your skill-sets by either taking online skill assessment tests or visiting a career counsellor who will evaluate the skills and provide you with a set of job options.

get the best out of job fairs

Do not go to an employment fair clueless ■■

about your goal. Have clarity as to what job function you are looking for and which sectors you want to apply to.

While approaching an organisation, ask ■■

questions like: What would be the nature of job? Will the company provide training before one takes up the role responsibility? What would be the company’s expectation from him in the first six months? What is the salary range for executives taking up that particular function? What are the company’s growth plans?

Verify all the information that the company ■■

gives, instead of being bowled over by the spiel. Let not the glossy brochure and thick literature narrating the company’s achievement deter you from authenticating the information.

Ask the company about its feedback ■■

mechanism. If the company gives 90-120 days to revert after giving on-the-spot offer letter, do get back to the organisation if you don’t receive a call.

It’s a good idea to map you your skills and ■■

interest while zeroing in on your career goal.

How fair are job fairs?

Adominant player in

management education,

corporate training and

consulting in the city of

Mumbai since 1981, NMIMS

(erstwhile Narsee Monjee Institute of

Management Studies) was set up by

Shri Vile Parle Kelvani Mandal (SVKM)

with financial assistance from Narsee

Monjee Education Trust. SVKM has

worked untiringly since 1934 to provide

affordable and quality primary, secondary

and higher education. It is today one of

the largest educational complexes in

Mumbai imparting education to more

than 40,000 students each year in over 22

educational Institutions.

The first ‘Outstanding Management

Teacher Award’ instituted by Bombay

Management Association (BMA) in

1990 was bagged by NMIMS. Since

then NMIMS business school has been

getting this award almost every alternate

year. NMIMS also won the BMA’s ‘Best

Management Institute Award’ for several

years. It was also awarded the ‘Golden

Peacock National Training Award’ in 2004

and ‘Golden Peacock Innovation Award’

in 2007. NMIMS was awarded 5 STAR

RATING in 1999 by UGC sponsored

National Assessment & Accreditation

Council (NAAC) and re-accredited with

Grade A by NAAC in 2006.

The year 2003 saw the birth of NMIMS

as a University with the aim to offer

innovative programmes in Technology &

Management. Today, the University has 7

schools offering programmes at Bachelor,

Master and Doctoral levels. These are

With approval of

the University has started

an at Shirpur. This

academy will train pilots.

NMIMS business school is the driver

of change at the University with its

unique offerings in the area of banking,

capital markets and actuarial science

as also in family managed business

and development of Social Enterprises.

Initiated in 1999 the Family Managed

Business Programme aspires to assist

family-owned businesses understand the

changing dynamics of competition as well

as organization. Weekend Family Business

Management Programme (FMBA) has

been specially designed for members of

progressive business families to update

their knowledge of various aspects of

managing a business in ever- changing

business environment.

NMIMS business school has a strong

commitment to influencing the quality

of management in profit and non- profit

organizations. The Social Enterprise

Cell instituted in January 2005 offers

Part time MBA / Diploma in Social

Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Training

for Women (ETW) Programmes.

SVKM’S NMIMS UNIVERSITY -NURTURING A VIBRANT RENAISSANCE IN PROFESSIONALEDUCATION

NMIMS business school has recently

started a full time, Executive Programme

in Management (EPGDBM) at Bangalore

with the objective of helping participants

move up the corporate hierarchy and make

lateral moves to other industries. Another

innovative programme of the University is 5

year integrated MBA (Tech.) which is a dual

degree programme combing engineering

and management. This programme offers

specializations in the area of IT, Telecom,

Chemical and Manufacturing. Similarly there

is a 5 year integrated MBA (Pharm. Tech.)

programme which combines pharmacy

education with management education.

Besides the above, the University

also offers doctoral programmes in

management, pharmacy & pharma

technology management, engineering &

technology management and analytical

sciences where it has an innovatively

designed 5 years integrated M.Sc.-

Ph.D. programme in place. Today, there

are 176 Ph.D. students pursuing these

programmes at the University besides 8

have been already awarded Ph.D.

In a pursuit to create ever lasting

learning experience the University

invests significant amount of money in

the creation of information resources.

The University’s main library has a

collection of over 46,000 books, 220

journals, about 1500 audio visual

material and 15 online databases.

This is in addition to the access the

library has to Harvard Business School

Publishing for cases and other material.

The library provides round the clock

access to over 5000 full text journals,

3 corporate databases, 2 law databases

and marketing databases. In addition to

the above each school is equiped with

required information resources.

The University has always achieved 100%

placements since its first batch graduated in

1983 and this holds true even in the current

market conditions. Several PSU’s and a large

number of new generation entrepreneurs

are regular recruiters at SBM.

The Industry Institute Partnership

Cell of NMIMS business school helps

establish a long lasting interface

between the corporate world and the

University providing industry exposure

to the students.

With an aim to create an international

learning experience, NMIMS has establish

academic relationships with Case Western

Reserve University, Harvard Business

School, University of Houston, ESC Rouen-

France, Grenoble Ecole De Management-

France, Athens University of Economics

and Business-Greece and RMIT University-

Australia.

The University Governing Board is chaired

by the Chancellor Shri Amrish Patel. Other

top officials of the University namely

the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor,

Registrar, Finance Officer and nominees

of the parent trust SVKM are members of

the board. It also has senior professionals

from the industry as Chancellor’s nominees.

Besides it has nominees of the Government

of India, Ministry of HRD and UGC. Deans

and Directors of the University along with

three faculty members are also included.

NMIMS business school has been ranked

10th in the latest Business World ranking.

It was ranked number 1 in Learning

Experience, Return on Investment and

International Exposure. Providing trained

socially sensitive human resource to the

country is our mission.

“We are confident of being able to

position our University amongst the top

ten in the country and top 30 University’s

of Asia-Pacific in the next few years.

The University will continue to seek

out opportunities for interdisciplinary

research and strive for excellence in

teaching, research and development. We

will actively promote inclusive growth

and will participate in empowering poorer

communities through education and

development of employable skills” said, Dr.

Rajan Saxena, Vice Chancellor.

“The demographics of Indian market

can be converted into an advantage

only when the benefits of quality higher

education reach segments of Indian

population so far denied the benefits of

formal University education” said, the

Chancellor Shri Amrish Patel.

The NMIMS dream is to help build

increasing number of empowered and

employable youth across different segments

of the society.

Talk Point motivation


Prakash IyerFormer CEO, Infomedia 18,now an executive and business coach

Guess what Jack Welch, Gordon Brown, Adi Godrej and Dr Manmo-han Singh have in common?

They are all early risers. In fact, if you read about the lives of successful people, you will most likely find a common thread: they get up early. It’s a habit that’s worked wonderfully well for all of them. And it could work like magic for you too.

If there was one habit – one single habit – that could make a huge impact on your life, it would have to be this. Wake up early!

You’ve probably heard how every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed. And every morning, a lion wakes up knowing it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or else it will starve to death. The moral of the story is simple. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you’d better be up and running!

If you are serious about achieving something meaningful in your life, take the first step. Get up early. Starting tomorrow, wake up one hour earlier than your usual time.

Imagine. If you got up one hour earlier than you currently do, it would give you an extra 365 productive hours in a year. That’s like get-ting nine extra weeks at work. You could read a book, work on your fitness, or spend time by yourself or with a loved one. What difference would that make to your career, your health, your life?

The benefits of joining the Early Risers Club are many. And it’s not only about the extra time you create for yourself. The real power is in the message it sends out to your mind. By waking up early, you are telling yourself that you are serious about achieving your goals. And that you are willing to pay the price.

Getting up early gives you the confidence to go after all your other goals. You have both the physical energy and the mental strength to chase your dreams. The discipline and the will power that help you get up early will also help you achieve a lot else in life.

When the alarm bell rings, do you find your arm stretching out to hit the snooze but-ton? You probably justify it by telling yourself ‘just ten more minutes…’ That’s the loser’s mindset, the comfort zone. If you value the comfort of the bed more than the opportunity to get ahead, don’t complain when you get left behind. When the alarm bell rings, it’s actually opportunity that’s knocking at your door. And by not getting up, you are telling him to come later. And opportunity seldom knocks twice.

Do I hear you say that you know it’s a good habit but you just can’t wake up early? Relax. Here’s a simple 30-day plan to help you get up early, every morning.

Set the alarm clock to ring 15 minutes before your regular wake up hour. If you usually get up at say 7 a.m., set it for 6.45. Fifteen minutes won’t really make any difference. Keep the alarm clock out of arm’s reach. So when it rings, you can’t hit the snooze button.

Every ten days, advance the alarm by anoth-er 15 minutes, until you get to your target wake up time. And every day, jump off the bed when the alarm rings. In 30 days, you will be getting up at 6a.m. After a while, you will probably find that you don’t need the alarm clock at all!

Remember, your ability to wake up early is not a function of what time you go to bed, or how much sleep your body needs. It depends only on your mind. On your commitment to your own success.

To achieve something in this lifetime, get up early. Make that a habit for the rest of your life. After all, you can always catch up on your sleep once you are dead!

The winning habit of highly effective people!

early risers get the worm

Thomas Utsi www.imagebank.sweden.se

PRIMER CraCking aiEEE

26 july 2009360CarEErs

Fashioning an effective preparation strategyClearing aiEEE is not a difficult task. a systematic approach towards its preparation will help students get admission into one of the top colleges

by Ramesh Batlish, Centre Head, guru Education ltd. (FiiTjEE group)

Engineering as a discipline has had a bull run year after year. AIEEE - All India Engineering Entrance Examination - has

had the highest number of examinees in a single day competitive exam glob-ally. The exam scheduled for April 26, 2009 had 10 lakh students regis-tered. This marked a record rise in the number from the previous year (8.26 lakh examinees had registered for 2008).

What is AIEEE?All India Engineering Entrance Exami-nation is for all Engineering aspirants who have appeared/passed Class XII from any national/state recognised boards. This exam is conducted for admission to the 20 National Insti-tutes of Technology (NITs), 4 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM), 16 Self-Financed Deemed Universi-ties and other 9 central & state govern-ment funded institutions. The number of attempts for this exam is restricted to three.

Central counselling board for AIEEE: Admission ProcedureAs per the direction of the MHRD, 50% of the seats in NITs will be filled from AIEEE eligible candidates of states where NITs are located and rest 50% will be filled on all India merit basis. MHRD will make efforts to establish NITs for those states/UTs which do not have NITs as of now. In case, the new NITs are not established before the start of admission based on AIEEE 2009, seats will be made available for the eli-gible students of such states/UTs which do not have any NIT, so as to keep the number of seats for such states/UTs

Illustrations: Gauri Nanada


Fashioning an effective preparation strategyclearing aIeee is not a difficult task. a systematic approach towards its preparation will help students get admission into one of the top colleges

at the level of 2007, after making due adjustment for the number of seats filled by eligible candidates of these states/UTs. A list of the participating institu-tions will be furnished by Central Coun-selling Board 2009 at the appropriate time and will be available on CCB web-site at www.ccb.nic.in.

Structure of the examPapers I & II Aspirants have the choice of appearing in any one of the two types of papers or both. Paper I is for those who wish to go only for BE/BTech courses in colleges accepting AIEEE ranks while Paper II is for those who wish to pursue a course in B.Arch/ B.Planning.PaPer I : This is a 3-hour paper com-prising three sections - Part I - Physics, Part II - Chemistry & Part III - Math-ematics. There are 30 questions in each of the three subjects, Physics, Chemis-try & Mathematics. The questions are of objective type i.e multiple-choice questions with a single correct answer. In each section there are 26 questions of 4 marks each and 4 questions of 8 mark each. One must be very careful as there is 1/4th negative marking for every question.PaPer II : This 3-hour paper consists of Part I - Mathematics, Part II -Apti-tude & Part III -Drawing. The Math-ematics section has 35-40 objective type multiple-choice questions with a single correct option and 1/4th negative marking. In this part, the syllabus for Mathematics comprise common top-ics from XI/ XII CBSE/State board. The Aptitude section has 10-15 objec-tive multiple-choice questions with four options and 1/4th negative marking. This will test a student for visualising three dimensional objects from two dimen-sional drawings, visualising different sides of three dimensional objects and also analytical reasoning and mental

ability. The Aptitude Test is designed to evaluate a candidate’s perception, imagination, observation, creativity and architectural awareness. The Drawing section has two questions for 40 marks involving sketching of scenes and activi-ties from memory of urbanscape (public space, market, festivals, street scenes, monuments, recreational spaces etc.), landscape (river fronts, jungles, gardens, trees, plants etc.) and rural life.

Subjects and level of difficultyClearing AIEEE is not a difficult task. A systematic approach towards its preparation will help students get admission into one of the top Nation-al Institutes of Technology (NITs). AIEEE consists of CBSE syllabus of Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics

How to prepare for AIEEE?Two years of planned, organized prepa-ration for AIEEE is all that is required. Appropriate study material is the first thing an aspirant must have. Every set of problems needs to be approached differently and with a separate method-ology. Regular practice makes a student confident to tackle the problems. Speed and accuracy is the key to success.

Relevant study materialBooks are preferred for shaping your conceptual understanding. There is a plethora of problem-solving books. It will do the student good to solve other competitive examination problems. Practise a lot.

Success tips for the examSpeed and accuracy is an important ●●

aspect, which comes from extensive practice of similar questions.

Always exercise time pressure while ●●

solving AIEEE papers. In Maths use short methods for calculations, skip irrelevant steps to save time.

The most important thing is clarity of ●●

concepts & regular practice in problem-solving.

AIEEE is not difficult, but tricky. ●●

However, its questions do have a need of being tackled with different tactics and perspectives.

Focus on solving the problems on ●●

your own, while preparing for the exam.Both speed and strike rate matter. ●●

You need to be quick and accurate to achieve high scores. High speed with less accuracy can actually ruin your results.

Never use calculator while preparing ●●

for the AIEEE. Being adept in mental calculations can actually increase your speed to a great extent.

Select your questions wisely. If you ●●

solve easy and average questions correct-ly, you can easily get through. You may attempt difficult ones to make merit.

Gather and implement tips, gain ●●

confidence, be positive, and you will ace AIEEE.

A step-by-step guide to problem solving

Try conventional methods first.●■

If they do not work out, try to understand ●■

the problem again and find clues that can lead you to the solution.

Go through the concepts related to the ●■

problem once again and see how they can be applied to the problem in hand.

Try to relate the problem to real-life ●■

situations. It will help you analyze it better.

Consult the solution only when you have ●■

exhausted your limits. See what you had missed earlier.

Practise similar problems.●■

Devise your own shortcuts and ways to ●■

tackle particular kind of problems.

and some common topics from 11th & 12th grades of state boards. In AIEEE 2009 Mathematics and Physics were definitely difficult as compared to the previous year. Chemistry was relatively simple. About 25% ques-tions in the paper are easy, 50% are average and 25% difficult. The cut- off for AIEEE is generally between 60 to 70%.

PRIMER CraCking aiEEE

28 july 2009360CarEErs

Indian Institute of Information Technology, ■■

Jhalwa, Allahabad (U.P)


Amethi , Allahabad (UP)

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of ■■

Information Technology &Management, Gwalior (M.P.)

Pandit Dwarka Prasad Mishra Indian ■■

Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Jabalpur (M.P.)


Design &Manufacturing, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Last lap before AIEEEIn the last two weeks before AIEEE, aspirants must revise all the formulae and the important points during these two weeks. One must study all three subjects each day.

Must do in the last 2 weeksMake a note of important points. ■●

Make a timetable for the coming ■●

twelve days to revise your syllabus. Time table must be developed in such a way that you give maximum time to your strengths. For instance, if you are strong

in Electrostatics in Physics, then revise electrostatics, giving enough time to it so that you are sure and confident of every concept in it. If you are not thorough in Modern Physics, then only revise what-ever topics you have studied. Do not study anything new in the last week.

Cover your syllabus during the next ■●

seven days. Now revise your complete syllabus once.

Take a few Mock Tests to check your ■●

speed and accuracy. Identify the gaps/problem areas ■●

where you are wasting your maximum time. Whatever mistakes you make in the first paper try to rectify in the second. In this way you will be better

prepared for the main exam. What most students do is that they revise the entire syllabus but never attempt a mock test. Therefore they make mistakes in the main exam and thus lose the race.

Day before Let your hair down the day before ■●

AIEEE. Do not study anything. Simply relax and indulge yourself.

Stay calm, confident and trust your ■●

ability.Say to yourself ‘I am excited about ■●

AIEEE and I can crack it’. Don’t ask your friends how much ■●

they have studied. It will only create tension.

Have a sound sleep for at least 6-7 ■●

hours.Prepare to reach the exam centre an ■●

hour before the commencement of the exam.

Analysis of AIEEE 2008 If you closely study the AIEEE 2008 paper you will find that there were 105 questions each carrying 3 marks. The total marks were 315 out of which if you had scored 180+ marks you were always safe to get a good college. On analysing the last year’s paper it was found that in physics most of the questions were from electricity, magnetism, modern physics and mechanics. These topics comprised about 75% to 80% of the paper. 35% questions were easy and 60% were nei-ther too difficult nor too easy.

Chemistry is the broadest branch and one that is most scoring. An analysis of

(Subject to the final approval from MHRD, Govt. of India and Central Counselling Board)

International Institute of Information ■■

Technology, Hyderabad(A.P)

Birla Institute of Technology (Mesra Centre), ■■

Mesra, Ranchi (Jharkhand)

Birla Institute of Technology (Patna Centre), ■■

Mesra, Ranchi

Birla Institute of Technology (Deogarh ■■

Centre), Mesra, Ranchi

Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, ■■

Bhubhaneswar (Orissa)

Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & ■■

Research Academy (Sastra), Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu)

LNM Institute of Information Technology, ■■

Jaipur (Rajasthan)

Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Viswa ■■

Mahavidyalaya,Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)

Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, ■■

Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

Faculty of Engineering & Technology, ■■

Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar (Uttarakhand)

Jaipur National University, Jagatpura, Jaipur ■■

(Rajasthan)

Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, ■■

Distt. Kapurthala (Punjab)

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, ■■

Gandhinagar, Jammu Tawi (J&K)

Kalasalingam University, Anand Nagar, ■■

Krishnan Koil (TN)

Sir Padampat Singhania University, Udaipur ■■

(Rajasthan)

Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, ■■

Bhubaneswar (Orissa)

INSTITUTIONS ThaT accEPT aIEEE ScORESc. Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs, IIITM &IIITDM)

a. National Institutes of Technology (NITs) B. Self-Financed Deemed Universities/ Universities/Other Institutions

National Institute of Technology, Agartala■■

Motilal Nehru National Institute of ■■

Technology, Allahabad (U.P)

Maulana Azad National Institute of ■■

Technology, Bhopal (MadhyaPradesh)

National Institute of Technology, Calicut ■■

(Kerala)

National Institute of Technology, Durgapur ■■

(West Bengal)

National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur ■■

(Himachal Pradesh)

Malviya National Institute of Technology, ■■

Jaipur (Rajasthan)

Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of ■■

Technology, Jalandhar (Punjab)

National Institute of Technology, ■■

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand)

National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra ■■

(Haryana)

Visvesvaraya National Institute of ■■

Technology, Nagpur (Maharashtra)

National Institute of Technology, Patna ■■

(Bihar)

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela ■■

(Orissa)

National Institute of Technology, Silchar ■■

(Assam)

National Institute of Technology, Hazartbal, ■■

Srinagar (J&K)

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of ■■

Technology, Surat(Gujarat)

National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, ■■

Mangalore (Karnataka)

National Institute of Technology, ■■

Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu)

National Institute of Technology, Warangal ■■

(Andhra Pradesh)

National Institute of Technology, Raipur ■■

(Chhattisgarh)


Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi ■■

(U.P) (IICT, Bhadohi)

School of Planning and Architecture, I.P. Estate, ■■

New Delhi (SPA,Delhi).

National Insitute of Foundary & Forge ■■

Technology, P.O. Hatia,Ranchi (Jharkhand), (NIFFT, Ranchi)

Assam University, Silchar (Assam)■■

J.K. Institute of Applied Physics & Technology, ■■

University of Allahabad, Allahabad- 211002 (U.P)

Tezpur University, NAPAAM, Tezpur (Assam)■■

M.J.P. Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (U.P)■■

School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal■■

School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada■■

last year’s paper revealed that physi-cal chemistry had 12 questions, organic chemistry 12 and inorganic chemistry 11. What this shows is that physical, organic and inorganic chemistry are given equal weight in AIEEE.

Now the part which the students say is difficult. Mathematics. Post the analysis it was found that chapters from Calculus and Algebra are the most repeated in the previous year papers of AIEEE. In AIEEE 2008, 24 questions were there from these two topics alone.

Analysis of AIEEE 2009In AIEEE 2009 there was a marked change is the pattern of questions and marking scheme. The number of ques-tions in each section was reduced to

30 but students found it tough as there were 24 questions of 4 marks and 6 questions of 8 marks in each section along with 1/4th negative marking. The 8 mark questions were time consum-ing and this was one reason why some students could not attempt many ques-tions.

In Physics it was found that 40% ques-tions were easy, 52% medium level and 8% difficult. More weight was given to chapters like Heat & Thermodynam-ics - 17%, Optics - 10%, Modern Physics - 10%, Electronics & communication - 7% and Properties of matter - 3%.

In Mathematics, 32% questions were easy, 58% average level of difficulty and 10% difficult. More weight was given to chapters like Coordinate Geometry - 13%, Integral Calculus - 10%, Vector - 3 Dimensional Geometry & Determi-nants - 10% and Trigonometry - 3%.

In Chemistry, 40% questions were

easy, 50% had a medium level of diffi-culty and 10% were difficult. 40% weight was given to Physical Chemistry and 27% to Inorganic Chemistry.

After going through the new mark-ing scheme and level of difficulty of the papers we could conclude that if a stu-dent secured more that 225 out of 432 he could be sure of getting into one of the 20 NITs.

Special Tip Importance of chemistryIt is observed that those who crack AIEEE are the ones who do well in chemistry. A week before the exam dedi-cate four hours to brush up your con-cepts of chemistry - 3 hours for organic and inorganic chemistry and one hour for physical chemistry. Try to attempt

chemistry in the first hour as it has some easy questions and if you can solve these questions in the first hour, you will feel confident. It has been proved that if you are confident then your efficiency increases. Inorganic and organic also cover a substantial portion in AIEEE. Chemistry is the most scoring subject. Just read the concepts of thermody-namics and chemical equilibrium. Some questions from these parts are purely conceptual. So clear your concepts and you can successfully attempt 40% ques-tions from these two topics.

Expert Advice / Recommendation Always attempt theoretical questions first and then questions which require calculation. Its human nature that if you attempt a few confident questions in the beginning then you feel loaded with positive energy which increases your efficiency and speed for the rest of the paper.

INSTITUTIONS ThaT accepT aIeee ScOreSD. States/UTs

1. Have a thorough knowledge of the AIEEE ■■

syllabus

2. Analyse the exam pattern closely■■

3. Know changing pattern of the exam over ■■

the last few years

4. Adopt the right strategy for the exam■■

5.Have the confidence to crack it■■

6.Most importantly do not panic. No one is ■■

perfect. Stay calm on the day of the exam

CraCking the aieee 2010

The States/Institutes listed below are likely to use AIEEE-2009 ranks to fill seats through their own counselling.

Haryana■■

Uttarakhand■■

Himachal Pradesh (All India quota will be ■■

filled through Central Counselling Board)

Army Institute of Technology, Pune, ■■

Maharashtra

15% All India quota in Delhi College of ■■

Engineering and N.S.I.T., Delhi under Delhi University will be filled through Central Counselling Board.

e. Other central Government/State Government Funded Institutions

Teachers’ Talk Foreign Universities on indian shores

30 jUly 2009360careers

If foreign universities are allowed entry in India it will immediately increase com-petition for Indian institutes with resul-tant pressure on them to improve quality.

Just as multinational companies have been transmission belts for state-of-art practices in management, foreign universities are expect-ed to bring with them the culture of rigour and excellence in research and academic stan-dards with possible spin-off effects on their Indian counterparts.

Indian students will benefit in terms of get-ting best education at moderate cost. Second, if the universities offer internationally accred-ited programmes in India, the Indian students will be entitled to transfer of credits globally. Third, in the context of General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), Indian students will have skills and qualifications which are transferable across the globe.

Students will however miss the international exposure. Institutes like INSEAD in France and IMD in Switzerland have become global meeting places. For instance, the 90-plus

class of IMD Lausanne comprises students from over 60 countries. The learning that occurs in terms of living abroad and interact-ing with students from different countries is what students studying in a foreign university on Indian shores will miss.

Entry of foreign universities will not be an unmixed blessing. They come but with a commercial motive. With an ageing popula-tion, increased restrictions on immigration, fewer employment opportunities and escala-tion of racial abuse in countries like Australia and the UK, the foreign universities are find-ing it difficult to get international students. Hence, they are now trying to shift the cam-pus to where the students (the market is) are.

It is common knowledge that the quali-ty of education offered in these countries ranges, as in India, from very good to very bad. There are instances where several hun-dred students are enrolled into a class and are made to sit in different classrooms with access to the faculty on a video screen and interacting through microphones. The impact on the quality of education is easy to see. The government must follow the WTO prin-ciples of non-discrimination and national treatment and address the issues of a level playing field.

It is the Indian institutes more than Indian students who will be impacted adversely. Most Indian institutes do not have the internation-al orientation, financial muscle and brand equity of the reputed Ivy League institutions. It is best that Indian students be cautious. Not all foreign universities offer qual-ity education. While Indian universities are known to offer some depth in terms of course curriculum coverage, some foreign uni-versities offer degrees more easily with bare minimum contact hours and course coverage.

It also remains to be seen whether and how best foreign universities can contex-tualize the course offering to make it relevant for Indian students and the needs of Indian employers. Students must also check if the degrees they offer in India are internationally accredited.

Foreign universities’ entry into India will raise academic standards

Dr C S Venkata RatnamDirector, International Management Institute, New Delhi

HKUST, HongKong The sun -dial at the administrative building.

Advisory ONLINE CAT

32 juLy 2009360CArEErs

Cracking the new CAT as it goes online

by Vinayak KudvaHead – Products (Test Prep - IMs)IMs Learning resources

The Indian Institutes of Manage-ment (IIMs) set the CAT amongst the pigeons by announcing that the CAT will be a Computer

Based Test (CBT) from 2009 onwards. Let us try to understand how the pro-posed computer-based test will be dif-ferent from to the paper-based format. This is the question that is topmost on the minds of all CAT aspirants. Will there be sectional time-limits? Will we be allowed to skip questions? Will we be able to view multiple questions at a time (as selection of questions has always been important in the CAT)? Will there be an essay? Will the test be easier or will it be tougher?

First and foremost, one needs to under-stand that irrespective of the format of the test the CAT will continue to be a test that tries to identify potential man-agers. The basic skills and areas assessed would therefore not change irrespective of whether the test is paper or computer-based. However, a computer-based CAT would now possibly enable the IIMs to test additional skills required in a man-ager: like analytical writing, which had been logistically difficult to conduct and assess in a paper-based test.

Preparation strategyIn general, the preparation for CAT or any other aptitude test involves two important stages: concept learning and test-taking practice. The first stage requires anywhere between 3-6 months of preparation depending on one’s ini-tial level of preparedness whereas the second stage requires not more than 2-3 months of preparation just before the actual test.

Concept learningOne needs to understand that only the test-taking mode has been changed by the CAT authorities. The basic skills and areas assessed in the CAT remain the same. Therefore test-takers must first focus on building a strong conceptual foundation before thinking of or moving on to fine-tune their test-taking skills. For example: To answer a typical CAT question “What is the ten’s place digit of 12345678?”, it really does not mat-ter if the test is computer-based or not, what matters is whether you know the relevant concepts that are required to answer this question. So, there need not be any change in one’s preparation strat-egy for the concept-learning phase.

Preparation action pointsMake●● a list of all concepts that have

been assessed in the previous CATs.Make●● a preliminary analysis of your

strengths and weaknesses with regards to these concepts.

Build on your strengths through suffi-●●

cient practice (solve exercises/take tests based on your strong areas).

Work●● on your weakness. Learn the concepts, go through solved examples, solve practice questions and assess your knowledge in the area by taking tests on a regular basis.

During the concept learning phase, try to take some of the tests in a computer-based format to get comfortable using the computer for taking a test.

In the new computer-based format, a test-booklet will be replaced by a computer terminal, keyboard and mouse


Cracking the new CAT as it goes onlinePaper-based CAT versus Computer based CAT


Parameter Paper-based Test Computer-based Test

navigation Test-taker can view all questions at a time and can choose to solve questions in any order.

Test-taker may be able to view only one question at a time and may need to solve questions in a fixed order. Test-takers may be allowed to flag a question so that they may return to it later.

Sectional Time No sectional time limits. Sections can be answered in any order. Test-taker can also jump to and fro across sections.

Test can enforce sectional time limits with sections to be answered in a fixed order: Test-taker may not be allowed to go back to previous sections. In this scenar-io, test-takers can no longer spend more time on their areas of strength to maximise their scores.

Test Questions The same set of questions is adminis-tered to all test-takers.

Different sets of questions (with similar level of difficul-ty) will be administered to test-takers, with questions being selected from a large database of questions.

Test Format CAT keeps changing, and the test-takers do not know the structure of the test until they get the test paper in hand.

The test will most probably have a fixed structure that will probably be specified in the CAT bulletin. A sample CAT CD may be included in the CAT Bulletin (similar to GMAT/GRE).

Time per Q There is no mechanism to capture time spent on each question by the student.

In an online format, the testing body can capture and analyse the time spent on each of the questions to arrive at some meaningful information.

Readability Easy to navigate, especially while solving Reading Comprehension passages and Data Interpretation caselets.

Test-taker may need to scroll up/down to read the entire passage, thereby causing inconvenience.

Working notes Marking important lines, making working calculations besides the question is easy with pen and paper.

Test-taker will now have to read the test online and make notes offline, which probably need more time than the corresponding paper-based process.

essay Test does not include an essay, because it would be difficult for the test body to evaluate the same.

Like GMAT and GRE, a test-taker may now have to sub-mit an essay online. However, the essay might be used only at the second stage of evaluation.

Do not confuse online testing with online learning!! Learning of concepts need not be online, if the test is online. Concept learning phase in training pro-grammes for international tests like GMAT and GRE has always been offline the world over.

Test-taking practiceThe major implication of the CAT going online is that you now need to get acclimatized to a computer-based test-ing environment. This means that you should now be comfortable using the keyboard/mouse while taking a test on the computer. To achieve this, you need to include sufficient computer-based test-taking practice in your prepara-tion plans and ensure that your com-puter skills do not hinder your scoring

potential. The computer skills needed to take any computer-based test are mini-mal and would not include more than:

Using the keyboard to complete the ●●

test registration process Using●● a mouse to navigate between

questions/sectionsUsing the various buttons/tabs that ●●

form a part of the test format (like Help, Save, Tag question, etc.)

Selecting/entering●● responses to questions

Using the keyboard for word process-●●

ing (in case the test includes essays and other forms of writing assessment)

You do not need to be a tech geek to crack the online CAT!! The IIMs have computerized the CAT in order to ease their logistics and definitely not to check the computer wizardry of the test-taker.

Practice action pointsTake●● sufficient number of compre-

hensive tests (paper-based or comput-er-based) to enhance your test-taking skills. Benchmark your performance against fellow competitors.

Analyse●● your performance to find how you could improve your score. Ensure you solve every question before moving on to the next test.

All said and done, CAT aspirants need not worry at this stage about the CAT format. Instead, focus on test prepara-tion. Build a strong conceptual base. Wait for the IIM authorities to reveal the finer modalities of the test (which is expected to be announced latest by the first week of July). Until then, stay calm and focus on the job at hand, and get going to reach your dream IIM.


149 Public institutions

beyond iits / iiMsFrom Paleobotany to sports medicine, the public education system in the country offers a wide variety of programmes and some institutions do exceptionally high

quality research. careers360 researches on what is on the plate

cover story PuBlIc INsTITuTIONs

Madhu Kaparath/Outlook Group reserach is the hallmark of many of these public institutions


by Team Careers360

Multiplicity of institutions is the bane of India’s gover-nance structure. It resulted in ministries working at cross

purposes and at times actively under-cutting each other’s initiative. But one inadvertent good that came out of this is that, a host of institutions in diverse knowledge domains came into being in the country. Therefore in addition to the large university system that the minis-try of Human Resources Development oversees, the country also boasts of a parallel stream of fine and not-so-fine institutions, set up under the jurisdic-tion of different central mininistries as well as state governments. Though the different arms of Government of India (GoI) have set up amongst themselves over 192* institutions, we focused on only those 149 which offered some edu-cational programmes. While 91 such institutions offered long term educa-tional programmes either at UG and PG levels, the rest offered facilities for pursuing a PhD with a registration from a nearby university. Almost all of them offered short term and in-service train-ing programmes. Here are some of the gems we discovered…

AGRICULTURE & ALLIED SCIENCES

Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal PGD in Forestry Management; Fellow Programme in Management

Indian Institute of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun

This has 8 research institutes & 4 advance centres

National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal BTech (Dairy Technology); MTech/MSc/MVSc) in Dairying; Doctorate in Dairying

Agharkar Research Institute, Pune Fellowship Scheme for societal programmes for women scientists having PhD/MSc/BE/ Medicine

Central Institute of Fisheries Education,Mumbai Masters Prog (7) in aquaculture, fisheries PGD in Inland Fisheries Management

Central Institute of Fresh Water Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar

MFSc & PhD in collaboration with OUAT

Centre for Forestry Research & HRD,Chinndwara Junior and Senior Certificate Course in Nursery & Plantation

Forest Research Institute University,Dehradun MSc (Wood Science & Technology; Forestry; Environment); PGD (Pulp & Paper); Post Master’s Diploma (Natural Res- ource Management, Non-Wood Forest Products)

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI),New Delhi

Doctoral programmes (agricultural exten-sion, sciences, engineering, horticulture etc.)

Indian Institute of Plantation Management,Bangalore

PGD (Agri-Business & Plantation Management )

Indian Institute of Pulses Research,Kanpur PhD programmes in affiliation with CSJM University (Kanpur University) on Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Nematology, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Agronomy and Soil Sciences

Indian Institute of Spices Research,Calicut Post MSc training (biotechnology & others like agricultural economics, botany, soil chemistry etc)

Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute,Bangalore

PGD in Mechanical wood industries technology

For a nation which spends nearly 11% of its R&D budget on agri-cultural research, it is only natu-

ral that in addition to the 26 central and state level agricultural universi-ties, it also runs a large-scale agricul-tural research establishment. While the Indian council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has 94 institutes collectively in agriculture, horticul-ture, animal sciences and fisheries, only a handful of institutions offer serious academic programmes. Dr. Mritunjaya, coordinator, National Agricultural Innovation Mission, says, this is partly because ICAR is more research grounded and imme-diate and demands a very different ethos than that of an academic insti-tution.

The largest academic institution within the system is the Central

Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) with over seven master’s programmes.

Forestry is another important domain of education in which public sector is the only significant player. While the Indian Institute of For-est Management provides a man-agement perspective to forestry and offers a PGD in forest management a more integrated and multi-disciplin-ary orientation is given by the Forest Research Institute University (FRI). The FRI is a premier institution, and offers courses in wood science, resource management, pulp and paper and forest produce. Though TERI of late is emerging as com-petitor by offering an MSc (Natural Resources Management), FRI still is considered the best to pursue educa-tion in natural resources.

*For the purpose of this article we have considered only central government institutions

Forests are an important area of enquiry

Cover Story public institutions


SCIENCES

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune

Integrated Master’s programme, Post-Master’s Ph.D. programme (Integrated Sciences)

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata

Integrated MS & PhD Programme, Post-Doctoral Programme

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Bhopal

MS (integrated), PhD

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Mohali

MS (Integrated) Programme, PhD Programme

Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore Bachelor’s and Master’s (Mathematics, Statistics); MS in Library Info Sc, QE

Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta Bachelors and Masters (Mathematics, Statistics); MS (Quality, Reliability and Operations Research, Library & Information Science); MTech (CS)

Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore

Integrated PhD in Materials Science for graduates

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai MSc (Biology ); Integrated PhD in Mathematics (Bangalore) and Biology; PhD (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer & Systems Sciences and Science Education)

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences ,Sriharikota

JRF–ARIES PhD Programme in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences

Bose Institute, Calcutta PhD Programme (various subjects in Physics)

Harish-Chandra Research Institute,Allahabad MSc, PhD programme in Mathematics, research

Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science,Kolkata

Post-BSc Integrated PhD in Chemical Sciences

Indian Institute of Astrophysics,Bangalore Integrated MTech-PhD (Tech) in Astronomical Instrumentation; integrated PhD (IPhD) in Physics; other PhD (Astronomy & Astrophysics)

Institute of Advanced Study in Science & Technology,New Delhi

PhD (Material Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Life Science and Resource Management and Environment)

Institute of Mathematical Sciences ,Chennai Post-doctoral research in Mathematics, Theoretical Computer Science and Theoretical Physics; Associateships

Institute of Physics,Bubhaneswar One year Pre-doctoral course in Advanced Physics (post-MSc) and Doctoral research programmes

National Board for higher Mathematics,Pune PhD (Mathematics, Statistics or Mathematical Physics) Msc/MA

National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Bangalore

PhD programme for students registered in other universities such as Kerala University and Cochin University of Science &Technology

Raman Research Institute ,Bangalore PhD programme in affiliation with JNU (Astronomy and Astrophysics, Soft Condensed Matter, Signal Processing, Chemistry, Theoretical Physics and Light and Matter Physics)

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics ,Kolkata One-year Post-MSc Associateship Course in Physics/Biophysical Sciences stream

SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences,Kolkata Post BSc-Integrated PhD (physical sciences); Post MSc Integrated PhD; PhD in New Areas (Nano Science and Technology, Theoretical Chemistry and Chemical Physics); Cambridge-Bose Scholarship in Physics and related areas for PhD; TWAS-Bose fellowship

The best in basic sciences is the Tata Institute of Fun-damental Research (TIFR). Set up by the Tata Trust, it is an autonomous institution under the Department

of Atomic Energy. Working on seminal areas of physics and mathematics, it does world class research and has both doc-toral and post doctoral positions for aspiring students.

Yet another initiative that focuses on basic science education is the establishment of Indian Institutes of Science Educa-tion and Research (IISER) at Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali, and Pune. These institutions have begun offering integrated PhD programmes especially for young students directly after 10+2. With state-of-the-art laboratories and learning resources, these institutions would provide a certain quality of science

education that would be matched with difficulty by only a few private players.

Two famous physics schools and one mathematics school also finds a place here. Purists might dispute their presence in pure sciences, since they have strong application orienta-tion, but that distinction is any way now blurring away -- Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), The Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMS). While the first focuses on two specialized domains of physics viz, geomagnetism and nuclear energy, the last one attempts to develop original work on computational mathematics and theoretical computer science. Invariably most of them are best places in their domain for research.

37 july 2009360careers37 july 2009360careers

TECHNICAL TEACHER TRAINING

National Institute of Technical Teacher’s Training & Research, Bhopal

MTech (Ed.) Programme

National institute of Technical Teacher’s Training & Research, Chandigarh

ME (Engineering Education, Manu-facturing Technology, Construction Technology & Management, Computer Science, Instrumentation & Control, Electronics and Communication; ME (Modular); PhD under QIP (Polytechnic) scheme

National institute of Technical Teacher’s Training & Research, Kolkata

MTech (Ed.) Programme

Teachers training in the conventional sense are restrict-ed to BEds and MEds. But India is one of the few countries, which has worked out in detail the demand

of technical teachers and set up three National Institute for Technical Teachers Education (NITTR) one each for north, east and central India at Bhopal, Kolkata and Chandigarh respectively.

Kolkata was the first off the block in 1965, followed by Bhopal in 1966 and Chandigarh in 1967. Though initially they focused on providing in-service and short term train-ing, all three of them offer ME and MTech programmes with specialization in education. NIITR, Chandigarh offers the maximum specializations and also has a reasonably large and diverse PhD programme. NIITR, Bhopal and Kolkata have only recently begun offering MTech (Ed.). All the three institutions are under the Quality Improvement programme of AICTE and hence any student admitted would be eligible for applying to a fully funded fellowship on offer .Barring cricket, sports has never been on the national

agenda and hence institutions outside the formal education system are very minimal in this domain.

While the two national sports colleges, Lakshmibai Nation-al University at Gwalior and College of Physical Education at Thiruvananthapuram offer the entire range of Physical Education programmes like BPEd and MPEd, specialized programmes for individual sports are hard to come by in the public sector.

The largest sports institution in the public sector is the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS, Patiala), which has specalised training academies for different sports and also offers the nation’s only Sports Medicine PG diplo-ma in the public sector. Research on sports techniques and injuries sustained in sports are also given special attention at this institution.

SPORTS EDUCATION

Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education, Gwalior

BPEd., MPEd., MPhil, PhD in Physical Education and allied areas

National Institute of Water Sports, Goa

Management courses viz. Watersport Centre Management; Communica-tion Skill for Watersport Instructors, outboard motor maintenance etc.; short-term professional (life-saving techniques, powerboat handling etc.) and skill courses (windsurfing, kayaking, waterskiing

Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports,Patiala

MSc, Diploma (Sports Coaching); PGD (Sports Medicine)

Lakshmibai College of Physical Education, Thiruvananthapuram

BPEd., MPEd., MPhil, PhD in Physical Education and allied areas

SportS education is almost a public sector preserve



MEDICINE

Sreechitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Thiruvanan-thapuram

Master of Public Health Programme; PhD Pro-gramme; Post-doctoral Programme/ DM/MCh/PDCC

L.R.S. Institute of Tuberculosis & Respira-tory Diseases, New Delhi

PG Training for Diplomate of National Board (DNB) in Respiratory Medicine - 3 yrs

Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi

Diploma (Yoga Therapy, Yoga Studies)

National Institute for Homeopathy, Kolkota

Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine & Surgery

National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, New Delhi

BSc (Nursing; Radiography); Diploma (Clinical Neurophysiology Technology, Psychiatric Nurs-ing, Neurological & Neurosurgical Nursing);

National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, New Delhi

Short term courses

National Institute of Rehabilitation Train-ing and Research, Cuttack

Bachelor’s (Physiotherapy, Occupational Thera-py, Prosthetics and Orthotics); PG (Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy) from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar

Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi MD psychiatry; PhD: clinical psychology; MPhil: psychiatric social work

National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi (NII)

PhD degree in biological and related sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University

Institutions like AIIMS at New Delhi, PGI, Chandigarh, JIPMER, Pondicherry and the state-level medical colleges are those

institutions that come’s to one’s mind when discussing medical education. But a host of institutions in the public domain offer courses in medical diagnostics, child development, rehabilitation, psychiatry and immunology.

The National institute of Immunology is a leading centre in entire south Asia that exam-ines immunology as a discipline. It offers spe-cialized PhD programmes affiliated to JNU and does cutting edge research. The Sree Chi-tra Institute of Medical Sciences and Technol-ogy, which was initially conceptualised as a high quality medical college, went on to evolve as a leading training ground in about 12 medi-cal disciplines and 18 paramedical courses. It is also home to one the leading publich health master’s programmes, especially for medically qualified doctors

HealtH sector is increasingly getting technology- intensive, which public sector cannot keep pace with


The IITs are synonymous with Indian engineering educa-tion. But a whole range of institutions exists outside IIT system. The primary contributor to this discipline is the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). The most famous institutions in this set are the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) and Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET). The CLRI, is the nation’s premier institute which provides courses across the leather sector value chain from dyes to processing to finishing. The courses range from 3-month certification to five-year PhD programmes. Slightly less known, but equally good is CIPET. Focusing on newer biodegradable plastics technology this

institution too offers courses on all aspects of the industry. Institutions within the CSIR sector which does yeomen

work in the education sector are the three chemical labs, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Indian insti-tute of chemical Technology (IICT) and National Chemical Laboratory(NCL). While the first two have structured PhD programmes, with IICT having a formal affiliation with JNTU, the last has been one of the best centres for applied chemical engineering studies. The close proximity to University depart-ment of chemical technology (UDCT ) of Mumbai University adds to the academic allure of NCL. And the last big player in this domain is the CFTRI, best place for food technology.

ENGINEERING & APPLIED SCIENCES

Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad BTech, MTech, MSc Tech, in mining, petroleum, fuel, mining machinery, electronics, electrical

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagour

PGD Environmental System Modelling and Optimization - 2 year

Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Mohali Birbal Sahni Research Scholarship for doing PhD/RA

Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore MSc Food Technology (2 year)

Central Institute of Fisheries, Nautical and Engineering Training, Cochin

BFSc (Nautical Science)

Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology, Chennai

Doctoral, MTech, BTech, Diploma, PGD in Plastics Engineering & Technology

Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai BTech, MTech, PhD (Leather Technology) & MTech, PhD courses in Footwear Science & Engineering

Centre for Liquid Crystal Research, Bangalore PhD affiliated to Mangalore University in areas such as Physics of Liquid Crystals & other Soft Condensed Matter; Synthesis & Characterisation of Liquid Crystals & other Soft Materials

Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur 13 UG programmes leading to BTech; MTech, MCA; PhD Economics

Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkota PhD (Biology and Chemistry disciplines)

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai Advanced Course in Bioinformatics (IICT,CDAC & JNTU )

Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, New Delhi PGD in Ecology and Environment

Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai PhD in Geomagnetism and allied fields; Physics and in Geophysics/Earth Sciences

Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun Recognised by many Indian Universities to conduct research leading to PhD in chemical science & engineering subjects

Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun MTech (Remote Sensing & GIS in Natural Resource Management); MSc (Geoinformatics); PGD (RS & GIS in Natural Resource management; Geoinformatics)

Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology, T’Puram BTech (Avionics, Aerospace, Physical Sc); MTech (softcomputing, RF & Microwave Comm; optics)

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune MTech (Atmospheric Science) of Pune university; PhD programme with Pune University

Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi PhD programme (interdisciplinary areas of biological & chemical Science, molecular medicine and disease biology, environmental biotech & bioinformatics)

Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi MD Psychiatry; DM Neurology; MPhil Clinical Psychology; DNB Neurology

Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh PhD programme run jointly by IMTECH and Jawaharlal Nehru University

Institute of Plasma Research, Gandhinagar PhD in Physical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Inter-Disciplinary Engineering Sciences, Computer Applications & Management Science

Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangalore PhD programme under FRI University, Dehradun

National Institute of Oceanography, Goa PhD programme for those holding JRF/SRF

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali

MS; MPharm; MTech (Pharm.) in Medicinal Chemistry, Natural Products, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Pharmaceutics, Biotechnology etc; MBA (Pharma)

SL Institute of Engineering & Technology, Sangner Certificate Programmes, Diploma Programmes,Degree Programmes & MTech

Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council,

New Delhi

Mission REACH: MTech in Telematics (V R Siddartha Engineering College); BTech and MTech-Food Technology (Techno India); PhD

Central Electrochemcial Research Institute, Karaikudi BTech ( electrochemical engineering) affliated to Alagappa University, PhD



SOCIAL SCIENCES

Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management, Kolkata

MBA; Master’s in Human Resource Manage-ment affiliated to University of Calcutta; Mas-ter of Public Systems Management

A N Sinha Institute of Social Sciences M.Phil PhD

Centre for Development Studies M.Phl,PhD

Centre for Economic and Social Studies M.Phil, PhD

Centre for Multi-diciplinary Development Research

Short term courses

Centre for Policy Research PhD, Short term courses

Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development

PhD, Short term courses

Gujarat Institute of Developmental Studies M.Phil, PhD

Centre for Studie in Social Sciences M.Phil, PhD

Centre for Study of Developing Socities PhD, Short term courses

Council of Social Development PhD, Short term courses

Centre for Womens Development Studies PhD, Short term courses

Gandhian Institute of Studies PhD, Short term courses

Giri Institute of Development Studies M.Phil, PhD

G B Pant Social Sciences Institute PhD, Short term courses

Centre for Social Studies M.Phil, PhD

Indian Institute of Educaiton PhD, Short term courses

Institute of Social and Economic Change Mphil,PhD

Institute for Studies in Industrial Develop-ment


Institute of Developmental Studies PhD, Short term courses

Institute of Public Enterprise MBA, Mphil, PhD

Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development


Madras Institute of Developmental Studies Mphil,PhD

Nabhakrishna Choudry Centre for Develop-ment Studies


Sardar Patel Instittute of Social and Eco-nomic Research


Madhya Pradesh Institute of Social Sciences Research


Babasahib Ambedkar National Institute of Social Sciences


Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai

MSc Economics; MPhil & PhD Development Studies

Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi Ratan Tata Trust Post-Doctoral Fellowships (2-3); ICSSR PhD Fellowships (6)

International Institute for Population Sci-ences, Mumbai

Master’s, MPhil & PhD in Population Studies

National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi

Full-time Integrated MPhil-PhD

Gandhigram Rural University BA,MA, Mphil, PhD, Short term Diploma

Indian Institute of Advanced Studies Fellowships for advanced reserach

National Institute of Social Defence Diploma in geriatiric care

National Institute of Youth Welfare Short term programmes in mobilisation

This is one segment of education, wherein the public sector had a substantially large quantitative presence outside the university

system, but whose quality is quite diverse. But collectively the 27 ICSSR funded social sciences institutions do provide an academic space for serious research and reflection.

Institutes like Centre for Development Stud-ies, Thiruvananthapuram, Gujarat Insitute of Development studies, Centre for Economic and Social Change offer structured MPhil and PhD programmes, and all admitted scholars are pro-vided with nominal stipends throughout the pro-gramme. Others like Centre for Study of Devel-oping Socities, Institutes for Studies in Industrial Development, Council for Social Development, act as pivotal points for research and offer struc-tured PhD programmes with or without fellow-ships.

Outside the ICSSR, three institutes do seminal work in this discipline and all three of them are in the public sector. In the domain of population studies, Indian Institute of Pupulation studies (IIPS) offers one of the best training grounds for scholars and is only one of its kind in Asia. The National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) is yet another one of a kind institution in teaching and reserching on all aspects of education.

Making sense of these phenomena is a major challenge for social scientists


MANAGEMENT

Administrative Staff College, Hydera-bad

PG Diploma in Hospital Management (2yr)

Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship PGD (Management and Entrepreneurship) 1 yr

Institute of Secretarial Training and Management

Over 100 short term and in-service refresher courses

National Institute of Rural Develop-ment

PGD in Rural Development Management

National Institute of Small Industries Extension Training

PGD (TQM, ISO & Six Sigma; Retail Manage-ment & Logistics SCM)

National Institute of Industrial Engi-neering, Mumbai

PGD (Industrial Engineering; Industrial Man-agement, Industrial Safety and Environmental Management, Information Technology Man-agement)

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi

MBA (International Business); Executive Mas-ters (IB); Certificate prog in export mgt

Institute of Rural Management, Anand PGD and Fellow Programme in Rural Manage-ment

National Institute of Industrial Engi-neering (NITIE), Mumbai

PGD (Industrial Engineering; Industrial Man-agement, Industrial Safety and Environmental Management, Information Technology Man-agement)

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Centre for Development of Adavanced Computing MTech, Advanced Diplomas (computing, robotics, embedded technologies, VLSI design

Institute of Hotel Mgt, Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition, Mumbai BSc (Hospitality and Hotel Administration)

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad BTech (IT and ECE); MTech (IT); Master of Science in Cyber Law and Information Security; MBA (IT)

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore MTech; MS through research

Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, Gwalior BTech+MTech; MBA; MTech

International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad BTech (Computer Sc; Electronics & Communication); 5-year (BTech and MS by Research in CSE/ECE); foreign students training

Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology PhD in Computer Science in arrangement with IIT Bombay and University of Hyderabad

The first institution that comes to one’s mind on the subject of management is IIM. But there are other institutions too. Indian Institute of

Foreign Trade (IIFT) is a fine school especially for international business and exports. A constitu-ent institution of the Department of Commerce, it has recently achieved Deemed to be Univer- sity status as well. ( See our review in the May 2009 issue).

The national institute of rural management (NIRM) is the latest addition to public sector management schools which offers a specially designed programme on rural management. However, the pioneer in this field remains another state-run institution, Institute for Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), an autono-mous body under GoI. The PG diploma from IRMA is considered a passport to innumerable jobs in the developmental and co-operative sector as well as the rural initiatives divisions of corporations. The NITIE, is another fine management school, offer-ing specialised programmes on aspects of industrial management, but moved on to include sustainability issues as well.

Computing in general, and Information Technology in particular, is one sector that gave an identity to India. The foremost institution in high technol-

ogy computing is Centre for Development and Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Working on domestically-built super computers, the students get trained in high end technologies. The institute is also known for its advanced diplomas in language computing, parallel processing etc. The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT) set up all over India, are another set of institutions that offer instruction in ICT, broadly defined. While IIIT, Bangalore offers specialised MTech, the other three have regular BTechs as well. The odd man out here is the IDRBT, which hosts a PhD in financial sector automa-tion, a first in the nation.

HigH tecH computing, especially chip-level design and integration, still remains the domain of c-DAc.



SPECIALISED INSTITUTES

National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi & 12 centres BDes.(fashion design/leather design/accessory design/textile design/knit-wear design/fashion communication); BFTech (apparel production); MDes.(design); MFM (fashion management); MFTech (fashion technology)

School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi Graduate Courses, Postgraduate Courses & Doctoral Programmes

Indian Diamond Institute Diploma/Certificate courses (Diamond, Gems & Jewellery Design & mfg); dia-mond grading, sorting, gemmology etc.

Indian Institute of Packaging 2 year PGD in Packaging; 18-month DL Graduate Diploma in Packaging for working professionals/students

National Academy of Construction PGD (Construction Project Management, Building Technology, Highway and Runway Technology, Facilities Management) in collaboration with JNTU, Hyderabad

National Defence College of India National Security and Strategic Studies Course - MPhil Degree in ‘Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras only for senior Defence and Civil Services officers

National Fire Service College BE (Fire Engineering) is awarded by Nagpur University -3.5 yrs

National Institute of Science Communication & Information Resources Associateship in Information Science equivalent to Master’s degree in Library & Information Science

National Institute of Construction Management and Research PG (Advanced Construction Management, Project Engineering and Manage-ment, Real Estate and Urban Infrastructure Management)-2 yrs; 1 yr graduate programme in construction management disciplines

National Institute of Urban Affairs In-service training programmes

National Power Training Institute PGD, Post Diploma (thermal power plant engineering), BTech/BE (Power), MBA (Power Management)

Rajiv Gandhi National institute of Youth Development MA (Youth Work; Career Counselling, Gender Studies, Local Governance, Life Skills Education, Youth Empowerment)

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad Graduate Diploma in Design; PGD in Design (16 sub-disciplines)

Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi & Dhenkanaal PGD [Journalism(English/Hindi/Radio & Television/Oriya)]; Adversiting & Public Relations

Footware Design and Development Institute BSc/ BDsn courses in a whole range of design disciplines with focus on foot-wear.

In addition to discipline-based institutions, India also boasts of institutions serving a particular industry needs as well. From pashion to diamond to packaging to con-

struction the finest training and manpower development schools for the sector are in the public domain.

The best known school is the one that services the garment export industry, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), a premier school straddling mun-dane garment production as well as high end fashion. At the other extreme GoI also is home to IIMC which offers one of the most respected PG diplomas in media and journalism. RGNIYD, the only institution in the country, exclusively focussing on youth development, is also in the public domain.

Two of the finest specialised institutions, especially in Asia, are the School of Planning and Architecture, which is a leading institution in research and training in town planning and environment issues as well as the National Defence College, a one of its kind instituion in the sub-continent offering a platform for academic research in defence-related issues.

ConstruCtion seCtor still does not merit serious academic engagement



LANGUAGES

Central Institute of Indian Lan-guages

Short-term pro-grammes across vari-ous centres in India

Kendriya Hindi Sansthan Nishnaat, Parangat, Praveen: MEd, BEd, BTC (Hindi); Post-MA Diploma in Hindi

National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language

Short term courses

Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha BA, MA, BEd, MEd, MPhil (Sanskrit)

Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit have always had a special place within the pantheon of Indi-an languages and hence the public domain

has three major institutions focusing on all three of them. The Central Institute of Indian Lan-guages is primarily a research organisation and looks at literature and oral traditions in India. An accredited PhD centre, it specializes in offering short term programmes in 11 Indian languages at all its 11 centres. But the other two, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeta and the Kendriya Hindi San-asthan, are both university-level institutions, and they come under the public sector only because their administrative control in not with the UGC. They are very effective institutions in preserva-tion of language and culture and offer academic programmes from UG to doctoral studies.

How good are these institutes and what value they offer is the question that lingers on. Some of these institutions, though not as

internationally feted as IITs/IIMs, offer courses which are so unique that employment opportu-nities are never a problem. But some of them, thanks to the fossilized systems of the state, have begun to resemble relics of an era bygone. The biggest hurdle, as Ashok Parthasarathy, former Secretary GoI suggests, is the lack of operational autonomy these institutions face, as they are tied to the administrative umblical chord of relevant ministries. Some of them like NIFT, IIFT and others have, by achieving a ‘Deemed to be Univer-sity ‘ status, gained the status and reach to enjoy a certain level of functional autonomy, which many other institutions could not even dream of. Resource crunch is another problem many of these institutions face. Dr. Ashok Jain, former Director of NISTADS, a CSIR lab, says, “It is

always a losing battle.” According to him the warped view of many funding agencies, which are only too ready to fund both new institutes and new initiatives, but never comfortable about spending money to sustain a programme over a long term has led to the plethora of half-finished institutes and programmes that dot the academic landscape of the country.

Yet another issue that impacts drastically on these institutions, is the intellectual isolation they suffer. University academics look down upon these research-focussed institutions as glorified training schools, whereas the scientists and reser-achers in these institutions look at universities as fossilised entitites with no real connect to real life. And the truth lies somewhere in between. The artificial disconnect between research and teach-ing as well as between pure and applied research has resulted in a chasm, which in India is still too wide to bridge.

Where do many of these institutions stand?

Despite active state support promotion of indian language is still nascent


Industry AcAdemIA

AllIAnce Is the roAd AheAd

lead Industry-led courses

With a curriculum and delivery mechanism that keenly focuses on industry require-ments candidates become ‘first day first

hour productive’

by Urmila Rao

Attired in dark business suit and a pleasant smile, Nikhil Arora cuts a dapper figure. After fin-ishing the Carlson Manage-

ment Training Programme he joined Radisson as an employee on a gross salary of Rs. 20,000 per month. Many would consider this as a modest amount in comparison to corporate salaries but when pitted against the expense he put forth for the programme, he has an edge. His total programme fee: Nil. His stipend while training: Rs 16,000. Rise in salary: Rs 4,000 after confirma-tion. Job: Secure. Career: Promising and on track. Many youngsters like Nikhil ,who was inspired by his uncle to choose the hotel industry are choosing diverse areas depending on their interest. And now what seems to be a uniform goal is to take up job-oriented courses just

like Nikhil so that they never fall out of favour from the job market, irrespective of the caprices of the market.

The beginningBefore the slowdown, the economy was witnessing an unprecedented growth. Enterprises were expanding, entities

merging and businesses were being acquired as a result of which demand for trained professionals soared. When companies started facing shortage of qualified workforce, they had no option but to train their employees according to industry needs. Some firms took on the orientation task by conducting in-house training and some by tying up with educational institutes to get trained resource, ready to deliver from day one. This phenomenon, of organisations partnering with educational institutes to deliver tailored programmes held com-panies and job-seekers in good stead even in times of slowdown.

What’s the difference? Some organisations partner with an educational institute and design the course syllabus jointly with the institu-tion. Religare Commodites allied with Manipal University to offer Certificate

career-related certifi-cate programmes are recognised by the industry as such courses meet the competencies required from a profes-sional in his field

Madhu Kapparath/Outlook Group


programme in Commodities. “Com-modity business is growing at a fast pace and needs special skills and knowledge, hence the need of talented and trained manpower is very critical for us from a long term business perspective,” says Jayant Manglik, President, Religare Commodities. When the course is com-pleted – 3 months with Rs. 18,000 as fees - there is guaranteed absorption in Religare. “We also reimburse the fee over an employment period of 6 months,” informs Manglik.

HDFC Standard Life, the insurance division of banking giant HDFC, tied up with Manipal University in March 2009, to launch ‘First Advantage’, a 3-month certificate programme in insurance and management. “The key objective of this programme is to select, train and groom talent from across the country to ensure a ready pool of insurance-trained sales professionals for the company,” says

Sharad Gangal, general manager, HR, HDFC Standard Life. Cost involved: Rs 30,000. Candidates who successfully qualify are assured a job in the organisa-tion. In other instances, organisations don’t guarantee a job and they have no exclusive partnership with institutes either. However, they readily snap up trained and skilled resources which the institutions churn out independently.

“It seems that industry has decided to take the bull by its horns,” says Rajesh AR of TeamLease Services.

Nature of the offering The career-courses offer certificates which are different from academic or degree programmes with no accredita-tion or recognition. At the most, the recognition enjoyed is only to the extent of industry reputation.

The beauty of career-courses is that: students pay a fee, usually less than a

lakh, in some cases they earn a stipend too. The courses are of short duration, extending for a maximum period of a year and the eligibility as well as selec-tion criteria isn’t too tough either. Once the student passes out successfully, he doesn’t have to hunt for a job in the skills-starved market. Either the firms are ready with job–offers or institutes aid in placements.

The hotel industry faced and rec-ognised the need of adopting such a model way back in the ’80s, which other industries are doing now. So Nikhil, a 10+2 student, with hotel management degree refined his skill being an intern while his peers moved on to obtain man-agement degrees.

It is a different matter that the slow-down in the global financial market causing heartburn to the buoyant job market here raised multiple questions on the substance of management studies.

Choosing the right road

is important

Lead industry-led courses


“Students are far from practical real-ity,” say human resource experts. The clamour for qualified manpower and the spurt in the career-related programmes corroborate the fact that the education hitherto imparted by institutions lacked in their offerings.

But it will be unreasonable to dismiss the full-time academic programme as the holistic exposure that an individual gets from them is unparalleled. However in-depth programmes groom the stu-dents to get into actionable drive from day one. Trained human resource is a critical contributor to an organisa-tion’s success.

Skills-starved job market As and when companies face shortage of trained professionals, they take recourse in career-oriented programmes to address the demand constraints. The trend started early on in the hotel industry and as the economy boomed, it spread on to information technology, retail, banking, financial services and

insurance sector. Public sector units too have now joined the fray. Last year, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Institute of Cost and Works Accountants (ICWA) launched “Certificate in Accounting Tech-nicians”, programme with a view to increasing the number of skilled junior-level accountants. For CWA course, the postal coaching fee is Rs. 20,200 and while training on the job, the sti-pend is anywhere between Rs. 5,000- Rs. 7, 000. “ICWAI has introduced a low cost course called the Certificate in Accounting Technicians (CAT) in Eng-lish and Hindi to equip candidates with

“ICWAI introduced a low cost course -

Certificate in Account-ing Technicians in English & Hindi

to equip junior accountants,”

Kunal Banerjee, President icWai.

Payal Pal, 26Post Graduate diploma in Banking operations from niit-iFBiPresently interning at icici bank, Pune she says, “i am getting rs. 7,600 as stipend and will join icici after completing internship.” Payal is assured of her job

the knowledge of maintaining accounts, preparing income tax return, service tax return, filing of returns under income tax, VAT, service tax, etc.,” says Kunal Banerjee, president ICWAI.

While a majority of programmes are classroom-held, some are online too, as it is in the case of Indian Institute of Real Estate (IIRE), which runs two of its programmes online. The Pune-based institute, after enrolling the students, gives them a password which allows access to the course. “The projects given require the student to visit developers and financers thus exposing them to professionals who end up employing these students,” says Professor Suresh Malkani, academic dean, IIRE.

Will you benefit? In depth study of one function area cre-ates understanding in core business prin-ciples, gives deeper insights and is prac-tically relevant. Payal Pal, 26, wanted to take up a bank job, specialising in area of banking operations. “I always wanted to be in it”, she says. So, after com-pleting MBA (finance) from Institute of Management and Advanced Global Excellence, Bhubanswer, she enrolled in Post Graduate Diploma in Banking Operations (PGDBO) programme run

Milind Wadekar

Nilotpal Baruah/Outlook Group


Nikhil arora, 25hr executive in Delhi-based radisson hotel.

he enrolled in carlson Management Training Programme, with zero sumas programme fees and got

stipend of rs 16,000.

Industry-academia alliance is the future. Industry has

always been very apprehen-sive about academic output not being aligned to industry requirements. Such alliances ensure that curriculum is industry relevant as industries contribute to the content development process. In such alliances usually industry provides for on-the-job train-ing and most importantly they provide placement oppor-tunities. All of this is very relevant and critical in creating job-ready resource – what

we call “First Day First Hour Productive”. Short-duration courses make the candidates job-ready. The focus of short term courses is to create the necessary skills required for the specific job. The entire curriculum and delivery meth-odology focuses only on that and does not delve too much into generic content. There is a significant component of practical/on-the-job training which helps create outcomes in short periods of time. These courses are highly focussed on the job needs.

Academia alliance is the futureHari Menon, Vice President and head, Professionals and skills education, Manipal university

by NIIT-IFBI. After completing the three-month programme, Pal is pres-ently interning in ICICI bank, Pune. “I am getting Rs. 7,600 as stipend and will join them after completing internship.” Payal is assured of her job. She adds, “Such courses may be short-term but it enables one to choose and focus on the area one wants to really work in.”

Some courses have a minimum qual-ification requirement of 10+2. Ashok Srinivasan, vice-president, Expertus, has a word of advice for undergradu-ates. “Undergraduate years should be spent in more general course study after which one should take up further study or work in the area of one’s inclination,” he says.

Delhi-based career counsellor Jitin Chawla echoes similar thoughts. “The work culture is thrust upon students too early,” he says. However, he also men-tions the positives. “It helps students to imbibe the academic concepts much better.”

On an advisory note, alongside the practical training, the participants should continue to study for a Bachelor’s degree. Says the corporate spokesperson of Oberoi hotels, “While taking a 3-year Systematic Training and Education Pro-gramme’, with Oberoi, undergraduates

can also pursue Bachelor of Tourism Studies (BTS) degree from Indira Gan-dhi Open University.”

In order that students gain maximum benefit in minimum available time, the courses are subject to review and are fine-tuned according to market’s demand. Harpreet Singh, corporate training manager, RHW Hotel Manage-ment Services, which manages Radisson Hotel, Delhi says, “Every year, we re-examine the course content and make necessary additions.”

Due diligence by students Unlike management, engineering or medicine programmes, career-related certificate programmes are not AICTE, UGC or government approved. So, what is the validity of these career-orient-ed programmes? Does the certificate hold value if a student wants to take-up advanced studies? According to Jitin, these certificates are not recognized in India for further education. “But abroad, it still holds good, because a number of universities decide on enrolments based on practical experience of candidates,” he says. Dr C S Venkata Ratnam, Direc-tor, International Management Insti-tute, which recently partnered with Max New York’s Life to launch Professional

Programme in Insurance & Sales Man-agement, says that the certificate is not valid for higher studies. “It is a job- ori-ented programme leading to a career in insurance and sales,” he clarifies.

But the industry, he says, will recognize the certificate. “The course meets the competencies required from a profes-sional in insurance and sales manage-ment,” says Dr. Ratnam.

Industry-recognized courses It is advisable to take up programmes which enjoy industry recognition or are run by industry bodies. They may not guarantee a job but by virtue of industry contacts, placement offers are usually never hard to come by. National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), for instance, conducts Real Estate Certificate pro-gramme. “Though it doesn’t guaran-tee placements but having 150 mem-bers on board, the students get placed easily,” says Asad Mudin, co-founder, NAREDCO. Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) runs three short-term

Arijit Sen



programmes for working professionals. “Since we have exporters, merchandis-ers and retailers as members we recom-mend the students to them,” says the spokesperson.

Saurabh Singh, General Manager, ICICI Bank says, “The number of industry-academia partnerships have gone up significantly because unlike in medicine or engineering, where candi-dates are trained in specialized areas, we only had plain graduates in the field of finance. Initially, the academic com-munity was suspicious and reluctant - academic institutes are not training colleges. It took us a year to convince Manipal University and NIIT for such programmes.”

Faculty checks Before enrolling in any course, candi-dates must interact with former stu-dents to know their opinion. Also check faculty background. An inexperienced faculty will not be able to guide a student or answer his queries better. Chances are that a significant number of the faculty do not have sufficient exposure to the industry to be able to capture and trans-late the nuances of the industry into their teaching material. Besides, there aren’t many India-specific books or case studies available to the faculty to enable them to provide contextual learning. If the Institute highlights programme affiliation with foreign universities, go to the universities’ website, e-mail them or give a call to cross-check.

Irrespective of what the college says and no matter how rosy the prospec-tive career picture portrayed, before registering, corroborate every piece of information that you get. An informed decision can help students save plenty of time.

Other items on the checklist The other parameter on a student’s checklist is to find out if they will have to enter into any bond or any kind of written agreement with the organisa-tion. RHW Hotel Management Ser-vices says that the students of Carlson Management Training Programme are not bound by any bond to work there. However, there exists an understanding whereby pass-out students work in the hotel for at least two years. Nilesh Mitra,

Director, HR, RHW Hotel Management Services says that such bonds don’t have any legal binding anyway.

There is a lot of interest in areas such as journalism, fitness or retail which are seen as glamorous. There is a mismatch of perceptions, feels CK Kurien, gen-eral manager, marketing & relationship, Future Learning and Development, Pantaloon Group. In the context of retail, he says, “At the outset it looks alluring. On -the-job training allows the candidates to see the reality.” This,

according to him helps them make the transition with ease.

Future of such alliancesIn all likelihood such alliances will become increasingly common. For industries that can’t find quality work-force with specialised skills, collabora-tion of this nature helps them to bridge the demand-supply gap. “The career-course practice has become quite popu-lar with agro, automobile and iron and steel industries,” says Rajesh AR. The partnerships suffered due to the eco-nomic meltdown. Companies started reviewing the tie-ups. One such 8-month programme, Experience Design and Management, an alliance between Future Group and Pearl Academy of Fashion was temporarily put on hold soon after commencement of two batch-es. This programme which commands a fee of Rs 80,000 might be resumed in July, informs AKG Nair, group director, Pearl Academy of Fashion.

Pros & cons of career-programmes The drawback of such career-intensive programmes is it’s exceedingly focused approach. It is said that crises expose the true character of a person. In the educa-tional context, the economic slowdown has exposed the flaws in our teaching set up. It’s time institutions and job-seekers introspect a bit.

“Career-oriented courses help

students to imbibe the academic concepts much

better. But in context of undergraduates

taking up such cours-es, I feel the work

culture is thrust upon them too early”

jitin saxena, career counsellor.

QUICK CHECKWhether the programme is company–■■

sponsored or self-financing. If you are enrolling be clear that it is leading to your career goal.

Examine and clarify all terms and conditions ■■

attached to the programme. Know whether there is a lock-in period or bond stipulation linked with it.

Register for programmes where certificates ■■

are given by recognised industry bodies as those would be seen positively by hiring organisations.

If you are enrolling as after 10+2, do a ■■

Bachelor’s degree side by side so that further career-growth doesn’t come to a halt for want of a degree. If you are a graduate, you may also consider pursuing a management course as an add-on.

As career-oriented courses have a focussed ■■

approach, the syllabus is limited to the organisation’s demands.



50 job-orien ted coursesProgramme run by Programme Fees (Rs.) Duration Stipend (Rs. per month) Eligibility for enrolling Selection test criteria Starting Salary

(Rs. per month)Job offers from

HDFC LS and Manipal University

Insurance Management Programme — First Advantage

30,000 3 Months — MBA’s & Graduates - fresh or experienced

Written Test , group discussion. 18,000 onwards HDFC Standard Life, just started

NIIT and IFBI Diploma in banking and Financial Services

35,000 2 Months — For graduates Test and interview 15,000 — 20,000 Course just started, not even completed one batch

NIIT and IFBI Post Graduate Diploma in Banking Operations

75,000 Full time - 3 Months

7,500 — 15,000 Graduates Test and interview 14,000 — 20,000 ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, YES Bank, etc.

Met Life India Insurance and Delhi University

Insurance programme- Yuvodaya 5,000 3 Months — Insurance agents, graduates, written test

-- — MetLife and other insurance companies

Indian Institute of Job-oriented Training (IIJT)

Complete Business Accountant Programme

32,000 1 Year — 10+2, graduate, PG, MBA None 8,000 — 12,000. ICICI bank , HDFC Bank, YES BANK and other financial institutions

Religare & Manipal Certificate programme in commodities 18,000 3 Months Guaranteed absorption in Religare

Graduate from any stream CV short listing, group discussion & personal interview

10,000 onwards Religare Commodities Limited

IMI and Max New York Life Professional Programme in Insurance and Sales Management

1,20,000 10 Months — Graduates and working professionals Group discussion & interview — Max New York Life

Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants

Chartered Accountancy 39,500 3 Years 500 — 1500 10, 10+2, minimum 18 years of age Entry-level Common Proficiency Test 25,000 onwards Corporate houses ,multinationals and public sector units.

Standard Chartered and Symbiosis Instiute

Consumer Banking Graduate Training Programme

1,00,000 12 Months 5,000 from 5th month onwards

Graduates and working professionals Online test, group discussion, personal interviews

25,000 approx. Standard Chartered

New Horizons Oracle Developer Track 25,000 160 hrs — Graduates with basic computer skills , BE, BTech

Aptitude test, HR interview — IT and ITES companies

NIIT Uniqua (joint venture with Genpact)

Basics in Effective Communication

8,850 6 Weeks — Graduate in any stream Voice assessment 10,000 onwards Genpact, WNS, HCL, Mhasis, Wipro, First Source etc


Advance Effective Communication



Certification in Finance & Accounts

10,150 4 Weeks — BCom Voice assessment + finance assessment test

10,000 onwards Genpact, WNS, HCL, Mhasis, Wipro, First Source a etc


Professional Certification in Effective Communication



Hardware Networking Course, PC Next

60,000 12 Months — 10+2, Graduates, Postgraduates, MCA

None For 10+2, 7,000 — 8,000, for graduates and

MCA 10,000 — 20,000

HCL, Wipro, Compaq, Zenith, DLF, Asian Paints, Genpact, TCS, Tata AIG

The Oberoi Group The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development course

No fees 2 Years 13,000 Diploma holders or graduates (from hotel management institutes or regular course)

Series of interviews Approximately Rs.30,000

Assistant Manager at The Oberoi Group.

The Oberoi Group Systematic Training and Education Programme

No fees 3 Years 3,500 10+2 Self introduction round and panel interviews

Approximately Rs. 10,000

Operations Assistant at The Oberoi Group

RHW Hotel Management Services Company

Management Training Programme No fees 18 Months 8,000 — 12,500 Candidates from hotel management institutes/ MBAs

Interview and group discussions 16,000 Onwards Joins in any hotel operated by the Group.


Retail Management Programme 35,000 12 Months 3,000 — 4,000 10+2, graduates, postgraduates, MBAs

None For 10+2, 4,000 — 6,000

Rs. 6,000 — 18,000 as floor managers

Shoppers Stop, Reebok, Big Bazar, Reliance Trend, Reliance Digital, Odessey, Lifestyle

Magnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals (MAPP)

Professional Packaging course 60,000 6 Months — 10+ 2, over 18 years of age Aptitude test to check creativity 15,000 Diverse sectors

INSIFT, Institute of Storage, Integration and Future Technologies

INSIFT SCP 25,000 3 Days — Computer-literate with a minimum of 6 months experience in IT and/or Storage Networking Operations.

Written test 20,000 Ace data services, HCL

ICSI Company Secretaryship Course 30,000 3.5 Years — 10+2 Entrance test — —

Indian Institute of Real Estate (IIRE).

Principles and Practices of Real Estate

12,500, 8 Months — Graduate and working professionals Course is delivered in modules. 20,000 onwards Developers, brokerage houses, finance companies


50 job-orien ted coursesProgramme run by Programme Fees (Rs.) Duration Stipend (Rs. per month) Eligibility for enrolling Selection test criteria Starting Salary

(Rs. per month)Job offers from

HDFC LS and Manipal University

Insurance Management Programme — First Advantage

30,000 3 Months — MBA’s & Graduates - fresh or experienced

Written Test , group discussion. 18,000 onwards HDFC Standard Life, just started

NIIT and IFBI Diploma in banking and Financial Services

35,000 2 Months — For graduates Test and interview 15,000 — 20,000 Course just started, not even completed one batch

NIIT and IFBI Post Graduate Diploma in Banking Operations

75,000 Full time - 3 Months

7,500 — 15,000 Graduates Test and interview 14,000 — 20,000 ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, YES Bank, etc.

Met Life India Insurance and Delhi University

Insurance programme- Yuvodaya 5,000 3 Months — Insurance agents, graduates, written test

-- — MetLife and other insurance companies


Complete Business Accountant Programme

32,000 1 Year — 10+2, graduate, PG, MBA None 8,000 — 12,000. ICICI bank , HDFC Bank, YES BANK and other financial institutions

Religare & Manipal Certificate programme in commodities 18,000 3 Months Guaranteed absorption in Religare

Graduate from any stream CV short listing, group discussion & personal interview

10,000 onwards Religare Commodities Limited

IMI and Max New York Life Professional Programme in Insurance and Sales Management

1,20,000 10 Months — Graduates and working professionals Group discussion & interview — Max New York Life

Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants

Chartered Accountancy 39,500 3 Years 500 — 1500 10, 10+2, minimum 18 years of age Entry-level Common Proficiency Test 25,000 onwards Corporate houses ,multinationals and public sector units.

Standard Chartered and Symbiosis Instiute

Consumer Banking Graduate Training Programme

1,00,000 12 Months 5,000 from 5th month onwards

Graduates and working professionals Online test, group discussion, personal interviews

25,000 approx. Standard Chartered

New Horizons Oracle Developer Track 25,000 160 hrs — Graduates with basic computer skills , BE, BTech

Aptitude test, HR interview — IT and ITES companies


Basics in Effective Communication



Advance Effective Communication



Certification in Finance & Accounts

10,150 4 Weeks — BCom Voice assessment + finance assessment test

10,000 onwards Genpact, WNS, HCL, Mhasis, Wipro, First Source a etc


Professional Certification in Effective Communication



Hardware Networking Course, PC Next

60,000 12 Months — 10+2, Graduates, Postgraduates, MCA

None For 10+2, 7,000 — 8,000, for graduates and

MCA 10,000 — 20,000

HCL, Wipro, Compaq, Zenith, DLF, Asian Paints, Genpact, TCS, Tata AIG

The Oberoi Group The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development course

No fees 2 Years 13,000 Diploma holders or graduates (from hotel management institutes or regular course)

Series of interviews Approximately Rs.30,000

Assistant Manager at The Oberoi Group.

The Oberoi Group Systematic Training and Education Programme

No fees 3 Years 3,500 10+2 Self introduction round and panel interviews

Approximately Rs. 10,000

Operations Assistant at The Oberoi Group

RHW Hotel Management Services Company

Management Training Programme No fees 18 Months 8,000 — 12,500 Candidates from hotel management institutes/ MBAs

Interview and group discussions 16,000 Onwards Joins in any hotel operated by the Group.


Retail Management Programme 35,000 12 Months 3,000 — 4,000 10+2, graduates, postgraduates, MBAs

None For 10+2, 4,000 — 6,000

Rs. 6,000 — 18,000 as floor managers

Shoppers Stop, Reebok, Big Bazar, Reliance Trend, Reliance Digital, Odessey, Lifestyle

Magnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals (MAPP)

Professional Packaging course 60,000 6 Months — 10+ 2, over 18 years of age Aptitude test to check creativity 15,000 Diverse sectors

INSIFT, Institute of Storage, Integration and Future Technologies

INSIFT SCP 25,000 3 Days — Computer-literate with a minimum of 6 months experience in IT and/or Storage Networking Operations.

Written test 20,000 Ace data services, HCL

ICSI Company Secretaryship Course 30,000 3.5 Years — 10+2 Entrance test — —

Indian Institute of Real Estate (IIRE).

Principles and Practices of Real Estate

12,500, 8 Months — Graduate and working professionals Course is delivered in modules. 20,000 onwards Developers, brokerage houses, finance companies



Programme run by Programme Fees (Rs) Duration Stipend (Rs) Eligibility for enrolling Selection test criteria Starting Salary (Rs. per month)

Job offers from

IIRE Fundamentals of Property Management

10,000 8 Months — Graduate and working professionals

The course is delivered in modules. 20,000 onwards Developers, hotels, malls, brokerage houses

National Real Estate Developmen-tal Council (NAREDCO)

Certificate Course in Real Estate Management. (GGIPS Univ.)

11,000 3 Weeks — 10+2, graduates, working professionals

None 10,000 onwards for 10+2.

All 150 real estate companies

PurpleLeap and Educomp Finishing Programme for IT Profes-sionals

50,000 6 Months — BE./BTech Written test followed by GD and interview 1.5 to 3 lakh per annum Mid-size IT companies

PurpleLeap and Educomp Sales Management for Insurance 95,000 11 Months — Graduate Written test followed by GD and interview 1.2 to 2.4 lakh per annum Insurance companies

Metamorph Learning Pvt.Ltd,

Core Retail Certification Programme (online course)

3,300 and 4,500 6 Weeks — 10, 10+2 or PUC pass and at least 18 yrs of age

Basic aptitude test for English and Maths

4,000 — 15,000 Reliance, Megamart, and KFC among others

Arena Animation AAASP(Arena Animation Academy Specialist programme)

95,000 30 Months — 10+2 Written test 10,000 — 15,000 Crest Animation Studios, EFX, UTV Toons, Toonz Animation,

Avalon Academy in association with Thomas Cook

Diploma in Travel and Tourism 80,000 12 Months _ 10+2 Aptitude test 12,000 — 15,000 Travel industry

KSOU with Aptech N-Power BSc In Hardware, Networking & Digital Communications

89,700+ S.T. 3 Years — 10+2 No test 10,000 — 12,000 Organisation with Hardware & Networking Requirements

KSOU with Aptech N-Power Diploma in Hardware & Networking 32,700+ S.T. 1 Year — 10+2 pass out in any stream No test 6,000 — 7,000 Organisation with Hardware & Networking Requirements

Aptech N-Power N-Power Certified Enterprise Systems Engineer

54,000+ S.T. 11 Months + 2 Months of Internship

— 10+2 No test 8,000 — 10,000 Organisation with Hardware & Networking Requirements such as Wipro BPO, Allied Digital etc.

Retailers Association of India Professional Retailing Skills 5,000 — 8,000 2 Months 2,800 — 4,000 H.S.C pass/appeared Read Test along with personal interview 2,800 — 4,000 RAI Member companies

RAI in collobration with IGNOU Diploma in Retailing (BBA-1st Year) 7,900 1 Year 3,000 — 4,000 HSC pass Minimum 50% in HSC with personal interview

3,500 — 5,000 RAI Member companies

RAI in collobration with IGNOU Advance Diploma In Retailing (BBA-2nd Year)

7,900 1 Year 3,000 — 4,000 Diploma in Retailing Diploma in Retailing 3,500 — 5,000 RAI Member companies

RAI in collobration with IGNOU BBA in Retaling (BBA-3rd Year) 7,900 1 Year 3,000 — 4000 Advance Diploma In Retailing Advance Diploma In Retailing 3,500 — 5,000 RAI Member companies

PGPRM partners of RAI Post Graduate Programme in Retail Management

1,90,000 2 Years 10,000 onwards Graduate in any stream with min 50% marks & CART scores

Common Admission for Retailers Test

2 lakh (per annum)

RAI Member companies

Kuoni Academy IATA-UFTAA Foundation 43,000 4-6 Months part-time — 10+2 No test 6,000 — 7,000 Travel sector

Avalon Academy Diploma in Professional Ground Staff Services

62,000 9 Months — Graduate - fresh or experienced Aptitude test 10,000 onwards Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Go Air, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Global Aviation & Korean Air

Kuoni Academy Tour Manager Programme 75,000 2 Months part-time — 10+2 No test 8,000 — 25,000 Tour Managers / Escorts with Tour Operators.

Kuoni Academy in co-operation with Cabin Crew Direct UK & IABA Dubai

International Diploma in Cabin Crew Training

65,000 4 Months part-time — 10+2 No test 15,000 — 25,000 Cabin Crew / Ground Staff with International / Domestic Airlines

IST - International School for Tourism- Zurich

International Tourism Specialist 50,000 1 Months part time — Working professionals No — This is a skill enhancement programme

R K Films & Media Academy & Delhi University

Radio Jockeying & TV News Reading 15,000 3 Months Performance-related Students pursuing graduation/ undergraduation from DU

Interview 8,000 Broadcasting companies


Theatre Acting & Presentation 7,000 2 Months Depends on performance Students pursuing graduation/ undergraduation from DU

Interview Project-based remuneration

The Academy as well as production houses


Advanced Course in 3D Animation-level 2

40,000 3 Months Depends on performance Students pursuing graduation/ undergraduation from DU

Knowledge of Level I (3D Animation) & Interview

8,000 May be absorbed by RKFMA

Centum Learning and Delhi University

Certificate course in Telecommunications, Sales and Service.

10,000 Level I&II 6 months each

— 10+2, students pursuing graduation and postgraduation

Personal interview —

APPAREL EXPORT Promotion council

Garment export merchandising 50,000 6 Months, weekend classes

— 2 years of work experience Personal interview — Export houses , Merchandisers

Pearl Academy of Fashion Apparel Merchandising and marketing

75,000 12 Months 5,000 — 8,000 10+2, graduates, working professionals

One-to-one interview For 10+2, 8,000

Graduates 20,000

Pukra exports, RK Creations, Orient Crafts, Orient Clothings, Inleather, Mantrose Knits


Certificate course in Apparel export management.

60,000 4 Months — Work experience Personal interview — Export houses , Merchandisers


Programme run by Programme Fees (Rs) Duration Stipend (Rs) Eligibility for enrolling Selection test criteria Starting Salary (Rs. per month)

Job offers from

IIRE Fundamentals of Property Management

10,000 8 Months — Graduate and working professionals

The course is delivered in modules. 20,000 onwards Developers, hotels, malls, brokerage houses

National Real Estate Developmen-tal Council (NAREDCO)

Certificate Course in Real Estate Management. (GGIPS Univ.)

11,000 3 Weeks — 10+2, graduates, working professionals

None 10,000 onwards for 10+2.

All 150 real estate companies

PurpleLeap and Educomp Finishing Programme for IT Profes-sionals

50,000 6 Months — BE./BTech Written test followed by GD and interview 1.5 to 3 lakh per annum Mid-size IT companies

PurpleLeap and Educomp Sales Management for Insurance 95,000 11 Months — Graduate Written test followed by GD and interview 1.2 to 2.4 lakh per annum Insurance companies

Metamorph Learning Pvt.Ltd,

Core Retail Certification Programme (online course)

3,300 and 4,500 6 Weeks — 10, 10+2 or PUC pass and at least 18 yrs of age

Basic aptitude test for English and Maths

4,000 — 15,000 Reliance, Megamart, and KFC among others

Arena Animation AAASP(Arena Animation Academy Specialist programme)

95,000 30 Months — 10+2 Written test 10,000 — 15,000 Crest Animation Studios, EFX, UTV Toons, Toonz Animation,

Avalon Academy in association with Thomas Cook

Diploma in Travel and Tourism 80,000 12 Months _ 10+2 Aptitude test 12,000 — 15,000 Travel industry

KSOU with Aptech N-Power BSc In Hardware, Networking & Digital Communications

89,700+ S.T. 3 Years — 10+2 No test 10,000 — 12,000 Organisation with Hardware & Networking Requirements

KSOU with Aptech N-Power Diploma in Hardware & Networking 32,700+ S.T. 1 Year — 10+2 pass out in any stream No test 6,000 — 7,000 Organisation with Hardware & Networking Requirements

Aptech N-Power N-Power Certified Enterprise Systems Engineer

54,000+ S.T. 11 Months + 2 Months of Internship

— 10+2 No test 8,000 — 10,000 Organisation with Hardware & Networking Requirements such as Wipro BPO, Allied Digital etc.

Retailers Association of India Professional Retailing Skills 5,000 — 8,000 2 Months 2,800 — 4,000 H.S.C pass/appeared Read Test along with personal interview 2,800 — 4,000 RAI Member companies

RAI in collobration with IGNOU Diploma in Retailing (BBA-1st Year) 7,900 1 Year 3,000 — 4,000 HSC pass Minimum 50% in HSC with personal interview

3,500 — 5,000 RAI Member companies

RAI in collobration with IGNOU Advance Diploma In Retailing (BBA-2nd Year)

7,900 1 Year 3,000 — 4,000 Diploma in Retailing Diploma in Retailing 3,500 — 5,000 RAI Member companies

RAI in collobration with IGNOU BBA in Retaling (BBA-3rd Year) 7,900 1 Year 3,000 — 4000 Advance Diploma In Retailing Advance Diploma In Retailing 3,500 — 5,000 RAI Member companies

PGPRM partners of RAI Post Graduate Programme in Retail Management

1,90,000 2 Years 10,000 onwards Graduate in any stream with min 50% marks & CART scores

Common Admission for Retailers Test

2 lakh (per annum)

RAI Member companies

Kuoni Academy IATA-UFTAA Foundation 43,000 4-6 Months part-time — 10+2 No test 6,000 — 7,000 Travel sector

Avalon Academy Diploma in Professional Ground Staff Services

62,000 9 Months — Graduate - fresh or experienced Aptitude test 10,000 onwards Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Go Air, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Global Aviation & Korean Air

Kuoni Academy Tour Manager Programme 75,000 2 Months part-time — 10+2 No test 8,000 — 25,000 Tour Managers / Escorts with Tour Operators.

Kuoni Academy in co-operation with Cabin Crew Direct UK & IABA Dubai

International Diploma in Cabin Crew Training

65,000 4 Months part-time — 10+2 No test 15,000 — 25,000 Cabin Crew / Ground Staff with International / Domestic Airlines

IST - International School for Tourism- Zurich

International Tourism Specialist 50,000 1 Months part time — Working professionals No — This is a skill enhancement programme


Radio Jockeying & TV News Reading 15,000 3 Months Performance-related Students pursuing graduation/ undergraduation from DU

Interview 8,000 Broadcasting companies


Theatre Acting & Presentation 7,000 2 Months Depends on performance Students pursuing graduation/ undergraduation from DU

Interview Project-based remuneration

The Academy as well as production houses


Advanced Course in 3D Animation-level 2

40,000 3 Months Depends on performance Students pursuing graduation/ undergraduation from DU

Knowledge of Level I (3D Animation) & Interview

8,000 May be absorbed by RKFMA

Centum Learning and Delhi University

Certificate course in Telecommunications, Sales and Service.

10,000 Level I&II 6 months each

— 10+2, students pursuing graduation and postgraduation

Personal interview —


Garment export merchandising 50,000 6 Months, weekend classes

— 2 years of work experience Personal interview — Export houses , Merchandisers

Pearl Academy of Fashion Apparel Merchandising and marketing

75,000 12 Months 5,000 — 8,000 10+2, graduates, working professionals

One-to-one interview For 10+2, 8,000

Graduates 20,000

Pukra exports, RK Creations, Orient Crafts, Orient Clothings, Inleather, Mantrose Knits


Certificate course in Apparel export management.

60,000 4 Months — Work experience Personal interview — Export houses , Merchandisers

How to internship


Dress rehearsal for your careerBotching up in varying measures is common for interns. But minimize blunders.

by Urmila Rao

Megha Singhal, a first year student of Sri Ram College of Commerce, is set for an intern-interview at Man-

power Consultants, a leading human resource consultant firm. She is dressed in smart formals. As she entered the office, she attracts fleeting glances of busy professionals in T-shirts and casual trousers. Interning is not part of her course curriculum. But she wants to appraise her interest area before she graduates and firms up career plans. The 18-year-old has been turned down by companies as a ‘first-year student’. Manpower, however, doesn’t disappoint her. She is asked to join two days later. “And on Monday, I walk in sporting my regular jeans and T-shirt, while every one is dressed in formals,” she breaks into a smile. “I didn’t realise that I was interviewed on a Friday,” she says.

Botching up with attire or matters more serious is a regular phenomenon with any intern. Mistakes will happen, but what should a fresher do to mini-mize the blunders?

Interning, or working in an organisa-tion while studying, is a chance to expe-rience an industry. You imbibe work skills and professional etiquette. The experience comes in handy when you become ready to plunge into the job-market. Meghna learnt a host of things. “That included making presentations, handling media interactions, designing web and writing formal e-mails,” she says. “I became confident, assertive and learnt lessons in diplomacy,” she adds.

PrePare: Know about the indus-try and the company you will intern with. Check their website. “One fresher I know, used to read press-releas-es uploaded on company’s website and hence knew more than what was published in the newspapers,” says Sunil Kalra, consultant with a leading HR firm.

Be a sPort: Don’t take criticisms at work personally. Focus entirely on learning. “Remember you are at the bot-tom of the food chain,” says Kalra. Don’t say no to any work assigned. If you’re being overburdened, speak to your boss and decide a deadline.

Have a Positive attitude: Take your tasks and deadline seriously. If you come across as dedicated and responsible, you will be entrusted with assignments.

Be Proactive: If you are invited to internal office or client meetings or seminars, don’t ever say no. If you are not asked, express your desire to be a part of it. Whether you are allowed to actively participate or simply observe, you will learn how to conduct business operation, negotiate or close a deal, take decisions, analyse a particular event or case and how to react in situations.

ask questions: Instead of being

clueless or ambiguous regarding the work entrusted and submitting a work way out of line, seek clarification. “Keep your boss updated about your work,” advises Kalra.

Don’t indulge in gossip or try to extract information. Don’t turn up late. “All these things get noticed,” says Kalra. Gmail chats, facebook updates is best done from home. Never judge or find region, religion or caste connections with your boss or colleagues.

don’t join tHis organisa-tion: “Intern with companies that match your background and future career option,” says Ravi Lochan Singh, managing director, Global Reach. Avoid organisations that don’t over a period of time, assign you responsible tasks or “take interest in investing as much time and energy as it does for regular employ-ees,” says R.Sreenivasan, co-founder and director, Career Launcher.

oPPortunity cost: At this stage one should join a well-known organi-sation. “Brand name matters,” feels Megha. “Bigger companies can give you a certain work atmosphere and groom you in a certain way,” she explains. “Start-ups with their democratic set-up are also a great place to work, but then you have to suffer on brand name and compensation,” says Indu Walia, currently interning with an advertising agency.

Whether you are allowed to actively participate or simply observe, you’ll learn how to conduct business, negotiate & take decisions

Illustration: Divya

Feature Foreign Languages

58 juLy 2009360careers

More and more students are learning foreign languages as ca reer opportunities are vast and salaries attractive

by Sumita Vaid Dixit

Vidhi and Prashant are looking at the notice board outside the Department of Germanic and Romance Studies at Delhi Uni-

versity. There’s a play in Italian and they are scribbling down the details while the admission queue by their side spills into the lawns. They both are relieved their MA admission forms are now with the officials behind the windows. “There will be an entrance, and then an inter-view,” Vidhi says wiping the sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief buried in her hand.

When Vidhi enrolled for BA in Pro-gramming suddenly she was attracted to the idea of learning a foreign lan-guage. For her friend, Prashant, learning French first started out as a hobby and then later became a career option. While Prashant enrolled in Alliance Française, Vidhi did an advanced diploma in Ger-man language from St Stephen’s, and both incidentally want to be teachers.

Deciding on a languageNeha Gupta, a travel consultant with Enchanting India, an online travel agency, wondered about her future after studying Environmental Sciences at Delhi University. She could have gone ahead to do an MSc, but she found her-self thinking about learning a foreign language. “It was the idea of travelling, meeting people,” she says.

Like Neha, choosing a language can be purely out of sheer curiosity or just out of a plain need to learn something. Assis-tant Professor, Vinay Kumar Gupta,

The lure oF Fo reign words

Entry points for graduation/post graduation10+2

BA / Bsc in any discipline

Diploma in foreign language from a recogn-ised institute such as Alliance Française or the Goethe Institute

Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma from Delhi University

Knowledge of a foreign language

CarEEr optionsTeaching & Research (university and school teaching) in India or abroad

Government jobs through UPSC

Management, Print and Electronic Media (All India Radio has foreign language servic-es), Indian Armed Forces, RAW, paramilitary forces, embassies, multinational compa-nies, call centres, export-import, tourism, tourist guides

CompaniEs Coming for Campus rECruitmEnts Fidelity, Orange, e-Serve, CII, World Bank, HCL, Xchanging, Enchanting India, Thales, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Oracle, Siemens, American Express, Amazone.com, Tata Consultancy, Intelenet, Evalueserve, Thomson, Reuters

Learning foreign language is not just about high salaries, but following a passion, as well


More and more students are learning foreign languages as ca reer opportunities are vast and salaries attractive

The lure of fo reign words

ScholarShipS and ExchangE programmESJNU: Special scholarships and 'Earn as you Learn' (few part-time jobs) and also merit-cum-means scholarship for financially weak students. Scholarships through UGC and for-eign embassies for foreign travel for research.

DU offers Erasmus Mundus Scholarships.

Alliance Française and Instituto Hispania offer exchange programmes, among others

English and Foreign Languages Univer-sity, Hyderabad (EFLU) (earlier called Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages), enrolled in BA French at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as France was famous for its artistic life.

But while listening to your heart, it isn’t a bad idea to gauge career pros-pects of the language, too says Neha. “Popularity or better career prospects in a foreign language are linked with the international and economic ties with a particular country,” says Professor San-kar Basu, Dean, School of Language, Literature and Culture studies, JNU.

Professor Priyadarsi Mukherji, chair-man, Centre for Chinese & South-East Asian Studies, JNU talks of his late grandfather who was a Chinese Scholar but couldn’t go to China as back then relations with China were strained. Instead, his grandfather went to Russia. “At the time relations with USSR were good and that explained the popularity of the Russian language.”

pay packagE rs. 15,000 to rs. 1 lakh pEr monthInterpreters charge Rs. 1000 an hour to Rs. 25,000 a day

Translators charge per word basis: 60 paise to Rs. 5 per word

“We are living in a global world and that explains why

foreign languages are becoming more

popular,”Prof. kUSUM AGGArWAL

Dept. of Germanic and romance studies Delhi university

Arijit Sen



From the age of nine, Madhuvan Shar-ma, Press Attaché with the Embassy

of Colombia has been fighting battles, the kinds that easily break one’s will.

But how learning Spanish would one day change his life, he wasn’t prepared.

When he was nine, his father, a Con-gress MLA from Begusarai, Bihar, was assassinated in a political feud. There’s no expression of rage or anger as he shares this. His blue-coloured frames make him look a bit older, but his words, much older. He turned to karate to deal

Of Life, Spanish and Krav MagaBut after China and India’s economic relationship improved, so did the lan-guage’s worth. “Look East is a recent phenomenon; suddenly Chinese, Korean and Japanese are the most sought after languages,” says Professor Mukherji.

Though many teachers discourage choosing a language based on its worth, B Mathews, administrative manager, Instituto Hispania says it is a practical approach. “One should keep in mind the viability of a language as one invests time and effort.”

Which is why when Neha had to choose between French and German, she opted for German as it offered better careers prospects.

Aptitude for a language is important while deciding on a language. Universi-ties such as Delhi University and JNU conduct entrance exams at the BA level to gauge the aptitude of potential stu-dents. And in Master’s level there’s a great emphasis on oral communica-tion. Twenty-four-year-old Madhuvan Sharma, Press Attaché, Embassy of Colombia, says that as long as you have an urge to study a language you can also develop an aptitude for it, as well.

Opportunities galoreOpportunities only revealed themselves to Deepika and Mukesh, successful tourist guides from Rajasthan, as their engagement with the language deep-ened. “When students think of doing a language course it’s with the view to either study or work abroad,” points out Professor Kusum Aggarwal, Depart-ment of Germanic and Romance Stud-ies. But when these students learn more about the language they realise options are incredibility vast.

Almost all of Professor Gupta’s class-mates went into well-paying jobs in the private sector, “except for me,” he says. Academia was his first choice. One of his classmates got absorbed in an Indian company based in West Africa. “And he is drawing in lakhs per month.”

Max Mueller Bhavan (Goethe-Insti-tut), for example, has designed its cur-riculum to cater to the private sector. Business German is an important com-ponent of its syllabus. “While our prima-ry focus is on imparting communication skills, learning Business German only improves careers prospects even more,” says Dr Stefan Dreyer, regional direc-tor, South Asia, Goethe-Institut, Max

Mueller Bhavan. Companies and BPOs such as eServe, Xchanging, Enchanting India, Fidelity come to Max Mueller Bhavan for campus interviews and “they recruit in bulk,” he says.

In fact, Alliance Française and Institu-to Hispania also offer Business French and Spanish, besides courses on tourism and hotel industries and catering busi-ness, translation and conversation skills. Organisations such as the World Bank and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have recruited people from Insti-tuto Hispania. “Recently, five students got placed in HCL, Madrid office,” says Mathews.

Now doctors, engineers and MBAs are upgrading their language skills, says Mathews. Neha’s husband, a BTech has started learning German now. “I got a

“Indians have a knack for learning languages. In Germany we speak one language,

but Indians two or three" Dr stephan Dreyer,

regional director, Max Mueller BhavanArijit Sen


Of Life, Spanish and Krav Maga

with his father’s sudden loss. “I had to protect my mother.”

His mother had given up the career of a film editor in the Hindi film indus-try to live with her husband. “Our rela-tions with my father’s family got strained after after his death,” he pauses and pushes a newsletter towards me. It says Dakia; the bi-monthly newsletter from the Embassy. After the tragedy, he and his mother moved to Agra to live with his maternal grandparents, but it would be many years before he would get the

chance to look after his mother. “The discipline of karate helped me

deal with my anger.” In the later years, this discipline helped him become pro-ficient in Spanish. Though Madhuvan was the weakest student in his karate class, he persevered. At the age of 13, he started teaching karate to kids.

When his board exams were at hand doctors diagnosed him with colon can-cer. The next three years were spent in various hospitals. “Every day I woke up thinking this to be my last day.” But then, one day, the doctors said that perhaps he didn’t have colon cancer. Whether it was a case of wrong diagnosis or surviving another battle, he appears to be calm about it.

He cleared his class 12 boards when he was 20, by then he and his mother had moved back to Bihar to live with his grandfather. At this stage in his life, he had no idea of what he wanted to do; it was enough he was alive.

But childhood friends at JNU encour-aged him to appear for the foreign lan-guage entrance exam. He got Persian, but soon dropped out to learn Span-ish on his own with the help of notes and material he took from his friends. “An Antonio Banderas film drew me to Spanish,” he recalls.

His Spanish language skills got him a job with vCustomers, a BPO. “But my employers suggested I join Instituto Hispania to improve my Spanish.”

As weekend classes were unhelpful, with the little savings he had, he quit his job to pursue Spanish full-time. In between, he took up translation and interpretation assignments; he even worked as a tourist guide.

In his sixth semester at the institute, Madhuvan went to Valladolid, Spain, on a scholarship. He didn’t travel much; he had little money, but he spent a lot of time listening to the locals. “Getting the accent right is important.” The day he came back to India, the director of Instituto Hispania offered him a teach-ing position. “It was an honour,” he says. “But my first class was a disaster!”

He still misses his teaching days. “I have learnt a lot from my students,” he says when the daughter of the ambas-sador wanders into the room. She’s a little girl with curious eyes. He speaks like a native with her, and she smiles at me. “The ambassador is away, so now I have to attend dinner parties,” he says pointing to his shirt that's tightening. He's learning Krav Maga to lose weight. “It means close combat in Hebrew.”

He joined as the Press Attaché eight months ago. “I have learnt more in these eight months than I have in the last 10-12 years,” he says as he opens up Dakia. “We have been very active in the media.”

I ask him if there’s still a rage in his heart, he says: “I am at peace.” But he’s happy that after all these years he can now look after his mother.

call from Adobe because of my German language skills; I wasn’t keen but my husband wondered why he doesn’t get calls from Adobe.” Now Neha is teaching her husband German so that his career prospects improve.

Alliance Française, too, has been attracting large companies such as Orange and Thales to its campus says Jacques Cretin, academic director, Alli-ance Française, Delhi.

Universities such as JNU and DU also attract many companies. “There’s close to 100 per cent employment of JNU alumni through campus selection or through direct contact with compa-nies in the open market,” says Professor Ashish Agnihotri. He teaches French at JNU and is also the co-ordinator of the Placement Cell.

“Salaries could range from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 1 lakh a month,” says Neha who got her first job offer as early as third semester. “Just sitting at home one can earn Rs. 1,500-2,000 a day in transla-tion work,” says Mathews.

Two of Professor Agnihotri’s students are in well-placed government jobs. One has just got through the Indian Revenue Service and the other works in the Prime Minister’s office. “A foreign language is like any other subject, besides joining the private sector, one can serve the government!” he says.

The interesting part, Dr Dreyer says, is that the demand for foreign language skills is being driven by the domestic market and not the foreign market as it used to be earlier. “There’s been a 50 per cent increase in the intake at our

centres in the last three years.” Small language centres in mini metros, too, are doing well, mentions Dr Dreyer. “We are living in a global world and that explains why foreign languages are becom-ing more popular,” says Professor Aggar-wal of DU.

The service and knowledge sectors are the backbones of the Indian economy and they need people with good foreign language skills, observes Dr Dreyer. In the Max Mueller Bangalore centre 50 per cent of the teaching happens out-side the class in IT-based companies who wish their employees to pick up language skills.

Foreign language teachers in great demand“But now there are more students than



there are teachers,” says Cretin of Alli-ance Française. Education is a sector opening up fast. “We have class V stu-dents coming to us to learn Spanish. There’s far more awareness of foreign languages than there used to be,” says Mathews.

Many students from Instituto Hispania have found teaching jobs in schools such as GD Goenka and Delhi Public School (DPS). “Last year we taught final year MBA students at IMT Ghaziabad,” says Pushpa Sharma, director, public relations, Instituto Hispania.

Max Mueller Bhavan has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with schools such as DPS, Vas-ant Kunj and Kendriya Vidyalaya to pro-vide school teachers and course mate-rial for the language. “There are 981 KVs in India, and you can thus imagine the popularity of foreign languages in the years to come and the sudden need for teachers,” says Dr Dreyer. In fact, Max Mueller has tied up with IGNOU to provide the same support.

Professor Gupta of EFLU says that there are going to be 16 more central

universities in years to come and all of them will have a foreign language department, and naturally there will be a great demand for teachers. “It’s a trickle-down effect of demand driven by the corporate world,” says Dr Dreyer.

Understanding this need, Delhi Uni-versity has introduced a diploma in for-eign language teaching for five languages:

Examination Tips Get old question papers from college ■■

libraries

JNU Students’ Union also organises an ■■

orientation course (free of cost) designed to help aspirants crack the exam

The papers for B.A. are based on general ■■

knowledge, reasoning and a bit of English.

For the M.A. exam, one must have a ■■

reasonably good command on the foreign language. Simple, clear sentences and well articulated ideas are most appreciated by examiners.

One may also be asked questions about the ■■

language, literature and cultural norms of the country where the language is spoken. Same applies to the oral examination.

French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. There’s an entrance exam for it followed by an interview, and there are five seats in each language. After this diploma, one can teach in schools.

Even Max Mueller provides teacher’s training. Every year the Max Mueller Bhavan offers 150 grants for teacher’s training in Germany. Alliance Française and Instituto Hispania, too, have teach-ers’ training programme.

Private versus university educationBut students do wonder which route to take to acquire foreign language skills: university education or private insti-tutes. Opinions are sharply divided on this.

While private institutes such as Max Mueller Bhavan, Alliance Française and Instituto Hispania focus on the spoken and written part of the language, DU and JNU and EFLU focus on literature, linguistics and translations, as well.

“You cannot study a language in isola-tion; understanding of the culture and history of a country is important,” says Professor Sankar Basu of JNU. “It gives

“It's a lifetime commitment, and one has to be strong-willed to learn a language well,”

Padma natarajanteacher at alliance Française

corporate executives Divya and Neha landed good jobs thanks to their foreign language skills


Arabic MA University of Delhi www.du.ac.in

Bulgarian Advanced Diploma Goa university http://www.unigoa.ac.in

Chinese Diploma University of Kerala http://www.keralauniversity.edu

Chinese Diploma University of Calcutta http://www.caluniv.ac.in

Chinese Diploma/Certificate Chinese Language Institute www.chinese.in

French MA University of Delhi www.du.ac.in

French MA University of Calcutta http://www.caluniv.ac.in

French PhD Goa university http://www.unigoa.ac.in

French Diploma D B A M Univeristy http://www.bamu.net

French Certificate Madurai Kamaraj University http://www.mkudde.org

French Diploma (FT) Guru Nanak Dev University http://www.gndu.ac.in

French Certificate (PT) Guru Nanak Dev University http://www.gndu.ac.in

French Certificate Kurukshetra University http://www.kukinfo.com

French Diploma Kurukshetra University http://www.kukinfo.com

French BA University of Mumbai http://www.mu.ac.in

French MA University of Mumbai http://www.mu.ac.in

French Diploma/Certificate Alliance Française www.afindia.org

German Diploma University of Cutcutta http://www.caluniv.ac.in

German Diploma D B A M Univeristy http://www.bamu.net

German Certificate (PT) Guru Nanak Dev University http://www.gndu.ac.in

German Diploma Kurukshetra University http://www.kukinfo.com

German Diploma/Certificate Gothe Institute www.gothe.de

Hungarian Advanced Diploma University of Delhi www.du.ac.in

Italian Diploma (PT) University of Mumbai http://www.mu.ac.in

Italian Diploma/Certificate Italian Cultural Institute http://www.iicnewdelhi.esteri.it

Japanese Advanced Diploma University of Delhi www.du.ac.in

Japanese Certificate (PT) Guru Nanak Dev University http://www.gndu.ac.in

Japanse Diploma/Certificate Mombusho Scholar's Assosiation of India http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt

Japanse Diploma/Certificate Japanese Language Teachers' Association http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt

Japanse Diploma/Certificate The Indo-Japan Welfare and Cultural Association http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt

Japanse Diploma/Certificate ABK-AOTS DOSOKAI, Tamil Nadu Centre http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt

Japanse Diploma/Certificate. Bangalore Nihongo Kyooshi-kai (BNK) http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt

Japanse Diploma/Certificate Teachers Association of Japanese (TAJ) http://momo.jpf.go.jp/jlpt

Portuguese MA Goa university http://www.unigoa.ac.in

Persian Diploma University of Calcutta http://www.caluniv.ac.in

Russian MA University of Calcutta http://www.caluniv.ac.in

Russian Diploma D B A M Univeristy http://www.bamu.net

Russian Diploma (FT) Guru Nanak Dev University http://www.gndu.ac.in

Russian Cert.ificate (PT) Guru Nanak Dev University http://www.gndu.ac.in

Spanish Diploma (PT) University of Mumbai http://www.mu.ac.in

Spanish Certificate (PT) University of Mumbai http://www.mu.ac.in

Spanish Diploma/Certificate Instituto Hispania http://institutohispania.com

Various Diploma/Certificate YMCA www.newdelhiymca.org

Various Diploma/Certificate Bharatiya Vidaya Bhawan www.bhawans.info

Select institutions that teach foreign languages

Language Award University Web site



a broader perspective of the language.” Besides, to become a college teacher, you need an MPhil and a PhD says Pro-fessor Aggarwal.

Dr Dreyer openly says while the centre doesn’t focus on literature as much as the universities, his students have good communication skills and are ready for corporate jobs. “We have had instances of students learning literature at uni-versities and coming to us to improve their conversational skills.” Neha of Enchanting India says that one of her friends enrolled in Max Mueller despite an MPhil from a famous university only to improve her fluency in the language.

Though the primary focus of these pri-vate institutes is communication, they still do acquaint their students with the culture and literature of the language they teach. They have well-stocked library: books, films, journals. Alliance Française, for example, teaches French through French songs; gives lectures on French literature and civilization and helps students understand French aesthetic sensibilities through study of Fine Arts. Besides, these institutes organise cultural events on a regular basis to familiarise their students with the social culture.

“Besides, most of the private institutes participate in exchange programmes to enhance the understanding of the

language,” says Padma Natarajan, senior French teacher at Alliance Française.

Now Alliance Française offers a diplo-ma that is recognised by the Ministry of Education in France, which was not the case earlier. Therefore, the diploma cer-tificate issued now is recognised all over the world, while earlier the certificate was issued by Alliance Française, Paris.

But there’s a huge difference in the fee of private institutes and universities. Fee in private centres could be anywhere from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 70,000.

Promoting cultural understandingThere’s a string of inter-culture cours-es, or short courses for executives and students to give them a sneak peak into the cultural sensibilities of a

particular country. Max Mueller recently introduced ‘Fit

for India’ and ‘Fit for Germany’ courses to sensitise people to cultural and reli-gious differences, and general customs and etiquettes in India and Germany. Some of the courses taught include food and eating habits, concept of time and space, society and hierarchy, conflict management, communication skills and negotiation tactics.

Then there are crash courses or 24-hour courses to train CEOs on how to order food, hire a cab and book a room. “Quite a few CEOs take private tuitions before they visit a Spanish-speaking country,” says Pushpa of Insti-tuto Hispania.

Learning a foreign language is not all play Learning a foreign language is not like studying history says professor Gupta of EFLU. “It is important to be serious from the very first class.” “It’s a life-time commitment, and one has to be strong-willed and persevere to learn a language well,” says Natarajan who was once a science student but fell in love with the French language. And attending classes is not enough; stu-dents have to practise on their own says Mathews.

Neha says from her experience that it is important to be in touch with the language on a daily basis and wonders if weekend classes are that helpful. And going to the library should become a habit says Cretin. But carrying big books alone will not help. “It is important to engage with the language all the time, so discuss politics, the weather in that lan-guage and watch films, listen to music, read literature!” says Madhuvan.

Another advantage Neha says laughingly is that when she and her husband argue, she switches to chaste German. “He can’t make out a thing of what I am saying!”

“France wants to be an attractive edu-

cation destination for Indian students”

Jacques cretInacademic director, alliance Française, Delhi

the domestic mar-ket is fuelling the demand for for-eign language skills and not the foreign market as it

use to be

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Career Review FASHION

66 july 2009360cAreerS

Fashion as a career - Prêt or Haute CoutureFashion is less about clothes and more about the spirit behind them. you need a creative mind, discipline and focus to make it big in this talent-rich field.

by Priya Naik

It is a billion dollar industry, but peo-ple still think that it’s something to do with glamorous women, clothes and parties. Just like any other pro-

fession, however, entrance exams need to be cleared, degrees acquired and

interviews cracked. And like any other course, studying fashion involves discipline, high-stress levels, assignment submis-

sions and spending nights with a cup of coffee and books for company. In the past decade, the profes-sional world of fashion in India has expanded to much more than the art of designing clothes. There are several fields to choose from today. You could be a celebrity stylist, a fashion editor

or editorial stylist, a shop window designer, a fash-ion consultant for com-

mercials, an apparel or accessory designer, a mer-chandiser, a fashion buyer,

retail expert or an entrepre-neur who brings international

fashion brands to India. At the moment, fashion media indus-

try is booming. It is one of the most paying and big new

opportunity in India with so many fash-ion magazines around. This could be your calling if you take a keen interest in fashion and can write well. Recognize your interests, strengths and drawbacks before picking any one of them. It’s a competitive profession. Knowing what you are good at, does help in having a good head start.

Do you fit the bill?Know yourself: Socrates said that a few thousand years ago and it still stands applicable. Creativity is not an option in this profession, it is imperative. Neha Salam, who completed a three-year course in Fashion and Apparel Design, from Mount Carmel, Bangalore says, “An aptitude for aesthetics, notic-ing designs, colors, patterns and trends is a must.” She now works for Colorlines, a company which exports ready made garments. Secondly, having creativity is not enough. You must be equipped with a way of putting your ideas on paper either by drawing it or using the com-puter. It’s the realization of the idea in

your head in physical, feasible terms, which matters most.

Before applying: Get your ground work done To begin with, learn the difference between fashion and design and the similarities between the two. You might make fantastic designs, but that doesn’t amount to understand-ing fashion. Shilpa Chavan, India’s only qualified milliner, who trained abroad and makes the incredibly innovative headgear and accessories under her label “Little Shilpa” explains, “Fash-ion is much more trend oriented. One has to keep pace with what’s happen-ing around, your competitors and the designs in vogue.” Designing however, is insulated. One has freedom to be origi-nal, use the materials one wants to, with-out having the pressure of selling one’s work. To be in the fashion industry, head for any of the NIFT schools in India and other such institutes which offer fashion degrees committed to fashion and for design, NID. These are not pigeonholed

“An aptitude for aesthetics, noticing designs, colors,

patterns and trends is a must.”

Neha Salam


categories though and it is your apti-tude and interest that must determine which route to take. A lot of fashion designers, however, have finished from NID as well. Mumbai-based Nachiket Barve, one of India’s most promising new designers, for example, has made quite a headway in the fashion world. Aishwarya Rai wore one of his creations at the recently concluded IIFA award function in Macao.

Role of a fashion school: There are successful cases of people both with a professional degree and without a one making it. But the odds are in the favour of having a degree. “What profes-sional schools do is help identify your strengths and give it a push in the right direction. They also help you deal with the larger picture and have a whole host of resources including forecast books, archives in libraries, the right equip-ment, a strong alumni association which is part of the industry and mentors,” says Pearl Shah, who finished from London’s St. Martin, now a Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor at Marie Claire. Faculty teachers agree. Ruby Kashyap, Associ-ate Professor and Centre Coordinator

(Textile Design), at NIFT Delhi, says, “It is important to get trained at a fashion institute, as it helps to hone the design skills of an individual in an endeavour to address the challenges of the fashion industry.” Having a degree does help. A fashion degree introduces a student to the basics; one needs to know what a Mary Jane shoe or drainpipe jeans are, without fumbling for a dictionary (where you wouldn’t find it anyway). A Mary Jane, for future reference, is the name of Spiderman’s love interest, but in

the fashion industry it refers to a pair of shoes for women with low heels, broad and rounded closed toes, and a single-buckle strap across the ankle.

Several people testify to the advan-tages of attending a fashion school. Pearl Shah, says, “Studying at Central Saint Martins was the best career decision I took at the time. Further, being in the market does help. I had job offers even before I graduated. It gave me an inter-national exposure, access to archives, interaction with international experts and was able to relate to a lot of systems and understood trends very easily.” Cen-tral Saint Martins is also the only school in the UK where one does not do a dis-sertation for the master’s but instead graduates at London Fashion Week by taking part in a show that’s attended by everyone who’s anyone to spot the hot-test new talent.

If you have chosen not to attend a fashion school and are already a profes-sional, NIFT offers a range of Continu-ing Education (CE) programmes. These reflect the requirements and concerns of the industry. They are planned to spur professional growth and are relevant to individuals at different stages of their careers. These programmes are offered in the evening, to make it easier for a working professional.

Not going to a fashion school has its share of handicaps. It means not being in touch with the “network” of the impor-tant designers, stylists, apparel manag-ers, and the people who really matter in supporting a career. It also means, being left out in the cold. Shah explains, “The design students you study with are also the future stars of tomorrow - and get hand picked by top fashion houses like YSL and Dior.” So being in circuit is an advantage one would want to have.

Finally, pick a school only if it matches your interests and aptitude. NIFT is devoted completely to fashion, but not all are. SNDT in Pune specializes in textile design and development. Delin-eating one’s strengths before one applies, is a good idea. A few schools also offer Continuing Education programmes, which allow you to pursue a formal certificate

professional world of fashion in india has expanded much beyond the art of designing

Fashion Media ■■

Designer■■

Stylist – in a store■■

Fashion Retailer ■■

Fashion Entrepreneur■■

Décor Designer■■

Fashion Entrepreneur■■

Fashion communication■■

Personal Stylist/Celebrity Stylist ■■

Top brands recruit designers as well, it’s an alternative career.

Career OptiOns in FashiOn

Tribhuvan Tiwari/Outlook Group



Select fashion schools in IndiaSchool Location Courses Known For Website

National Institute of Design

Ahmedabad Graduate Diploma in Design, Post Graduate Diploma in Design

Focuses mostly on design as distinct from fashion. Top designers, have however, emerged from the school.

www.nid.edu

National Institute of Fashion Technology

New Delhi Bachelor of Design in Fashion, Leather, Accessory, Textile, Knitwear and Fashion Communication. B,Tech in Apparel Production. Masters in Design, Fashion Management and Fashion Technology.

Completely committed to fashion. www.nift.ac.in

SNDT Mumbai BSc Fashion Design, BSc Fashion Design (Fashion Communication) (Textile Design), BSc Fashion Communication, BSc Apparel Manufacturing & Merchandising, BSc Jewelry Design and PGD in Fashion Retail Management, Apparel Manufacturing & Merchandising, Fashion Design

Known for its apparel management. Focuses on getting every stitch and seam right.

www.sndtcet.in

Pearl Academy

New Delhi Bachelor's in Fashion Design, Textile Design, Communication, Fashion Business Management, Fashion and Media Make-up, Interior Architecture Design, Fashion Retail Management.

— www.pearlacademy.com

programme, without interrupting your work.

two-tier entrance exam: In most schools, a written exam is fol-lowed by group discussion. NIFT is slightly different. The short-listed can-didates in the written test are invited for Situation Test, which is for the design programme. A Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Group Discussion (GD) and personal interview is common to all courses. Be careful however, of what you mention in the brief description about yourself. Edward Lalrempuia, Junior Fashion Editor at Vogue India, who fin-ished from NIFT, was asked to dance before the interview board, because he had casually mentioned his fondness for dancing. For the written bit, you would need to brush up on your general knowl-edge quotient. There are books available in the market and coaching classes as well. But the second half of the test is when cramming doesn’t help and your talent is tested.

focus on foundation: In most schools, including NIFT, the foundation programme is designed to orient and sensitize students towards understand-ing of fundamentals of fashion business: design, technology and management. This programme focuses on building the base for future learning of design in the subsequent years. It is in the second and third year of the programme that

her. So the interests of the intern and the designer do have to crisscross, not just at the seams.

If you choose to begin right away as an independent designer, one should know that there is a lot more about designing clothes than making models do the cat-walk. Showcasing your collection isn’t just about the panic backstage and get-ting the look of the models right. After all, the purpose of showcasing one’s work is to convince the buyer. And in case, the buyer places an order of twenty thousand pale brown, knee length skirts, the designer is expected to have the fac-tory, support and the staff to supply the

one could see which way one’s inclina-tion blows and specialize in that.

Career opportunities in the sector So what does one do once you’ve fin-ished with your degree? The unanimous opinion from students, designers, styl-ists and editors is: find an internship. Interning right after graduating is the norm in the West, where most young designers work as an apprentice to an established designer. It is only after a few years of gaining credible experience that they feel the need to break away, if at all. The situation is very differ-ent in India, where fashion designers are keen to start right away, right after graduating. But Vinod Kaul, Executive Director of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) feels that this may not be the best thing to do. He says, “It is much better to work as an apprentice, keep the ideas of being a designer on hold and get real grounded work experience.”

That’s what Shweta Shah did, who is presently an intern with Nachiket Barve. The system is not institutionalized and there are no adverts in the paper offer-ing an internship. How does one get an internship, in that case? Shweta says the internship depends on how much the designer’s sensibilities appeal to you. In her case, Nachiket had mentored her, so she was aware of his philosophy of fashion. Nachiket’s focus is mostly on textiles, an area which deeply interests


WHY FASHION WORKS

After fifteen years of mainstream journalism, when I took up editing the Indian edition of Marie Claire, seniors and peers chided me for having chosen the

easy way out. Suddenly, I had become a toothless writer without a point of view. Fashion magazine? Oh well, they shrugged.

Fashion’s die-hard association with the rich, famous, glamorous and by skewed extended logic with the party-going (which for some, translates as dumb) is a constant eclipse over a field that mounts some of the best creative ideas in the world today. Assumptions that trend forecasts, fashion weeks, designer collections and the business of fashion has largely to do with dressing up for an astronomical price, belittles the multitudinal impact the industry has made on our modern, global lives. In an age when iconic designer John Galliano sends his models down the runway dressed as Abu Ghraib prisoners making a poignant social statement; when Hermes, the renowned French luxury brand takes inpiration from India, when American designer Stella McCartney advocates and creates natural and organic fashion and Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Indian fashion’s blazing talent has given a commercial resurgence to Bengal’s crafts by making them a global fashion statement, calling fashion frivolous would be foolhardy.

As an aspirant for a career in fashion, it is important to separate the wearers of fashion from its creators. Equally important is to connect with the undercurrents beneath fashion’s external self. The industry is about handmade (and machine- made) craft and art. About never-tried-before ideas. About evolution and revolution. About liberation from predictable ways of thinking and wearing. Most of all, it is about turning personal expression into commercial success.

No doubt, it is an industry dusted with glamour and the obsessions of the rich and the famous. But at the same time, it is a competitive, well-paying and gratifying pursuit that has given a contemporary makeover to traditions, costume histories and craft legacies of different countries. Careers for fashion students are far from being airbrushed options. Fashion designing, like engineering or sociology is a journey of realizations directly dependent on research, knowledge, learning, relearning and application. From a piece of unstitched, untreated raw fabric to the most scintillating garment that might stand up tall to receive an Oscar some day, designing is about giving shape, silhouette, power, recall and value to a country’s inheritance. That apart, right from choreographing how the models will sashay down the catwalk to dressing up shop windows for visual merchandising, to communicating on fashion academics, or becoming a buyer of local and international labels, careers inside fashion are many and lucrative.

Styling celebrities or models for films, calendar shoots, parties and commercials appears to be a lot fun and hi-glamour. To some extent it is that. But it also needs a strategic understanding of the market, vis-à-vis the international and Indian fashion brands. And if that sounds too much, try being a fashion writer, editor, even a fashion advertising guru. You could be a show organizer, a fashion week consultant, why even an accessory maker for a huge company!

To me, fashion has opened previously ignored links to anthropology, dress histories down the decades, even business strategies and market knowledge. It is one of the clearest mirrors to look at, especially if you want to decode the age we live in. Fashion is not only about who we are, it is also about why a people or a generation dress the way they do. It is about individuality. And if you can make a career out of that, there will never be a day when you feel you are working!

Shefalee Vasudev is Editor; Marie Claire

Shefalee Vasudev

order on time. This is where a fashion entrepreneur would step in. A person with the money and the support team to help a designer make sure that the order is designed, stitched, packed and delivered right on time. That’s exactly what Sangita Sinh Kathiwada does. As a fashion entrepreneur and the founder of Melange that supports new and emerg-ing talent as well as weaver groups, she trusts her ability to smell fresh and exciting talent and steps in to provide the support team to a budding designer.

Apart from working as an indepen-dent designer, one could also apply to institutes such as FDCI. It offers a host of people, such as designers, accessory designers, stylists and photographers a common platform and a number of top designers are members of the council. But Mr. Kaul points out that most of the applicants have a few years of experi-ence. It is rare for the committee to accept a fresher straight out of fashion school. The membership committee looks out for factors including the insti-tution where you studied, market for your merchandise your designer collec-tion. Most members, even preliminary ones who are at the lowest of the four layer membership structure, have and experience in the market.

What you need to be prepared for FDCI’s Kaul says that one of the biggest myths about the fashion world is that

designing is about giving shape, silhouette, power and value to a country’s inheritance



its easy glamour. But it is not. Every year hundreds of graduates finish from fashion schools, armed with a degree, but not all of them find themselves fac-ing an audience clapping appreciatively. The challenge lies in knowing exact-ly what one is capable of and sticking to that. Edward Lalrempuia, finished from NIFT in 2005 with a Diploma in Fashion Design. But he now works as a Junior Fashion Editor at Vogue India. He admits that he is not utilizing his diploma because making fresh and origi-nal designs is difficult. Nevertheless, he vouches that NIFT has made him what he is and most of the contacts he has today are traceable to his years at NIFT.

Finally, what makes one designer surge ahead and others not? The first is, react-ing to the market intelligently. The basic objective is to sell your designs to the market through a buyer. Fashion is not about having a celebrity walk in your clothes, which might bring publicity but not the money. Secondly, creating a specialization for yourself really helps, because out of the 500 odd designers those graduate each year in India from top schools - the thing to think is what makes you special? One needs to cre-ate a niche, identify one’s personal style

and not be afraid to learn. The world is changing constantly and fashion more than anything else. Shilpa Chavan did just that. She interned for six months, first with a garment exporter and then with a designer and only then did she specialize in headgear. Her creations, bordering on the bizarre and bril-liant have found appreciation, a fact Shilpa attributes to her passion in head-gear. So one does need to find what one truly wants to do. It’s also important not to be very influenced by design-ers doing well. “You really can’t be a designer if you think that I want to do a Sabyasachi. There is a lot of competi-tion and the only way to survive is by having an open mind, being free from influence.” Shilpa says that she finds a lot of young students who work as interns with her, a little cloistered in their approach because they want to be like someone else. “Don’t do that”, she cautions. Her advice is worth taking. In the past few years Shilpa’s creations have been displayed at the India Now season at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Her creations are also sold at Barcelona’s Drap-Art gallery, My Sugar Land, as well as her own boutique in Goa called National Permit.

Finally, the nature of the profession is such, that one needs to be constantly proving oneself. Get going.

International fashion schools and coursesSchool Location Courses Website

Instituto Marangoni Milan, Paris, London

The institute has three year Basic Courses in Fashion and Design. Also, three week summer programs for an overview of fashion and design. One year programs in Fashion Design, Pattern Making and Interior Design.

www.istitutomarangoni.com/

ENS des Beaux-Arts Paris The institute is art-based. Summer programmes and courses on drawing, painting and morphology

www.ensba.fr/

Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design

London BA (Hons) in Fashion, Textile Design, same in MA, PGD in Innovative Pattern Cutting

www.csm.arts.ac.uk

London College of Fashion

London Foundation Diploma's in Fashion Design and Technology (Knitwear, Surface Textiles, Fashion Design and Marketing), MA in Fashion and Environment

www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham BA (Hons) in Fashion and Textile Management, Fashion Communication and Management, Fashion Marketing and Branding, among several others. Graduate Diploma Fashion Knitwear.

www.ntu.ac.uk

De Montfort University

Leicester The Faculty of Art and Design has over twenty honour degrees in Design, as as well Master's, MPhil and research degrees in the same.

www.dmu.ac.uk/f

Parsons New York BA in Fashion Design, and Associate in Applied Science in Fashion Marketing and Fashion Studies

www.parsons.edu/

Polimoda Florence Undergraduate courses in Fashion Design, Footwear and Accessories, Womenswear patternmaking, Marketing Management, Marketing Communication. Master's in these as well as Luxury Management, Fashion Visual Merchandising, Customised courses available as well.

www.polimoda.com/en/home.html

Mod'art Paris BA (Hons) in Fashion Management, PGD in Fashion, Luxury Products and the Art of Living

www.mod-art.org/accueil-mod- art-international-us.html

Milan■■ - Instituto Marangoni

Paris■■ - ENS des Beaux-Arts – Givenchy

London■■ - Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design London College of Fashion

New York■■ - Fashion Institute of Technology, New York

Nottingham■■ - Trent University, De Montfort University (UK)

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Course Review EnvironmEntal SciEncE

72 july 2009360carEErS

Fast FaCtBest Schools: Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, Delhi College of Engineering, TERI University Qualifications: BSc or equivalent degree, multi-disciplinary curricula are also offered Our advice: Choose a course that gives you in depth exposure in an area of interest

Career Avenues: Consulting firms, governmental agencies, NGO’s and private companies. Most companies require advice from environmental scientists before making big decisions.

Environmental studies as a bright career option

by Bharti M Borah

Alan M. Eddison had said, “Mod-ern technology owes ecology an apology”. Environmental Sci-ences as a discipline emerged in

response to concerns of pollution, deple-tion of natural resources, and general deterioration in the living environment. Though it’s concerns encompassed plants, flora and fauna, and animal life, it primarily was focused on human habitat. In terms of career, you can become an environmental scientist, environment educationist or environment-related technologist working in laboratories that engage in soil and water testing, pollution detection and control. And as a discipline it draws from basic sciences primarily and few universities do pro-vide inputs drawn from politics, socio-economics and law.

Are you eligible?As a general rule, students opting for this degree should possess a BSc or equiva-lent degree in natural sciences, chemis-try, environmental science, agriculture, geography, environmental economics or engineering. Work experience is pre-ferred by some institutes when you opt for an MSc in Environmental Science,

so do keep that in mind before applying. Basic knowledge of mathematics, phys-ics and chemistry is a prerequisite, as is computer literacy. According to Dr. Prateek Sharma, Associate Dean, Fac-ulty of Applied Sciences at TERI Uni-versity, if you possess a genuine interest in environmental issues, you can excel in this field.

What do they teach you?Curriculum varies from institute to institute. To ensure that you opt for the degree of your choice closely study the syllabus before zeroing in on an institu-tion. Some like JNU, Pune University and FRI offer science-heavy degrees

with little or no policy input. Some oth-ers like TERI, and NEERI, offer a bal-ance between environment and policy. A range of specialisations are normally on offer especially in science based MSc programmes (See box alongside). A dissertation is also part of the degree requirement. The dissertation helps the students in applying the concepts learned to a real life situation. It also enables one to identify and specialize in one’s chosen field. Some institutions have introduced the concept of intern-ships as well.

ozone layer depletion and global warming worry us. concerns about depleting water reserves and pollution add to it. an mSc in Environmental Science helps better understanding of economic development and management of existing natural resources

as most companies take up Corporate social Responsibility initia-tives on a global plat-form, opportunities are endless for an Environment science professional

IntellIgent management of scarce natural resources needs environmental scientists


Environmental studies as a bright career option

An MSc in Environmental Science programme primarily provides one with the knowledge and skills to perform sci-entific and technical research that helps in achieving an accurate assessment of the current environmental issues and arriving at solutions for the same. For assessment or mitigation, scientific tools play a dominant role in the cur-riculum and thus in the defining of any environmental problem. Hence aspiring students must not confuse ecology with environmental sciences, though the dif-ference is slowly blurring.

Where can you study?If it is a science heavy degree that you

are looking at, then universities like JNU, Delhi College of Engineering, Pune University, SASTRA amongst others would be the best bets. Poli-cy-oriented degrees are only a few in

India. TERI offers one of the best poli-cy oriented MSc environment degrees. Another interesting non- degree programme is the one offered by the Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad. Lasting nine months, the course provides training in wasteland development, water conservation, for-est management, pollution, health and sanitation, eco development etc. This course is open to professionals such as teachers, administrators, activists and media persons.

Dr. Prateek Sharma feels that univer-sity courses are intensive in nature. His advice to people entering this field is to not compare themselves to others from

Environmental Science and Technology■■

Environmental Planning and Management ■■

Limnology■■

Wetland Ecosystems■■

Water Quality Management.■■

Natural Resource Mangement■■

List of probable specialisations

Course Review EnvironmEntal SciEncE

74 july 2009360carEErS

fields such as MBA etc. in terms of sal-ary packages. An MSc in Environmen-tal Science would on average receive Rs. 25,000 to begin with and has wide scope for improvement with experience and exposure. But the cost of entry too is minimal. While public universities charge a pittance, even a private univer-sity like TERI charges only 1.6 lakhs for a two-year programme.

Where would you fit in?A career as an environment engineer, or a professional in the field of water resource engineering and management, environmental scientist, solid waste management, air pollution manage-ment, water quality management, land conservation, eco-tourism, environ-ment journalism and environmental law are some of the opportunities in this field.

With Corporate Social Responsi-bility initiatives being taken up by most companies on a global platform, opportunities for an environment sci-ence professional are endless. You can also consider a career as a scien-tist - perhaps develop specific tools in your area of specialization and become an expert in a field such as remote sensing.

There is also scope for work at an international level and also within the government sector. Plan ahead and work towards contributing to a desirable

change in terms of the current climate change scenario and future needs.

For those who have developed essen-tial skills, work on areas bordering more on mitigating environmen-tal degradation naturally rather than using hard science would also be an exciting career option. Some, howev-er, would term that more suited to an ecologist rather than the environmental scientist.

Marya Mannes, as early as 1958 had stated, “The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future”. This surely is something to remember and act upon for all who choose environ-mental science as their area of academic pursuit in particular, and for society at large.

Institute Location Duration Website

TERI University Delhi 2 years www.teriuniversity.ac.in/

Jamia Hamdard Delhi 2 years www.jamiahamdard.edu

Banasthali Vidya Peeth Banasthali 2 years www.banasthali.org/

Jawaharal Nehru University Delhi 2 years www.jnu.ac.in/

University of Delhi Delhi 2 years www.du.ac.in/

Aligarh Muslim University Jaunpur, UP 2 years www.amu.ac.in/

SASTRA Tanjore, TN 2 years http://sastra.ac.in/

Bharati Vidyapeeth Pune 2 years www.bharatividyapeeth.edu

National Environmental Research Institute

Nagpur,

Maharashtra

2 years www.neeri.ac.in

Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya

Haridwar, UP 2 years http://gkvharidwar.org

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University

Faizabad, UP 2 years www.rmlau.ac.in/

Amity University Noida, UP 2 years www.amity.edu/

Guru Jambheshwar University Hissar, Haryana 2 years www.gju.ernet.in/

University of Jammu Jammu, J&K 2 years www.jammuuniversity.in/

Forest Research Institute Deheradun 2 years www.envfor.nic.in/icfre/fri

University of Rajasthan Jaipur, Rajasthan 1 year www.uniraj.ernet.in/

Anna University Guindy, TN 2 years www.annauniv.edu/

University of Madras Chennai, TN 2 years www.unom.ac.in/

Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University

Chennai, TN 2 years www.tanuvas.tn.nic.in/

Bharathiar University Coimbatore, TN 2 years www.b-u.ac.in/

Cochin University of Science and Technology

Kochi, Kerala 2 years www.cusat.ac.in/

GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology

Pantnagar 2 year www.gbpuat.ac.in/

Select Universities offering Environmental Sciences

NGO’s and OrganizationsCentre for Environmental Management ■■

of Degraded eco Systems, University of Delhi

CPR environment Education Centre, ■■

Chennai

GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment ■■

and Development, Almora

Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISC, ■■

Bangalore

Centre for Forestry Research and Human ■■

Resource Development, Chhindwars

Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, ■■

Dehradun

Institute of Rain & Moist Deciduous Forest ■■

Research, Jorhat

Institute of Wood Science & Technology, ■■

Bangalore

Temperate Research Institute, Shimla■■

Center for Social Forestry & Eco-habitation, ■■

Allahabad

Stanford University Stanford, CA

University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL

University of California--Berkeley Berkeley, CA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA

Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD

Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA

University of Texas--Austin Austin, TX

University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI

Cornell University Ithaca, NY

Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA

Top 10 US Universities

source: www.usnews.com

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Feature entrepreneurship


by Grace Segran

The day before she was to launch her new company, Maya Hari found that she was expecting her first baby. She decided to put

the launch on hold. Two years later, in August 2008, Stylkist was set up, but this came just days before Lehman Brothers went under and the financial meltdown began.

The impact was immediate and big. Two of the investors Hari had been

talking to, decided they were not ready to take the risk. “Talk to us in six months or a year’s time,” they told her.

The flagship store, which was to be opened in December, had to be put on hold until she got more funding and, to add insult to injury, there was no sea-sonal increase in sales. “Fundamentally, (although) India was not in recession yet we did not see a peak over Diwali (the Festival of Lights),” says Hari.

In response to the sudden economic downturn, Hari exercised prudence.

“We trod cautiously and aimed at bringing on additional resources, while making sure we stay cash positive,” Hari says. “Although we would like to grow our footprint rapidly, we are holding back the company’s development. For example, we are keeping our team size at three, until business picks up.”

Hari is also prudent about their mar-keting activities, restricting it to highly targeted and proven marketing activities that yield a high return of investments.

“This should stand us in good stead in the event that the market takes a further downturn,” she says.

The company is inherently growing, says Hari. Despite poor market condi-tions, Stylkist’s consumer base, sales and the number of boutique partners have been growing.

In January 2009, five months after its launch, its cash flow was positive.

The former engineer who worked in marketing and sales in the United States for Cisco and Schlumberger has

a creative streak. She dabbled in art and photography to stay connected with her passion. While in the U.S., she estab-lished “Pink Lotus” which organized exhibitions of artists from India and other parts of the world in galleries in San Francisco. There was also an online portal for people to learn about the company.

In the middle of all this, Hari and her husband decided to do their MBAs and enrolled at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, graduating in December 2005.

Ever the entrepreneur, Hari found that there was a growing need for contem-porary decor in India “and I wanted to create an Indian version of Crate and Barrel” dealing with fabric decor and

The promise of India

In times of recession, prudent and highly targeted

marketing activities will yield high returns

Maya harI

www.stylkist.com


small home accessories such as wall art, vases and platters.

Never having worked in India before and having no network there, Hari decided she would gain corporate expe-rience before starting her business worked with Google and then MSN in marketing and “learnt a great deal about running a business such as how to deal with vendors and customers.”

“Having sat through three years flit-ting with the idea, I decided to launch the company with two partners,” she says. That was when she found she was pregnant.

After the decision was made to delay the launch of the company, she spent the two years researching the market inten-sively and made contact with suppliers.

“By the time we opened last year, we hit the ground running,” says Hari. The hiatus was not wasted.

When the investors backed out at the time of the financial crisis, she started looking for smaller sums, spreading the funding needed between different investors.

This made her think harder about the investors who want to come on board. Are they right for her fledgling company and can they add value?

“We need expertise in areas that we are not familiar with, such as offline retailing and corporate gifts. Someone who has product design experience could advise us on the creative side of the business. An investor who has built up a business in contemporary products

and sold it, would add value on how to build a business and when to exit,” she argues.

Stylkist has three channels through which it does business: e-commerce, retailing and corporate gifts.

Hari says there’s a burgeoning market in e-commerce. However that’s a tall order for India as people are suspicious about buying things online, wondering if they’ll ever get their purchases or their money back.

Hari made the shopping Web site stylkist.com as elegant and trendy as possible “and visitors to the website asked if we were American or Indian!”

She believes e-commerce will be the company’s long-term challenge and it will need to supplement this with both retail and corporate gift activities.

“We are constantly observing the buy-ing trends and, for now, our priority is retailing as it’s selling quite well in the spaces we have in major stores. That’s our low-lying fruit,” says Hari.

Its second priority is e-commerce. “We are still learning about pricing strategy. Customers start by buying small items to see if internet shopping works. We are slowly building up repeat customers who buy larger items,” she says.

As for corporate gifts, the company partners with other firms. “For now, we are happy to leave that space to them and give up a percentage of the profits,” Hari says.

In the short term, business looks promising for Hari with gradual expan-sion for e-commerce and offline retail-ing, with the flagship store in Mumbai a key objective.

In the medium to long term, the prospects are expected to improve. Within three years, the company aims to be operating several large-size businesses and shipping Stylkist goods outside India through e-com-merce.

In five years’ time, Hari says they could be looking to franchise, grow organically or expand internationally. A decision on this will depend on how things pan out.

“Just look at Fab India, the fabric and home accessory store,” Hari says. “In 10 years, they have 120 stores and continue to grow. That’s the promise of India – its economy is large enough for businesses to grow.” -NYT

recession has hit the profit margins. But a new entrepreneur finds Indian market bright enough

shopping malls face reduced

footfalls now, but long term pros-pects look good

Sanjoy Ghosh/Outlook Group

Advisory ROLE OF COunsELLORs

78 juLy 2009360CaREERs

Does a counsellor help?

selection of career or a course is always a diffi-cult task. Especially when dealing with non-profes-sional courses. Will con-sulting a counsellor help?

by Team Careers360

Barely out of school, Anchal Gulati and Shagun Shrivastav, spend the mornings in noisy autos in the hot summer heat

of Delhi, moving from college to college, filling out forms and submitting applica-tions. Anchal who topped in Vasant Val-ley School, New Delhi, wants to study economics and is keen to get into LSR.

They aren’t however, alone, as they make key decisions which would shape their subsequent lives and careers. Par-ents, long condemned for being out-dated have been replaced by informative counsellors, well equipped to sift the redundant from the necessary informa-tion. The decision is an important one, and much of it is reduced to -- How do students make informed and intelligent decisions? Does one turn to profession-als or one’s wisdom. Anchal decided to pick them when she decided to apply to the UK for her graduation. She turned to The Chopras, who began their pro-fession in advising since 1995. “They are really renowned, plus, they do all the paper work and running around for you.” A sound enough reason to ask for help. But it does come at a price, costing anywhere from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000.

Picking a Counsellor It is difficult however, to speak to Tanushree Bhattacharya, head of the counselling group, The Chopra’s. This is the peak season for the counselling industry in India. With the results declared and students scrambling to submit applications, both independent and corporate counsellors step into this influential space.

Are they qualified to help you reach that decision? Ravi L. Singh of Global Reach says that not many people know

but most counsellors have a degree in psychology at least. Apart from this, many institutes insist that each coun-sellor undertakes a two week training programme. For educational institutes in the UK, counsellors are given cer-tificates by the British Council. Similar institutes grant certificates in Australia and the US.

Before you pick one however, have a few guidelines in mind. Jitin Chawla says a student should always check if the counsellors follow standardized psychological tests. Several have cus-tomized but arbitrarily designed ones, of little help. “Ask for the manual and enquire about who is conducting the

test and whether they are qualified or not,” he says. The company is presently conducting a Mission Admission with NDTV where live questions on careers and courses are entertained. He does admit, however, that conversations over the phone have their limitations.

A lot of students however, choose to make their own decisions. Shagun, who finished school from Welham’s in Deh-radun, is applying for an undergraduate course in Economics. Her reasons are clear: she likes the subject and scored well in it too. That made it simple for her to make the decision. The same applies to Dileep Gupta, who scored a possible, but difficult score of 99% in Mathemat-ics. Mathematics (honours) is what he has applied for, and with marks like that he will probably make it.

What is a session?A session usually means a one-time interaction with a counsellor. It could last anywhere between half-an- hour to four hours. Much depends on the clarity of the student on what he/she want. 90% of the queries are calmed within a day. But if a decision cannot be reached, it spills over to another day. Students are not charged for the subsequent days and are in fact, encour-aged to call and make enquiries.

How much do they charge per session?Parveen Malhotra – 2,500

Usha Albuquerque – 2,200

Jitin Chawla – varies

The Chopra’s – varies

What should you look out for?n Do you have references?

n Do they follow standardized norms?

n Are their faculty members qualified to conduct the aptitude/psychological test

Illustration: Gouri Nanda

www.careers360.comthe complete career website

Careers & Courses | advise & Counselling | news & alerts | Features

[ ]now ready to click

Scholarships SwediSh inStitute FellowShipS

80 july 2009360careerS

For Masters, doctoral, post-doctoral students Important Websites www.studera.nu/english, www.studera.nu, www.si.se, www.studyinsweden.se Apply between 1st Dec 2009 to 15th Jan 2010 Final Selection June 2010 Selection process Based on application

FaSt Fact

with as many as 400 scholarships on offer across master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes Si Fellowships is a good choice

academic excellence Up North

by Shashikant

“I realized for the first time in two years that sustainability was real and achievable. Absence of dichotomy between what they

practice and preach drew me towards Sweden.” says Praveen Kushwaha, a short term fellow at Lund University. Praveen is one of the 400 odd students, who arrive in Sweden, thanks to the Swedish Institute (SI) Fellowships.

Swedish Institute has a very large fel-lowship programme with approximately 400 scholarships on offer. In addition to this the institute also sponsors four to five short term training programmes, each with about 70-120 fellowship plac-es. Olle Wastberg, Director General SI comments, “Our objective is to connect and share Sweden with the world, and fellowships are a crucial component to realizing the same.”

The Fellowships are on offer at mas-ter’s, doctoral and post-doctoral levels. There is also a special fellowship pro-gramme for Swedish language and cul-ture. Priya Jain, one of the early entrants to Sweden through a master’s fellow-ship, recounts her experience studying molecular genetics at Linkoping Uni-versity, “The best thing about Sweden is the faculty. They are accessible, friendly and the best in the world. Moreover language is never a problem, since 90% of them speak good English.” A senior researcher with CSIR, India, Priya cred-its her skills in problem solving to the practice-oriented teaching at Lincop-ing. Ramanathan Kumar, who pursed Development Studies at Uppsala Uni-versity agrees that the course is always about asking the right questions. With long standing involvement in develop-ment through the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Sweden has quite a lot to offer to India. The class is predominantly European. So, he feels that perspective does get a trifle coloured. But on the whole the open questioning system does prepare one for the real life challenges much better.

MASTER’S FELLOWSHIPSThis is the largest component of the SI programme. Each year, nearly 200 mas-ter’s from leading universities are listed as eligible for an SI fellowship. “It is very

important to keep a tab on the courses. For example engineering biology, a good programme at Linkoping was dropped recently,” says Priya.

The application process is in two stag-es. Applications for admission have to be made through the online application service for Swedish Master’s degree pro-grammes at www.studera.nu/english. Each year the application window is open between December 1st and January

15th. Application for SI scholarships can only be made after having been accept-ed on a Swedish master’s programme and must be followed by an admission confirmation. The result of the appli-cation procedure is announced at the beginning of June. The academic ses-sion begins from September and runs through to June.

What do you get?The scholarship is for SEK 8,000 per month and is only awarded for pro-grammes commencing in the autumn semester 2009. Scholarships are usually granted for one academic year, and is extended subject to satisfactory perfor-mance. Devrim, who did her doctoral studies at Lund commented that the fellowship is sufficient for an individ-ual, provided one is not studying in an expensive city like Stockholm. Hous-ing costs are the highest expenses for a student. So rember to look for your pre-ferred courses in universities located in smaller cities like Gotland, Lund etc.

PhD/ POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPSThe PhD fellowships provide students/

Total no. of fellowshipsLong Term: Over 400 Nos.

Short Term: 4- 5 programmes each with 70-120 places

Available for Master’s Programme / PhD ( Direct)/ Phd (Sandwitch)/

Special Fellowship for Swedish Language & culture

Fellowship ValueMasters SEK 8000 pm

Doctoral SEK 12,000 pm

Post doctoral SEK 15,000 pm

Travel Grant: One time, SEK 10,000 Health Insurance: Dental & medical, Unlimited Fellowship period: 6/12/18 months

Quick Take


researchers with opportunity to con-duct research at Swedish universities within all fields of study and are offered in two categories. The first category comprises students/candidates apply-ing for a consecutive visit as part of their PhD studies at the home univer-sity. The second category comprises students/candidates applying for a scholarship according to the sandwich model (several shorter visits). In either case the guest scholarships do not offer you fellowship for a complete PhD programme. Applicants applying for a post-doctoral research visit to a Swed-ish university, through the scholarship programme, must have a PhD degree not earlier than 2004.

What do you get?The scholarship amounts to SEK 12,000 per month for PhD students and SEK 15,000 for post-doctoral studies. Schol-arship periods are fixed for 6, 12 or 18 months. The scholarship period for can-didates on a sandwich set-up is a maxi-mum of 12 months stretching over three years and divided into a maximum of three research visits per year. Moham-ad Zakaria, a post doctoral fellow at

LUCUS, is a veteran in the Swedish fellowship application process. He has spent more than seven years in Sweden under three different fellowships pursu-ing both his masters and PhD. Identify-ing the right research group which has interest in your area of research is the key according to Mohamad. He would always advise candidates to opt for the sandwich model as spending shorter spans of time in Sweden at different points in one’s PhD research would add more value.

AdditionAl Benefitstravel grantsScholarship-holders from developing countries like India receive a one time travel assistance of SEK 10,000. Schol-ars opting for the sandwich model of PhD travel grants are restricted to one per year.

insuranceScholarship-holders are insured by the Swedish State Group Insurance against illness and accident during the scholar-ship period. And being a Nordic model country, the insurance is unlimited when it comes to medical expenses.

scholarship limitationsThe scholarship is designed to cover the living costs of the scholarship-holder. There are no grants for famwily mem-bers. Scholarship-holders following a two-year master’s programme are per-mitted to go abroad for at the most one semester within their studies, if schol-arship is to be retained. The scholar-ship period granted cannot be altered or extended.

The country is yet to emerge as a pre-ferred choice for Indian scholars. So those looking for a large Indian commu-nity will be disappointed. Prof. Charles Edquist, Professor at CIRCLE, Lund, comments “Sweden has to do much more to emerge as a leading player.” But that is changing. In the recent special window opened for India by the EU, Lund University, Sweden is acting as a lead coordinating University. But the silver lining as Hemant Kumar, another short term fellowship holder from JNU says is , “It is easier to get a fellowship at Sweden vis-à-vis from some other coun-try like UK. The only important thing is to have solid research proposal.” So if you have an exciting problem to research on, Sweden is the place to go.

Sweden iS the coordinating university in the special

window opened for india by eU

www.imagebankswedan.sec©Tommy Westberg/Uppsala University

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CAMPUS REVIEW I I I T Bangalore


Cutting edge in computing education

by Nandita Datta

The International Institute of Information Technology, Banga-lore – popularly known as IIIT-B – isn’t just one of the thousand-

odd colleges dotting the Indian techni-cal education landscape. In its ten years of existence, the institute has graduated 1,000 MTech students (another 130 will graduate in July this year) – a record unparalleled in the country. But Direc-tor S Sadagopan is quick to point out that IIIT-B’s laurels don’t rest only on these numbers. “Our programmes are of high quality and have consistently been bracketed with the premier institutes in the country,” he notes.

Last year, the National Science Foun-dation (US federal agency supporting research and education in the field of science and engineering) and the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology select-ed IIIT-B as one of the eight institutes

Set up in 1999 Programmes offered: MTech, MS, PhD Flagship programme: MTech Duration: 2 years Selection: Online exam and personal interview Course Fee : Rs.50,000 per semester Industry-sponsored scholarships: 25 to 30

FASt FACt

led by the industry, IIIT Bangalore is an institution which delivers programmes, anticipates futuristic needs and arms students with design, research

and product development capabilities

where students could spend a year as part of their Ph.D programme. The two other institutes selected in Bangalore were the prestigious Indian Institute of Science and the National Centre for Biological Sciences. A justifiably proud Sadagopan says, “To be bracketed with the 100-year old IISc and 50-year-old NCBS is very encouraging for a ten-year-old institution like ours.”

IIIT-B (and the other IIITs that fol-lowed thereafter) was conceived during the height of the technology boom in the late 1990s. The idea was to create a tal-ent pool that could transform Indian IT from a low-cost software maintenance player to higher-value complex work, including product development. To

ensure the talent thus created wouldn’t end up just writing lines of code cheaper and faster but would be part of an eco-system creating tomorrow’s innovations, it was considered necessary to focus on graduate programmes which would arm students with design, research and prod-uct development capabilities. It wasn’t as if there was a dearth of engineering institutes in the country – but all of them put together did not produce more than 50 PhDs in a year compared to 3,000 in the US.

Apart from specialization, it was also thought necessary to ensure that the talent nurtured in these IIITs should be

in sync with industry needs and require-ments. A public-private partnership model was mooted for this purpose. In 1999, when IIIT-B was set up the role of the state government was restricted to the seed capital of Rs 10 crore and land. The running of the institute was left to academia in collboration with industry. Says Sadagopan, “Of the 15 board members on IIIT-B’s govern-ing body, the state government has one member as does the Union government. The balance is made up of represeta-tives from industry (Infosys, HP, Micro-soft, Intel, ICICI Bank, etc.) and aca-demia (University of California, MIT,


Cutting edge in computing education

higher education. Our objective is dif-ferent; sure we need funds – we don’t get any government grants – but that’s not our raison d’etre.”

MTech is the flagship programme and consists of four semesters, of which the first three comprise academic course work. In the fourth semester students either take up industry internship or opt for research work at one of the seven labs at the institute leading to a thesis. Prior to the first semester, all students have to go through a ‘preparatory semester’, a three-week programme covering intro-ductory programming, mathematics & statistics and introduction to systems analysis and design. The idea, says fac-ulty member S Rajagopalan, is to ensure that everyone is at the same level by the time the core courses commence. “Most of our students come from Tier II col-leges and, hence, have varying degrees

IIIT-B set up industry sponsored research labs on campus - like Nokia’s mobile comput-ing lab, HP’s multimedia sub-systems lab & Intel’s

community PC lab

Stanford, IIM-Bangalore, etc.).The other way IIIT-B forged indus-

try links was by allowing them to set up research labs within the institute. Almost all the seven labs at the instittue have been funded by industry – like the Nokia-sponsored mobile computing lab, HP-sponored multimedia sub-systems lab, Honeywell-sponsored automation lab, Intel-sponsored community PC lab, etc. In addtion, instead of taking a ‘blue-sky approach’ to research IIIT-B works in close collaboration with R&D outfits of IT firms on research ideas and projects. “We have limited resources – there are 20 faculty members and 300 students; we cannot spead ourselves too thin. Besides, on our own we can do only theoretical research,” says Sadagopan.

Although IIIT-B works closely with industry, Sadagopan and his team have ensured that the institute doesn’t not

end up looking like a training unit of a corporate. Also sticking true to its origi-nal objective, IIIT-B offers only gradu-ate programmes like MTech, M.S. and Ph.D – it does not offer any under-grad-uate course. Sadagopan says, “Gradu-ate programmes, unlike under-graduate courses, isn’t lucrative and this is why many technical institutes shy away from

of knowledge,” he offers by way of an explanation.

The first year comprises core courses that include algorithms, databases, oper-ating systems, software engneering, net-working and communication, advanced programming, etc. In the second year, students can opt for electives – i.e. their area of specialization. Rajagopalan says the most sought after electives are embedded systems, database & infor-mation systems and computer science. The MTech programme also includes a nine-week session (between the second and third semester) in non-technical areas like accounting & finance, market-ing, strategising and verbal communica-tion. “These skills come in handy when people move up the career path and don managerial roles or turn entrepreneurs,” notes Rajagopalan.

The course fee, at Rs. 50,000 per semester, is a tad expensive but the lack of any government grant makes freebies

IIIT Bangalore’s 100 % placement record and research facilities lead to a flood of applications

Nilotpal Baruah/Outlook Group

CAMPUS REVIEW I I I T Bangalore


impossible. There are 25-30 industry-sponsored scholarships for meritorious students though. About 80 per cent of IIIT-B’s funds come from student fees and research grants. “Of all the IIITs we got the least amount of government funding but today our corpus is the big-gest,” boasts Sadagopan.

A consistent 100% placement record and the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research work have seen a flood of applications flowing into IIIT-B each year for its MTech programme. Rajago-palan says the institute received 2,000 applications for 150 seats last year. No mean achievement considering a first-class bachelor’s degree in engineering is the minimum qualification to apply. Selection is through an online exam which tests problem-solving skills and analytical capabilities as well as a per-sonal interview that comprise a 5 min-ute talk on a technical subject of the candidate’s c h o i c e . E n g i n e e r i n g streams like electronics, electrical, computer sci-ence account for about 80 % of the 150-strong MTech batch.

IIIT-B’s students typi-cally come from tier-II engineering institutes. Says Rajagopalan, “Stu-dents from premier institutes prefer going

abroad for further studies. Those who stay in India usually like to continue in their own institute.” Until this year, IIIT-B had an impeccable record in placements. 70% of MTech students get placed during their industry internship, while the balance find employment by convocation day (the second Sunday of July). Recruiters include IT product companies, semiconductor firms, R&D centres of IT services firms and start-ups. This year the situation is different – although official numbers are yet to come in, sources say only half the batch has been placed so far. While some com-panies have officially said they won’t recruit, large recruiters have scaled back numbers.

Unlike MTech which is largely instruc-tional in nature, the MS programme is essentially research-focussed. The first semester alone comprises academic

work – the second, third and fourth semesters are devoted to research work in a particular area under the guidance of a faculty member. If the institute is convinced the research work is valu-able and of high-calibre, they can upgrade the MS programme into a PhD programme. On an average, IIIT-B admits 20 students into its MS

Skills acquired in non-technical areas come in

handy when peo-ple move up the career path and

don managerial roles or turn entre-

preneurs

IIIT Bangalore has graduated 1,000 MTech stu-dents in its ten years of existence

“Of all the IIITs we got the least amount of

government funding but today our corpus is

the biggest,”S SadagOpan

Director, IIIT

programme every year and almost all of them are working professionals.

IIIT-B also houses an unique inno-vation centre. The institute proudly claims having incubated five companies in the last ten years with mixed success. One (online tutoring firm Tutorvista) has scaled up well and is considered a big success, another one failed to live beyond the prototype stage. Three other incubated firms have seen but moder-ate success – they haven’t scaled up as expected but are attracting sufficient attention. This is encouraging indeed! The institute has recently also launched a six month refresher course called ‘Yogyata’ for engineering students from smaller towns and cities. This course aims to enhance the skills of engineering students and help them become employ-ment ready.

IIIT-B is amongst the few of its peers to have attracted the kind of attention it has. Apart from getting big names on its governing board, it’s the locational advantage that’s playing to the institute’s advantage. Being based in Bangalore means close proximity to the IT capital of India. But more important, this is helping IIIT-B attract an enviable fac-ulty that is difficult to replicate. And as we all know, a student is only as good as his teacher!


Book Review Brilliant negotiations

To do as best negotiators do

by Priya Naik

The book’s simple but straight title is too good to be ignored. In under 150 pages the reader is offered the secrets on how to negotiate

in “any” situation, from buying a wash-ing machine to handling a peace nego-tiation. Ambitious! But does it deliver? The author, Nic Peeling promises to equip the reader with the art of negotiat-ing anything with anyone, friends, rela-tives, business partners and shoe sellers. Does he do that? Not quite.

Recommendations

Brilliant negotiations: What the Best negotia-tors KnoW, Do anD say

Nic PeeliNg

PearsoN PublicatioNs (2009)rs. 199

an ambitious claim to reveal to readers secrets of successful negotiations

The author Peeling has a doctorate degree in Mathematics from Oxford University. The odds of him negotiat-ing anything other than mathematical equations or having practical experi-ence on the subject matter are slender. He derives his authority on the sub-ject entirely from his experience at a company called QinetiQ (pronounced “kinetic”). But that would make him just as qualified or under-qualified as anybody else working in a defense and security organization. This renders his credibility rather low.

Casually written, the book has sev-eral pictographs. The work gives us a distinct impression of being far from academically rigorous. Each of the eight slim chapters are devoted to a special issue: the basics of negotiations, preparation, the sharing, haggling, bargaining, closure and commitment, negotiations master class and knowing it, doing it, saying it. Scattered consis-tently are points that Peeling thinks are important enough to be enclosed in a box. But it is difficult to see why they need to be emphasized. They are commonsensical. For example: “When bluffing, stick to statements that can-not be disproved to say that.” Not a big revelation indeed!

Some points though are worth valu-ing. Peeling points out that haggling is meant for short term relations but bargaining is for long term relations

with friends and relatives. This is a rare insight. Much of the other advice offered is common or acquired sense. For exam-ple, he stresses on preparation before negotiations begin, why one should be cautious about negotiating with foreign-ers, why it is important to close the deal. Such dank information is worsened by the patronizing tone.

Where the book could have delivered, it does not. The book promises what the best negotiators know, do, or say. Sadly, there is little mention of examples of successful negotiations in international business or politics. There are other areas too where the book could have done better. For instance exposing the reader to “behind the scenes” action. There is nothing as exciting as unantici-pated twists which take place during an earnest and hard negotiation. Peeling’s rendering makes it unrealistic and ridic-ulously simple. Going by Peeling’s sup-posed brilliance in the art of negotiating; the Israeli-Palestine issue ought to have been resolved long ago. Secondly, the book is a trifle too generalistic. Had the author specialized in a specific matter, say “Negotiating your career”, so much more could have been said. Finally, some of the best books on negotiations have either been theoretical or have offered a privy view of how the world of negotiat-ing works, like Kissinger’s Diplomacy or George Kennan’s Memoirs. Brilliant Negotiations, woefully, does neither.

Recommendations

Getting To YesHardcover: 200 pagesPublisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Second Edition edition (April 30, 1992)

The classic! Willaim Fry still remains the ultimate guru when it comes to understanding how to conclude a deal successfully.

Beyond ReasonHardcover: 256 pagesPublisher: Viking Adult (October 6, 2005)

Brings emotions back into the negotiation business. But does so without diminishing the power of logical thinking and clear- headedness.

Negotiate To WinHardcover: 320 pagesPublisher: Collins Business (Sep-tember 6, 2005)

Brash. In your face. A totally tacky tactical manual. But has enough nuggets of action-able advice which makes it worth a read.

Bargaining for AdvantagePaperback: 320 pagesPublisher: Pen-guin: Second edition (May 2, 2006)

Written by a Harvard don, this is a strategy book. Articulates the art and science involved in the negoti-ating process quite well.

Ask Us Career ChoiCe

88 july 2009360Careers

Q. I am a 3rd year BSc student. I want to make my career in management. Please guide me about the top management insti-tutes in an around Delhi.

Venkat NayarA. When choosing a B-school, please don’t restrict your choice to a specific city or region. Go for the best you can get – anywhere in the country. But since you ask, Delhi Univer-sity’s Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), IIFT, MDI Gurgaon and IIT Delhi’s Depart-ment of Management Studies are in the top league.

Secondly, it is not advisable to jump into an MBA directly after completing your gradu-ation.

After all, pursuing an MBA. degree is a huge investment of time (not to mention money).

Work-ex before going for an MBA is now almost an unspoken requirement for all the top B-schools in India during the selection process.

A good academic record was considered sufficient to be admitted to a reputed insti-tute until a few years ago, but today one finds an increasing number of B-schools jumping onto the work experience bandwagon. Pro-spective students, with a solid work record, are given precedence over fresh graduates. Understandably, people with work experi-ence tend to have more practical knowledge, and thus, can absorb the new information better and quicker. For example, freshers have been often found to be less receptive to man-agement and people-related subjects such as organisational behaviour than their experi-enced counterparts.

Also, companies prefer people with work-ex in their functional areas because they have a lot more to offer and build a better gene pool in the organisation.

Also a stint at work will help you face the interview panel with a convincing answer to “Why an MBA?” While participating in case-studies, you can relate better to managerial and professional problems if you have come across similar situations in real life.

Work-ex also bridges the gap between theo-retical knowledge and practical experience. It gives you clarity of goals and a sharper

overview and perspective of what’s happen-ing in the market. All told, it will also help you extract greater value from your MBA. Q. I am doing MBA (HR) through distance learning. Which course would be right to do after completing MBA? Please guide me.

Heena JaiswalA. If you don’t know to which port you are sailing, no ship will take you there.

There’s really no point doing one course after another without a clear direction or purpose.

Courses are not always equal to career. It’s your work experience, capability and enthu-siasm that you bring to the table.

I would suggest you focus on getting what-ever little work experience you can manage (given the present scenario). Work on your English and basic computer skills, if they need polishing up. And since you are doing your MBA through distance learning, make sure you are thorough with your concepts.

Q. After completing class 12 (PCB) I worked as a dark room assistant in a hos-pital. Then I started working as an X-ray technician. I have also completed my BA. But as I don’t have a diploma or degree, I am getting a low salary. Please tell me if I can pursue a course related to X-ray technology?

Naresh GuptaA. Sure you can! Besides some institutes, many hospitals also offer courses in X-Ray Tech and Radiology

For instance in Delhi, Holy Family Hospital, Jamia Nagar P.O, New Delh offers a Diploma in X-Ray Technician (2 year).

Eligibility: Intermediate Science or equiva-lent.

Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (Maharshi Dayanand Univ), Rohtak - 124001. Duration: 2 yrs.

Eligibility: Class XII (PCB & Eng).Postgraduate Institute of Medical Educa-

tion & Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh - 160012.

Get work experience, and hone your skills before doing an MBA

Pervin Malhotra A leading career counsellor and the Executive Director of Career Guidance, India

Work-ex gives you clarity of goals and a sharper overview and perspective of what’s happen-ing in the market.


HURRY! SUBSCRIBE NOW

SUBSCRIBENOW AND GET27% OFF

Eligibility: 10+2 (Sc) or (a) HSc/PUC with Phy & Chem; (b) Cert/Dip in Radiography; (c) 5-years experience as radiographer

Patna Medical College Hospital, Patna-800004, (Bihar)

Course: Diploma in X-Ray Technology (1-year)

Eligibility: Intermediate Science or equiva-lent

This is just an indicative listing. There are several others.

Q. I am a student of BCom 2nd year and working in a medical store. Due to this I have good knowledge of medicines. What

Choosing a field by default is not the best of ways to select a career

are the opportunities for me in health care sector or will it be better for me to do com-merce-related courses? I want to get a job soon. Please also suggest some courses.

Jeevan Behl A. In the healthcare segment, you could look at marketing jobs either in hardcore pharma-ceutical companies or those in the nutraceuti-cal sector i.e. those manufacturing nutritional

supplements, energy drinks and related prod-ucts.

Should you wish to study further, you could go for postgraduate courses in pharma mar-keting/management or even in hospital/pub-lic health management or law (medico-legal and related litigation is on the rise). Q. After BCom I want to go in the mass com field because I am weak in maths and accounts, so I don’t see much of a future in finance. Is it the right choice?

Rajika ChughA. Choosing a field by default is not the best of ways to select a career. There are umpteen careers that do not require math.

But since you’ve asked, let me explain what this field called mass communication is all about. After that you can decide for yourself whether you’re suited for it or not.

Mass Communications is a very broad umbrella term that includes various fields — i.e., advertising, journalism, public relations, cinema, radio, television & broadcasting, the-atre, communication arts and now Internet is also in its ambit.

A course in Mass Communications will give you a general overview of each of these fields at the macro level. Thereafter, you can choose your preferred medium and area of specialisa-tion and work in the area that fascinates you most.

Electronic and satellite communication has ushered in dramatic changes in journal-ism. Job opportunities exist in: Newspapers, magazines and periodicals, news agencies, television, radio, regional bureaus of inter-national papers/news agencies/networks, Internet portals, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, related government agencies like Directorate of Advertising & Visual Pub-licity, Directorate of Field Publicity, Public Relations departments of public and private sector corporations, as freelancer/stringer, art and theatre critic, book reviewer, etc.


Dataspeak world and india


Economies Has required knowledge & skills to

start a business

Expects to start a business in next 3

years

Fear of failure would prevent a business

Entrepreneurship considered as a career

Colombia 54 60 41 92

Germany 30 4 49 56

IndIa 45 33 46 67

Israel 35 14 43 58

Japan 9 4 44 26

Korea 23 17 32 69

Russia 14 3 66 60

South Africa 31 13 38 65

United Kingdom 45 5 38 52

United States 48 7 28 63

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

4.4

18.7

10.8

Source: Adapted from GEM 2008 Adult Population Survey (18-64 years from 43 countries in May-June 2008) % Agreeing with statement

Source: Adapted from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2008

Entrepreneurial IndicatorsDoes low rates of entrepreneurial engagement levels of European inhabitants reflect their relative risk aversion? The entrepreneurial attitude and activity as per the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2008 (GEM) does suggest this. We see four Europeans in the 2009 World’s billionaires’ list (though from the same industry), along with two Indians for the first time!

Graphic: Rajesh Chawla

Entrepreneurial Attitudes and Perceptions (2008)

Prevalence Rates (%) of Entrepreneurial Activity for those aged 18-24

Top Billionaires in the world

Rank Name & (Age) Citizenship Net worth in $ Billion Industry

1 William Gates III (53) US 40.0 Software

2 Warren Buffet (78) US 37.0 Investment

3 Carlos Slim Helu (69) & Family Mexico 35.0 Telecommunications

4 Lawrence Ellison (64) US 22.5 Software

5 Ingvar Kamprad (83) & Family Sweden 22.0 Retail

6 Karl Albrecht (89) Germany 21.5 Retail

7 MukESH aMbanI (51) IndIa 19.5 ManuFacturIng

8 LakSHMI MIttaL (58) IndIa 19.3 StEEL

9 Theo Albrecht (87) Germany 18.8 Retail

10 Amancio Ortega (73) Spain 18.3 Retail

colombia germany India Israel Japan korea russia South africa uk uS

1.0

12.7

5.4

3.2

10.6

6.4

10.1

27.6

11.5

7.8

36.7

1.8

7.73.

8

24.5

4.7

22.6

10.0

1.1

4.4

3.5 5.

89.

97.

8

2.1

11.7

5.9

early stage entrepreneurial activity

overall entrepreneurial activity

Business discontinuition rate

Source: Adapted from www.forbes.com


compilation of actionable information, segmented and presented on a thematic basis

Ready Reckonercourse alerts un jobs/psu mdp scholarship

In detail

[ ]

Institute Programme Dates Meant For Fees (rs.)

ASCI, Hyderabad Materials and Supply Chain Management

24-28 Senior executives/managers of operations, production planning, stores, marketing, systems, accounts, banking

27,500

IIM, Bangalore Leadership Training for Software Professionals

03-05 Project/module leaders, software professionals, HR managers

45,000

IRMA, Anand Finance & Accounting for Microfinance Institutions

24-27 Officers/managers of MFIs, NGOs, donor agencies and government bodies involved in microfinance

12,000

ISB, Hyderabad Integrating Sales and Marketing

24-27 Heads of sales/marketing and business heads

100,000

XLRI, Jamshedpur

The Art and Science of Behavioural Interviewing

27-28 Internal HR Staff and Line Managers involved in interview process (not meant for consultants)

16,000

IIM, Ahmedabad 3 Tier Programme: Senior Management

02-22 Senior executives > 35 years with more than 10 years of managerial experience

250,000

IIM, Ahmedabad Aviation Management 02-08 Functional heads/managers from airports, airlines and related logistics services within the aviation sector globally

70,000

IIM, Calcutta Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills Workshop

24-28 Middle or senior management levels in public & private organizations

40,000

Watch-out for mdps in August 2009

md

p

Institution Name of Programme Dates Fees (rs.)

IIM, Bangalore Valuation July 01-03 45,000

IIM, Calcutta Creating a Global Mindset Among Young Managers

July 02-04 25,000

CFTRI, Mysore Current Trends and Practices in Food Packaging

July 06-08 4,494

IPIRTI, Bangalore

Sawing, seasoning, finger jointing & glulam techniques

July 06-10 5,000

ASCI, Hyderabad

Leadership Through Self-discovery July 13-15 19,000

IRMA, Anand E-Business for Rural Enterprises July 13-15 20,000

IIM, Lucknow Finance for Non-Finance Executives July 13-17 35,000

IIP, Delhi Flexible Packaging (Part Time) July 13-17 5,000

IIM, Calcutta Becoming an Effective Sales Manager July 14-17 35,000

CFTRI, Mysore Concepts of quality and safety in the food chain of meat/meat products

July 27-31 6,742

IIT KharagpurUnderstanding Culture and practic-ing Cross-Cultural CommunicationJuly 17-19Fees: Rs. 5,000/3,000/2,000 (Industry/Faculty/Students)The course not only makes you understand culture and the politics inherent in cultures but it also explores what we do not know about them. The second objective is to know and comprehend communication skills that go beyond the conventional approaches.

NMIMS, MumbaiFinance for Non-Finance ExecutivesJuly 24-25Fees: Rs. 6,000Among the most popular MDPs, this programme makes you understand financial statements and how they are made. You get an insight into dynamics of finance, interpretation of financial statements and at the end of the day are able to analyse the impact of decision making on finance.

ISB, HyderabadFinancial Strategies for Creating Value July 12-16, 2009Fees: Rs. 125,000This programme deals with analysis of the existing financial strategy of an organization to find aspects where more value could be added through different financial strategies. Topics covered include EVA, real options and corporate financial risk management.


Course Alerts un jobs/psu mdp scholarshipsu

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Name of Course

Grade Course Description Institute Place Website Last Date

BA UG Arts GHG Khalsa College Ludhiana http://www.ghgcollegesadhar.org/

July 10, 2009

BA UG Science Khalsa College For Women Ludhiana www.khalsacollegeamritsar.org/

July 7, 2009

BA-LLB UG Law Sastra University Thanjavur http://www.sastra.edu/ July 25, 2009

BCA UG Comp. App Annamalai University Annamalainagar http://annamalaiuniversity.ac.in/

August 31, 2009

BCom UG Finance & Investment The Institute of Computer Accountants

Kolkata http://www.icajobguarantee.com/

July 31, 2009

BCom UG Finance & Investment The Institute of Computer Accountants

Delhi www.icagroup.in August 31, 2009

BEd UG Education Directorate of Distance Education

Madurai http://www.mkudde.org/ July 30, 2009

BEd UG Spl Education National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities

Chennai http://niepmd.tn.nic.in/ July 15, 2009

BHMS UG Homeopathic Medicine & Surgery

Dr.B.R.Sur Homoeopathic Medical College Hospital & Research Centre

Delhi www.delhihomeo.com July 4, 2009

MSc UG IT Alpha Arts and Science College Chennai http://www.alphagroup.edu/

July 15, 2009

BPEd Physical Education (Integrated)

Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education

Gwalior www.lnupe.gov.in July 7, 2009

Bachelors Aviation Hospitality & Travel Management

Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training

Various www.frankfinn.com Not specified

BSc Information Technology

NIIT Academy Various www.niitacademy.net Open

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Ad

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no

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eGr

ee

Name of Course

Grade Course Description Institute Place Website Last Date

Diploma D Food Production,Bakery & Confectionery etc.

Delhi Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology

Delhi http://www.ihmbangalore.com/ctotherihm.htm

July 3, 2009

MTech PG Communication Systems, Com Sc & Engg,Urban Planning

Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar www.gndu.ac.in July 3, 2009

PGD PG Law The Indian Law Institute Delhi www.ilidelhi.org July 3, 2009

MPhil PG Biotech,Environmental Sc,Science streams

Chaudhary Devi Lal University Sirsa www.cdlu.edu.in July 4, 2009

MSc PG Mathematical Sc., Optometry & Vision Sciences

University of Hyderabad Hyderabad www.uohyd.ernet.in July 6, 2009

PG Diploma PG International Business Indian Institute of Foreign Trade New Delhi www.iift.edu July 6, 2009

PG PG Management S P Jain Institute of Management & Research

Mumbai www.spjimr.org July 7, 2009

Master's PG Archaeology, Conservation,Preservation & Heritage

Delhi Institute of Heritage Research & Management

Delhi http://dihrm.delhigovt.nic.in/

July 10, 2009

PGD, PGD PG Biotechnology, Microbiology, Yoga, Social Work etc.

HNB Garhwal University Srinagar www.uttara.in July 11, 2009

PGD PG Analytical & Molecular Techniques

Apeejay Svran Institute For Biosciences & Clinical Research

Gurgaon http://www.apeejay.edu/aibcr/home.html

July 14, 2009


Course Alerts un jobs/psu mdp scholarships

Name of Course

Course Description Institute Place Website Last Date

PhD

PhD Philosophy IGNOU School of Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies

Delhi http://www.ignou.ac.in/schools/soits/index.htm

July 15, 2009

PhD Various Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar www.gndu.ac.in July 10, 2009

PhD Agric. Engg College of Technology and Engineering Udaipur www.mpuat.ac.in July 10, 2009

PhD + Fellowship

Social Sciences and Development Studies

Rabindranath Tagore Centre for Human Development Studies

Kolkata www.idsk.edu July 31, 2009

PG Law The Indian Law Institute Delhi www.ilidelhi.org July 3, 2009

Courses available university Place Date Website

Un

iver

sities

MPhil, MTech, MSc, MCom, MPEd, MA, LLM, BA, BPEd, LLB, MBA

Chaudhary Devi Lal University

Sirsa 4-Jul-09 http://new.cdlu.edu.in/

MTech (Thermal Plant Engg., Nanoelectronics, Construction Engg. and Mgmt.) , M. Pharma (Phytology, Phytopharmacy)

Sastra University Thanjavur 4-Jul-09 http://www.sastra.edu/

MPhil in Tamil,Economics,Futurology,Eng & Communicative Studies,Micro Level Plannig,Research & Development,Child Development, Sociology,Development Administration,Mathematics,Energy,Food Sc.,Nutrition

Gandhigram Rural University

Gandhigram 16-Jul-09 http://www.ruraluniv.ac.in/

Mass Comm, English, Business Admin, Mathematics Central University of Jharkhand

Jharkhand 20-Jul-09 www.cuj.org.in

DM and M.Ch. Cadiology,Nephrology,Neurology,Gastroenterology,Endocrinology,Cardio Vascular & Thoracic Surgery,Urology,Neurosurgery,Gastro,Intestinal Surgery

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University

Amritapuri 25-Jul-09 www.amrita.edu

Master's in Business Law, PGD in Human Rights Law/Medical Law & Ethics/Environmental Law/Intellectual Property Rights Law/Child Rights Law

National Law School of India University

Bangalore 31-Jul-09 http://www.nls.ac.in/

Degrees in Paralegal Practice, Property Law and Legal Process Outsourcing

Indira Gandhi National Open University

Various centres 1-Aug-09 http://www.ignou.ac.in/

BCA, BSc, BCom, BBA, MCA, MCom, MSc Annamalai University Annamalainagar 31-Aug-09 http://annamalaiuniversity.ac.in/

HURRY! SUBSCRIBE NOW

SUBSCRIBENOW AND GET27% OFF

Name of Course

Grade Course Description Institute Place Website Last Date Post G

rA

DU

Ate

Master’s PG Human Resources & Technical Education

National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research

Chennai www.nitttrc.ac.in July 15, 2009

MPhil PG Energy Studies etc. Gandhigram Rural University Tamil Nadu www.ruraluniv.ac.in July 16, 2009

Diploma D Business Mgt,Marketing Mgt,Finance Mgt etc.

NMIMS University Mumbai www.nmims.edu July 19, 2009

TC Training Certificate

Carpet Weaving Office of The Commissioner of Industries

Delhi www.industries.delhigovt.nic.in

July 20, 2009


course alerts UN Jobs/Govt. mdp scholarshipsG

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Name Location Positions Last Date Pay Scale (INR)

Ministry of Home Affairs Delhi Principal Pvt Secretary, Pvt Secretary, SO, AO

July 2, 2009 Varied

Harcourt Butler Technological Institute Kanpur Professor, Asst. Prof, Lecturer July 6, 2009 16400-22400

Bank of Maharashtra Pune Network Engineers, IT Support Admin July 8, 2009 Varied

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd Kolkata Addl General Manager July 8, 2009 36600-62000

Indian Institute of Petroleum Dehradun Scientist July 8, 2009 15600-39100

Ministry of Railways Ahmedabad Inspector Health & Malaria, Pharmacist, Staff

July 9, 2009 9300-34800

Railway Recruitment Board Ajmer ECG Technician July 9, 2009 5200-20200

Gail (India) Limited Not mentioned Sr Officer Corporate Commm, Sr Officer July 10, 2009 24900-50500

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Not mentioned Executive Engineer July 13, 2009 15600-39100

Central Silk Board Bangalore Director July 13, 2009 37400-67000

Ministry of Agriculture Mumbai Accountant July 14, 2009 5000-8000

Ministry of Water Resource Not mentioned Editor July 15, 2009 100000-15200

Salarjung Museum Hyderabad Keeper Manuscripts, Keeper Display July 15, 2009 15600-39100

I & B Ministry Not mentioned Administrative Officer July 15, 2009 9300-34800

Office of The Defence Estates Officer Bhopal Sub Divisional Officer July 15, 2009 5200-20200

Indian Bank Chennai Chief Security Officer July 15, 2009 24140-26620

Railway Recruitment Board Ajmer Asst Loco Pilot, JE Signal, Signal Maintainer July 16, 2009 5200-20200

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Delhi Constable July 28, 2009 5200-20200

Institute of Pathology Delhi Scientist July 28, 2009 15600-39100

Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Shillong Advisor July 28, 2009 14300-18300

UN

Name Website Positions Last Date Location

UNDP http://unjobs.org Regional Program Associate July 6, 2009 New Delhi

Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS)

http://unjobs.org Content Developer July 17, 2009 Not specified

WHO - Global Leprosy Program http://unjobs.org Medical Officer July 11, 2009 New Delhi

Clinton Foundation http://unjobs.org Deputy Country Director July 30, 2009 Not specified

International Posts

International Trade Centre http://unjobs.org Associate Market Analyst July 20, 2009 Geneva

Department of Peacekeeping Operations http://unjobs.org Coordination Officer July 26, 2009 New York

Department of Peacekeeping Operations http://unjobs.org Equipment Technician July 18, 2009 Multiple Duty Stations

The World Bank http://unjobs.org Extended Term Consultant July 13, 2009 Luanda

The World Bank http://unjobs.org Senior Economist July 12, 2009 Sydney

The World Bank http://unjobs.org Education Specialist July 7, 2009 Washington

United Nations Children's Fund http://unjobs.org Childhood Poverty and Vulnerability Analysis

July 15, 2009 Liberia

UNICEF http://unjobs.org Education Officer July 5, 2009 Kabul

United Nations Development Fund for Women

http://unjobs.org Institutional Consultancy July 20, 2009 Nairobi

United Nations Population Fund http://unjobs.org Adviser on Enterprise Risk Management

July 10, 2009 New York

International Labour Fund http://unjobs.org Finance Assistant July 5, 2009 Geneva

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

http://unjobs.org Program Officer July 17, 2009 Bonn

For details, check out on www.upsc.gov.in/www.employmentnews.gov.in


course alerts un jobs/psu mdp Scholarships

Name Primarily for Contact Deadline Value

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Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses

For scholars working on strategic and security issues

[email protected] Not mentioned Rs.36,000 mini mum

Tata's Innovation Fellowship

Indian Nationals residing in India who are below the age of 60 years.

http://dbtindia.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?id_pk=326

31 July, 2009 Rs. 20,000 pm

New India Foundation Scholars and writers on Independent India The Managing Trustee, The New India Foundation, 22 A, Brunton Road, Bangalore 560025

31 July, 2009 Rs. 50, 000 pm

J C Bose National Fellowships

Ph.D in Science http://www.dst.gov.in/scientific-programme/nsti/jc_bose_fellowship.pdf

Anytime of the year

Rs. 20,000

Women Scientists Scheme - Research on Frontier areas of science and engineering

Women scientists with MSc in Basic or Applied Science

http://dst.gov.in/scientific-programme/women-scientists-a.htm

Anytime of the year

Rs. 20,000 pm

Women Scientists Scheme - Research on Societal Issues

Women scientists with MSc in Basic or Applied Science

http://dst.gov.in/scientific-programme/women-scientists-a.htm

Anytime of the year

Rs. 15,000 pm

Amity University Scholarship Scheme

Meritorious +2 students. http://www.amity.edu/admission/scholarship_scheme.asp

-Not mentioned Subsidy varies according to marks scored

Ramalingaswami Fellowship

Scientists of Indian origin working outside, to conduct research in India

http://dbtindia.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?id_pk=325

31 July, 2009 Rs.75, 000 pm

IGNOU For weaker sections http://www.ignou.ac.in/schools/soce/Brochure_PGDAPP.htm

As per university schedule

Varies

Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University

BTech and MBA enrolled students http://www.pdpu.ac.in/scholar_btech.htm

As per university schedule

Varies

Fast Track Scheme for Young Scientists

PhD in Science or PG in Engineering Department of Science & Technology, www.serc-dst.org

Open Not specified

Name Primarily For Deadline Value

inter

natio

na

l Sch

ola

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hipS

SIA Youth Scholarships The SIA Youth Scholarship is tenable for 2 years leading to the award of the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education ‘Advanced’ (GCE ‘A’) Level (or equivalent) certificate.

15 July, 09 S$2,400 per annum

A* Star India Youth Scholarship For outstanding students from India to pursue studies in Singapore, leading to the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (Advanced) Level or equivalent.

15 July, 09 S$2,200

Mexican Government Scholarship 3 scholarships for Indian nationals for the year 2010 for studies at a Mexican University in Agriculturem Biotechnology, IT and Electronics Engg.

20 July, 09 $6,576.00 pesos pm

Boyscast Fellowship Provides opportunities to the young Indian scientists/technologists to visit institutions abroad, interact and train

31 July, 09 US $ 600 for 6 months

Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships for Leadership Development

For outstanding young Indians to pursue a master's degree program at selected US universities in the areas of Business Administration, Communication Studies, Economics,Environment and Public Administration

15 July, 09 -

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowships

For scholars who are registered for a Ph.D. at an Indian institution and professionals with significant work experience.

15 July, 09 -

Fulbright-Nehru Environmental Leadership Program

For mid-level Indian environment professionals in public/private sector or NGO for up to four months.

15 July, 09 -

ICMR International Fellowships For young scientists 15 July, 09 -

Amity Academic Excellence Scholarships For students who have scored 85% marks and above in their XII boards, from any school across the country, and wish to join any top institution for their graduation

-Not mentioned

Rs. 15, 000 each

Deakin University, Australia 16 yrs of formal education 21 July, 09 -

Rhodes Scholarship Below 25, with a first class degree in Humanities, Science, Law, Engineering, Agriculture or Medicine from an Indian University.

01 Aug, 09 -

Up Close IMRAN KHAN

96 july 2009360cAReeRs

Q. You changed many schools, why? A. I left Scottish Orphanage, Mumbai because they used to beat us and I devel-oped a bad stammer. Then I went to Holy Innocence in Wellington. I joined Blue Mountain, Ooty next. The princi-pal started a school in Geddai, a small village. I was there for five years. I moved to Valley School when this school shut down. I didn’t go to college. I wasn’t much of a student. Anything that inter-ests me I know, but in my own context. I was good at English. Physics made sense to me. I never understood chemistry.

Q. Were you a teachers’ pet? A. Teachers despaired over me. “You know if you’d just apply yourself you’d be...” they’d say.

Q. What did you think of yourself ?A. I always knew that ultimately, what-ever I’d do, I would be good at that. And I would work hard at it and be better than most people. I didn’t really worry. I didn’t understand chemistry - I’d say, ‘Fine! I am not going to be a chemist!’

Q. Who do you remember from school? A. Padmini aunty, my 9th grade class teacher in Valley School and our princi-pal Mallika aunty. They didn’t seem like teach-ers. I enjoyed talking to them even after school hours.

Q. Did school develop your sensibilities? A. School taught me some-thing that it didn’t teach any-one else. I learnt that if I want to do anything, I’d have to learn and do it myself. Today, my friends call me Imikipedia - the Imran encyclopedia. But I barely managed to pass ICSE. It’s all self-taught.

“Lots of money for my passion”‘Imikipedia’– Imran is largely self-taught, finds out lata Khubchandani

Q. The best thing about school? A. Basketball. In Bangalore, I enjoyed Valley School. I had a number of friends. Our classroom was near the basketball court. So whenever we got a break we’d be out of the window, playing.

Q. First crush? A. My mother tells me it was a girl called Karen in kindergarten. I don’t remember, I was only 5.

Q. Any memorable incidents while growing up? A. I must’ve been 11 at the time I went to Geddai. My school there was a gurukul on a farm. No electricity. We grew our own vegetables. It was an interesting experience.

Q. How did you spend your first sal-ary?A. My first real salary was for Kidnap. I bought my mom a large plasma TV.

Q. Is it better to have fun or live with a purpose?A. Living with a purpose is ulti-

mately more fun.

Q. Your greatest fear?A. I fear being inadequate.

Q. Should one take up the profession one loves or one that pays?A. That’s a personal choice. For some people, money is very important. They might do a job that they don’t like, for a lot of money. Some people might follow their passion and not care about the money. And there are a few lucky people like me who get lots of money to follow their passion. It doesn’t get better than that. Beatrice Kaufman once said “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.”

I always knew

that ultimately, what-ever I’d do, I would be

good at that. And I would work hard at it and be bet-ter than most people at it

RNI NO. DELENG/2009/27635 DL-SW-01/4139/09-11

Documents

Careers 360 July09