Back to Summer School

From upgrading workplace and communication skills to doing the salsa, there8217;s a lot to learn, and fun to be had, this summer. Smita Aggarwal checks out the options

Yes, we know, you would all rather be somewhere far, far away as the powercuts intensify, the water runs out, and the summer slams down. But then with the economy and the Sensex also on the boil, it8217;s not surprising that many corporates, Indian as well as global, are packing their professionals off to summer schools so that they can hone their skills and compete in a fast-growing economy.

Taking advantage of summer vacations, management institutes like IIMs, Indian School of Business, Delhi8217;s Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and Faculty of Management Studies are conducting several management development programs MDPs ranging from a day to two months8217; time.

8216;8216;The MDPs, generally conducted during April-July, are company-sponsored training workshops for their employees dealing with some very specific issues,8217;8217; says L.D. Mago of IIFT. These workshops do not come cheap but, at the same time, it8217;s an excellent opportunity for employees to take a break from the 9-to-9 routine and upgrade their sills.

The course content is diverse 8212; from communication, human resource management to strategies, agriculture, education and healthcare. The course participants span the spectrum, from junior- to senior-level executives. And considering that it8217;s never a bad idea to go back to school, there8217;s a smattering of vice presidents too. But the bulk are entry-level managers.

IIM-A, for one, is conducting fully-residential executive education programmes. 8216;8216;We have international participants from neighbouring SAARC nations, West Asia and US. It8217;s usually a very interesting composition and creates a global feel to the programme. The trainees get a taste of the environment in which they shall be working in future,8217;8217; says Unnikrishanan, manager of MDP.

Then, a host of firms 8212; the Tata Group, Sasken Communications, LG, Mitsubishi, British Telecom 8212; have signed up for IIM-Bangalore8217;s short-term course that began in April. Spread over five modules of two weeks each, with a three-month break in between, it gives participants a chance to visit INSEAD, Paris, Lancaster University in the UK, McGill and Magellan Business School in Canada and Hitobashi Business School, Japan.

8216;8216;The response to this program has been phenomenonal. Typically, we have three Indians in a group of 40-45 participants,8217;8217; says J.R. Saligram, education coordinator at IIM Bangalore. 8216;8216;The participation in such programs is increasing steadily,8217;8217; he adds. At Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, the Residential Executive Education programme also offers a host of indoor and outdoor activities 8212; from a gym to swimming pools 8212; where executives can also relax, and network.

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The 8216;student8217; feedback is positive. Says Kunal Sharma, 24, a trainee with Wipro Technologies: 8216;8216;Such workshops do help immensely in terms of value addition and career growth. Generally, in IT industry, the client takes an interview of the development team8230;here, these added certifications look good on your profile and add weight.8217;8217;

There8217;s more than just a certificate, of course. 8216;8216;There are some hidden benefits too. It becomes a platform for networking and rising from lower industry to higher industry. Globally, it has been recognized as an effective retention strategy employed by companies,8217;8217; says Sandeep Kataria of Advanced Corporate Services, an HR consultancy.

There8217;s also the opportunity to interact with intellectual leaders and achievers. 8216;8216;We emphasise on the development of attitudinal, technical and non-technical skills of our employees. For this, the company has a considerable budget to take care of such activities,8217;8217; says V. Ramamurthy, Senior GM, Human Resources, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Bangalore.

For instance, Varun Gulati, 24, assistant manager, Maruti Udyog, says he plans to take a short course in psychology. 8216;8216;In terms of job value, it helps me to understand the customer better. It gives me a chance to combine my hobby and work.8217;8217;

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There are others who take the heat off by trying something as radically different as salsa. Reginald Pathrose, 36, vice president Operations, Citibank, is a regular at salsa classes in Delhi. 8216;8216;It8217;s a whole lot of fun. It8217;s easy to fit it in with a daily schedule and it de-stresses you completely,8217;8217; says she. Interestingly, the Delhi-based Salsa India Dance Company SIDC does receive a lot of requests from corporate sector for salsa workshops. Eight per cent of the students are from the corporate world.

Indeed, the softer skills 8212; stress management and communication 8212; do make the difference when it comes to summer school. With work pressures building up, a little relaxation would go a long way in dealing with summertime.
smita.aggarwalexpressindia.com