IIM, Hughes put business school on the web

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and Hughes Escorts Communication have come together to offer long-term on-line interactive programmes to working executives.

Through this five-year partnership, on-campus programmes will be beamed live over Hughes DiRECWAY global education platform to 35 cities across India.

Announcing the tie-up, Prakash G Apte, director IIM(B) said that by December, the Advanced General Management Programme for IT and ITES professional (AGMP) and the executive general management programme (EGMP) will be webcast.

He added that the idea was born after IIM(B) realised that there was a need to address geographical dispersal of participants without compromising on their interactivity.

With this, Hughes has formalised its partnership with IIM(B) "" earlier two short-term courses were tested under the DiRECWAY platform "" and widened its tie-up with premier B schools that includes IIM-Kozhikode, IIM-Calcutta. XLRI and eCornell.

DiRECWAY is a broadband satellite-based education for SMEs that facilitates interactive onsite learning through video, voice and data.

IIM(B) hopes to have on its rolls 25 executives in campus and 75 across the 47 DiRECWAY classrooms in 35 cities.

Apte added that in the coming years international markets like Singapore, Sri Lanka and Middle East will be addressed as well through the platform. Closer home, IIM(B) expects to offer the PGSM (post graduation in software management) programme through the platform, by next year.

The AGMP targets the IT and ITES professional with minimum two year's experience. The Rs 1.2 lakh programme will be delivered directly to organisations' training rooms as well, under the 'direct-to-corporate' model.

The EGMP, priced at Rs 1.6 lakh is for executives with a five-year experience. Apte said, IIM(B) will offer only the certificate of completion for the courses.

He added that next academic year IIM(B) will add about 50 seats, taking the total general intake to 260. The number of sections will be increased to four from three.