Andhra higher education body to set up sector-specific finishing schools

The details will be finalised in about a month and the schools will be operational from the academic year 2008-09.

Typically, these will be short term courses ranging from six months to one year. The syllabi will be prescribed by the state council but the partnering industry player can tweak it to meet the specific needs.

The courses will run parallel to the regular course implying that the students will have to put in extra hours for honing their soft skills. Internship for hands-on experience will also be offered.

The government plans to start finishing schools for financial services, insurance, banking, retailing, aviation, hospitality and telecom sectors.

"The modalities will be worked out in a month or so after meeting the industry partners," council secretary MD Christopher told Business Standard. Funds would not be a constraint, he added.

The state government has already implemented finishing schools for the financial services and medical transcription services at Osmania, Kakatiya and Andhra universities. "The results from the pilot finishing school are encouraging," he said.

The existing infrastructure facilities at the universities will be used and experts will be invited for mentoring the students. Depending on the course depth, graduate or postgraduate students will be eligible for the finishing schools, which will be optional.

According to DV Manohar of the Shakti Group, which has hospitality and education interests, finishing schools promise to bridge the gap between the book and the real world.

"Many students do not know how to work in a corporate atmosphere. There is a lag between they joining the job and actually delivering," he said, adding that industry giving inputs for curriculum development will result in enhanced recruitments and retention.