IIM-A designs course for working managers

Finally a full-time management programme from a premier management institute of the country is going to meet the increasing demands from the industry to provide management education for their experienced employees.

The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has finalised the design of the Executive Management Programme (EMP) which the Institute would be introducing in 2006.

The fully residential course will be marketed in at least six overseas countries as the Institute is looking also for a significant number of foreign students to be admitted in EMP along with students from India.

On the sidelights of Tata Confluence-2004, G Raghuram, senior faculty member of IIM-A and also one of the key faculty members who played a major role in designing the course, said, "The course which will be open from April, 2006, is targeted to woo the working executives of at least seven years' of working experience and we are also planning to provide admission to students from other countries from the very first year.

"The course will also be designed keeping in mind the concept of 'reverse learning,' so that even faculty members of IIM-A could share knowledge from the students of EMP, who has extensive experience of the industry."

IIM-A is also coming up with residential facilities for the students of EMP, most of whom are expected to be married and having family. There will also be separate accommodation facility for the unmarried students and students who do not want to stay with their family during the course.

According to Raghuram, IIM-A will start international marketing of the course during the first quarter of the next calendar year. "We can see great opportunities for this course even among students from other countries but in the initial years, we like to confine taking students from five or six countries and depending on responses, we will extend the course also among students from other countries.

Content of the course has been designed in such a way that the students, after passing out EMP from IIM-A, will be able to reach the top management level of the corporates. The course would be modeled as a Post-Graduate Diploma, unlike the two-year-long Post Graduate Programme, which help students of earn degrees in management studies.

"The Programme will contain lessons on five vital elements including international segment which will take the students to overseas countries for doing projects and we are expecting to get sponsors from corporates for meeting the costs. The students will also be exposed to various other issues thus enabling them to reach to the top management cadre," he said, while delivering informative address during the inaugural ceremony of Tata Confluence-2004.