Principal speak: Experience helps students become professionals

Asha Pachpande, 63 is the director of Audyogik Shikshan Mandal’s (ASM) Institute of Business Management & Research (IBMR). She completed her PhD in comparative studies on the attitude of workers towards management in India and Japan from the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). She is also a member of All India Management Association, Delhi.

Are students on point in terms of being work-force ready?

We believe that the students should receive experience beyond classroom knowledge and develop their core skills to become productive professionals. We are constantly working towards offering courses that help students to acquire skill sets, to pursue successful careers, not just in India but beyond. We stress on hands-on experience to enhance the employability prospects and emphasise on imparting knowledge on leadership skills, strategy, and business-planning skills, decision-making, crisis management skills and teamwork. Knowledge-based practical training and mentoring by industry experts, besides face to face interactions with industry stalwarts like Mukesh Ambani and Leela Poonawalla among others, where they share their real-life experiences to shape the young minds, are one of the many ways we help students to gain real-world perspectives.

Any aspect of IBMR that needs to be updated?

Institute of Business Management & Research (IBMR) started offering its MBA programme in 1991. IBMR is the first business school in India to offer the HBX CORe Programme from Harvard Business School and a short duration certificate programme in Business Analytics and Big Data. We aim to develop leaders and entrepreneurs who would be equipped with the capabilities and attitudes that are most relevant to the needs of the new global world.

What projects are undertaken to upgrade students?

In its effort to bridge the gap between industry and academia, IBMR is working to bring market leaders on-board to ensure the students get to learn necessary industry skills from industry experts. Case studies, simulation, workshops are a norm or IBMR students. We are also upgrading the campus in-terms of security systems, construction, technology, and accommodation. Currently, we are using technology similar to Amazon’s Alexa for teaching cases, communicating and distributing information to our students. We are also applying for National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation this year.

What’s in store for IBMR in the near future?

Since its establishment in 1984, providing innovative teaching pedagogy has always been our specialty and in future, we would want to continue to do so. Our plans include short term and long term certificate programs under the executive education business unit which we believe will scale rapidly. Online courses are already in demand and in the future; we will be focusing more on massive open online course so we can reach out to the remote areas where we do not have a physical presence. We already have a collaboration with Harvard Business School Online Vistula University (Poland), CETYS University (Mexico) and University of Applied Sciences (Poland). We are focused on signing more such partnerships soon.