Archive for September, 2009
Foreign Universities Coming Over
Our Government willing, we can soon see a number of Universities from various countries setting up their Indian campuses. About 50 universities have expressed their willingness to have campuses here and talks are in progress. This is promising news indeed as it will give education in India a completely new dimension and for all those Indian students who fail to go overseas owing to funding issues, this will enable them to pursue a course of their choice in a reputed foreign university in India itself. Middlesex University is one among the 50 institutions looking to open their India chapter. Head over to The Hindu for an interview of the Vice Chancellor of Middlesex University, Professor Michael Driscoll.
Online Learning:A Video
There is nothing better than seeing something in action when you are trying to understand it. In India, online learning still is a mystery and a lot of us are clueless as to how it all works. Well it is a lot more than interacting with someone online and learning through the discussion. It’s about devising learning theories, developing effective content, making things visually appealing and simple to understand. This video that I came across talks about a few aspects of online learning and communities which are working for its betterment and effective implementation. You will get a better idea about how instructors are working in this field and some learning methodologies that they resort to. More videos and information to come on this exciting field.
Study As You Like in Community Colleges
Education is trying to seamlessly fit into every lifestyle and is taking varied responsibilities into consideration. Not everybody can follow the rules laid down by conventional means of imparting education and more and more people are realizing and respecting this fact. This is why we are seeing the upsurge of online learning and distance learning which are great alternatives for people who are unable to make it to schools and colleges. Future education, training and communication will be largely online and it looks all set to pervade all corners. It’s little surprise then that states are considering community colleges for the purpose of education of all levels.
A community college lets you pursue your degree the way you want it. You have the option of attending regular face-to-face classes, you can choose to take your programme online and you can opt for a part-time or a full-time course. Thus community colleges are a one-stop-shop for all kinds of courses. You can enroll for an associate degree in various fields which will enable you to get admitted to a college or university for completion of degree. Karnataka’s first initiative, the Geeta Ramanujam Educational Institution (GREI), is off the mark with 29 students who have signed up for associate degree courses. The certificates will be given by IGNOU and the job-oriented courses will ensure that students get employed soon after course completion.
Looking forward to more such initiatives in other states of India. With this, the vision of bringing education to everybody is getting brighter by the day.
New Report on Hiring Activity in India
Naukri.com has released its monthly report on hiring activities in India based on location, industry and experience for the month of August 2009. The report gives us a general overview of hiring activity in the major cities in India and looks into requirements across various industries. Compared to last year, hiring activity has seen a nosedive this year but figures are by and large maintaining stability. With the improvement of the economy, we can look forward to a spurt in hiring across profiles.
The sector under the limelight when it comes to growth is banking and financial services which was hit hard when the recession struck. It is good to see progress in this sphere and we can be hopeful of it regaining its lost ground. Among the cities, Bangalore saw a rise in hiring activity while Mumbai stayed stable. Other major IT hubs such as Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Chennai saw a marginal fall.
Check out the detailed report by visiting this link.
Writing English: Some Useful Tips
We have been discussing online courses lately and from the way things are shaping up, we will continue to discuss it as its influence keeps growing. It’s always more fun listening to an audio clip or watching a video to learn. Online learning is taking things away from the realm of text books and combining learning with fun to make a deeper impression on the learners. With that being said, I am going to cut down on writing here and refer to a video for the points I am trying to make. It’s a video which gives you some useful tips on writing by pointing out common mistakes that are found in writing samples. Check it out here.
Exploring Erasmus Mundus Scholarships
When it comes to offering a wide range of scholarships for various masters and research courses, there aren’t many resources that can beat Erasmus Mundus. The European Commission offers these scholarships under the education and training services. The scholarships are available for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral studies for students all over the world. Trainers and teachers have also been covered under the scholarship scheme which gives academicians a great opportunity to sharpen their skills under a prestigious fellowship programme.
The courses covered range from art and agriculture studies to business management and technology. Apart from the well known and desired courses, offbeat courses such as ship design, early childhood care, vision and robotics are offered. With these scholarships, the options available are practically endless and it’s really difficult to find a programme that is not covered. The programmes are offered in prestigious European Universities that boast of intellectually stimulating and multicultural ambiences. Some of the programmes are jointly offered by two or more universities. This gives a student the opportunity to experience diverse campus cultures and brings him/her in close contact with some of the best academic minds.
To see a complete list of scholarships on offer and application procedures, visit this link.
One Stop Shop for Test Information
Came across a good website today that provides a comprehensive list of tests that are happening all over India for various purposes. The information covers both academic tests and recruitment tests. What makes such a feature handy is that it makes planning for exams that much easier by giving us all the dates and timings. We often have to look at different places for information on recruitment exams and results which creates confusion and consumes time. The database contains all the necessary information such as application deadlines, exam details, notifications and results. Check it out.
Move Up With Forign Languages
In blog posts earlier that focused on the advantages of learning foreign languages, I talked about the upper hand that you get while looking for a job. A recently published article in The Hindu addresses the same and talks about a few opportunities that are available to students who pick up a foreign language in addition to their courses. As globalization spreads, being multilingual definitely gets you in touch with a wider audience and as a result, access to better opportunities.
According to the article, French still remains a favourite but Chinese and German are picking up fast. A student who is equipped with important soft skills and a foreign language to go with them, can command a starting salary as high as 30 grand. Some of the best places to pick up foreign languages in Hyderabad are EFLU, Ramakrishna Math and others. Click here to take a look at the article. I will be posting specific job openings in this blog soon.
Wipro BPO to Train Potential Employees
Sometime back I had written about hiring activities in Wipro BPO. From the looks of things, the recruitment drive is still on and Wipro is getting up close and personal with the process. Faced with the fact that graduates coming out of the various colleges typically lack employability skills and the colleges do little to improve the situation, Wipro signed a MoU with the Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) to take the responsibility of training emerging graduates. Under the scheme, students who are passing out of regular degree colleges and who possess decent communication skills, will be trained by Wipro and subsequently absorbed.
Apart from requirements for its BPO, Wipro also needs people for various other positions such as technical support executives, human resources, accounting, supply chain and others. In order to make the most of the MoU, officials from Wipro will visit different colleges and identify students who would be suitable for these positions. The identification will be followed by a training programme where the potential employees will be trained to handle the various responsibilities and will be made to experience what working in Wipro is all about.
The company has announced two recruitment drives already for the PB Siddhartha College of Arts & Science. One in September and the second in November.
New Universities to Build a Strong Talent Pool
The need for increased enrollment in higher education has never been felt more as India grapples with the lack of quality talent in the professional sphere. In order to introduce more students to advanced learning and to hone their skills, the government plans to set up 735 additional universities all over the country. Deviating from the norm of a University being a space for all kinds of courses, the new universities will feature several exclusive ones that will cater to select programmes only. We can safely assume that most of these select courses will be job-oriented and in line with the current and upcoming industry demands.
While it is good to know that more people are being exposed to higher education and important skills, such a large number of new institutions can also be a cause for concern. It is not enough to set up a centre of learning; we need able people to guide the students effectively. Finding quality faculty for all these institutions will be a tough ask and we know that sub-standard faculty can turn the whole noble scheme upside down. Care should be taken to design the curriculum in a way that will cater to not only current openings but new developments in future as well. Here’s hoping that the government will use discretion and not rush to get the new institutions up and running.