I have done my Master’s in English and am working as Assistant Professor in a private college. I would like to know what opportunities are available for me in the corporate or IT sector.
via email
For those with qualifications as you possess, opportunities exist in the domain of soft skills training in the Learning and Development (L and D) units of IT majors. However, you are advised to get training and certifications. The primary focus will be on Organisational Development (OD) and its interventions. This will keep you in good stead, considering the fact that a Master’s in English will help you to focus on the language and/or the literature nuances only.
Some of the organisations which you should connect to are:
The Indian Chapter of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) (www.shrm.org).
SHRM is an international body of HR professionals providing unique programmes that have a corporate imprint on them. SHRM conducts a large number of webinars which help you to get information and thereby plan appropriately for the change from being an academic to that of being a OD intervention professional.
The Middle Earth HR (www.mecindia.in) is another organisation that you can approach for various programmes in the L and D. These include the Master trainer facilitator and certified trainer programmes in Performance and Competency, and Psychometric Testing. The organisation has also created a programme in Instructional Design which will support you.
I am student of Archaeology and History. I am presently working as a tour operator. I want to know if the Tourism Department conducts any guide training programmes/courses.
via email, Bengaluru
The Union Ministry of Tourism (www.tourism.gov.in) conducts Guide Training programmes with the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) (www.iittm.net) acting as a nodal and academic institution. IITTM is an autonomous body of the Tourism Ministry which has its head office in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) and regional offices (Bhubaneshwar, Noida, Goa and Nellore) spread across India. The India Tourism Office located in Chennai (Southern Region) is one of the five Regional offices {Kolkata (East), Mumbai (West), New Delhi (North), Guwahati (North East)} of the Ministry of Tourism which provides the Guide Licence for the region. Contact Shoeb Samad, Regional Director (Deputy Director General), Indiatourism Chennai, 154, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Ph: 044-28461459/28460285. Email: indiatourismchennai@gmail.com
I am a civil engineer and am working for an infrastructure firm for the past 12 years. I visit many historical monuments every month and learn about them, the construction technology and the culture of the monuments. I have found that every monument has a lot of inscriptions, which the common man is not able to read. Is there any short-term programme that I can pursue to understand the inscriptions?
via email, Bengaluru
The Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) (www.kasapa.in) conducts a nine-month Diploma Programme in Epigraphy on a part-time basis. The course has been appreciated by those with a general interest like you and the professional students of History and Archaeology who are making efforts to understand the inscriptions that abound our monuments. The programme on offer at KSP is taught by professionals who have spent years on the field. Those with Plus2/Intermediate are eligible to apply.
The Diploma includes the following: Paper 1: Indian Epigraphy and Kannada Palaeography; Paper 2: Cultural History with special reference to Karnataka. Dissertation plus practicals are mandatory modules of the programme which also comprises an educational tour where the learners get opportunities to learn about inscriptions and interpret them to understand history in a better manner. For more details and enrolment, you should contact the Honorary Secretary, KSP, Pampa Mahakavi Road, Chamrajpet, Bengaluru-560018. Ph: 26612991, 26623584.
Email: kannadaparishattu@gmail.com
I am in B.Com final year. I want to know about Company Secretary classes. I am a bit confused at this juncture, whether to pursue MBA or Company Secretary course. Please guide me.
via email, Bengaluru
The Company Secretary (CS) course should be your first choice. You can pursue the programme with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) (www.icsi.edu). You should enrol for the ICSI-Centre for Corporate Governance, Research and Training (ICSI-CCGRT) (www.icsi.edu/ccgrt), a three-year (inclusive of one year of internship/practical training with leading corporates in the domain of finance), full time, non-residential Integrated Company Secretaryship course. Admission is through an online entrance examination.
For more details you should contact: Rajesh Kumar Agrawal (Email: rajesh.agrawal@icsi.edu), Director, ICSI-CCGRT, Plot No. 101, Sector 15, Institutional Area, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai-400 614. Ph: 022-41021506. Email: ccgrt@icsi.edu
A candidate should fulfil the following eligibility requirements:
1. Less than 26 years as on July 1of the year of admission
2. Graduate with 50% marks or Foundation Programme pass of ICSI, CPT pass of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
On completion of the CS programme you will get opportunities to work. Once you stabilise in your work environment, you can either pursue a corporate sponsored MBA programme from a leading business school or pursue the same through a sabbatical from any institution.
An MBA with a major in Finance and/or Strategy will help in the corporate world.
I will be completing PUC with PCMB subjects. My percentage has been around 75 to 80 all through my student days. I do not feel like pursuing engineering or and am inclined to make a career in the world of fashion. My parents are against my choice. Please advise me on the advantages of making a career in fashion. Also let me know the courses that I could enrol in to have a successful career along with the career opportunities available.
via email, Bengaluru
As a professional fashion designer, one can work in the areas of designer production, fashion marketing, planning and concept management, fashion accessory design, quality control and promotion of brands. There are those who have become fashion consultants, personal stylists, technical designers, graphic designers, and fashion coordinators.
One of the better places to study fashion and related fields is the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) (www.nift.ac.in) (functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Textiles), located at 21, Sector 1, 27th Main, HSR Layout, Bangalore-560102. Ph: 22552550 – 55.
At NIFT, the Bachelor programme in Design covers Fashion Design, Accessory Design, Textile Design, Fashion Communication and Knitwear Design. The institute also conducts the Bachelor of Fashion Technology in Apparel Production, the Master of Fashion Technology (MFT) and the Master of Fashion Management (MFM).
Another institution that has created a niche for itself is Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology (www.voguefashioninstitute.com) wherein you can attend the Bangalore University-affiliated three year B.Sc (Fashion and Design) programme. It also offers programmes that are affiliated to the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in the areas of Garment Manufacturing Technology and Lifestyle and Accessory Design, to mention a few.
Working with centres of excellence, one can surely make the grade to be the best in the business. It is the experience that will matter over a period of time to practice as a professional, to have one’s own studio. The experience you garner, like in any other field, will hold you in good stead. Hence, looking at opportunities in fashion technology is by no means a negative attitude.
Email: Shaheed_k@yahoo.com
