India, a growing economy, is said to be young and restless. Young because a major part of its population is educated enough to join the workforce and restless because these young guns want to prove their worth in the world. However, it has often been pointed out that the youth are educated, but when it comes to their employbility, they don’t cut the mark. They often lag behind in the basic cognitive and soft skills that can help them transition from student life to corporate life. To fill this gap, premier institutes are gearing up fast before it turns into a gorge.
One of the top B-Schools in India, NAAC accredited Pune Institute of Business Management (PIBM) aims to provide high-value business management education to produce educated and skilled Management Graduates. Established in 2007 and spread across 2.5 Acres, PIBM is strategically located in the calm and serene valley on the outskirts of Pune, giving students an ideal learning atmosphere, aiding them in coping with their rigorous workload.
Over the past 12 years PIBM has established a new standard of management studies with sharp focus on industry oriented training that results in better placements of the students. Its training pattern and curriculum have been designed keeping various industries and their requirements in the mind, helping in bridging the gap between Companies’ requirements & Management Graduates’ business knowledge. A training methodology that is not limited to academic accomplishments alone but extends much beyond the mainstream classroom education is what sets PIBM aside and makes the students industry ready from day one.
In an Interview with Insights Success, IT Faculty cum Controller of Examinations, Harshada Kshirsagar, shares how PIBM, with the world class management programs, has become one of the top management institutes in India.
Brief us about the programs that the institute offers. Also mention awards (if any).
PIBM provides Post Graduate courses in Management at Pune campus. The AICTE approved, Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) course is the flagship program at PIBM Pune. PIBM also offers Master in Business Administration (MBA) course in affiliation to Savitribai Phule Pune University.
PIBM has been accredited by NAAC and have received many prestigious awards. For instance, PIBM has been awarded for one of the “Most Innovative Learning Practices 2018” by Asia’s Greatest Brand & Leader 2018. We’ve also been awarded as the “Best Emerging Institute in India” by BBC Knowledge. Recently, PIBM also received the “Certificate of Membership” from MHRD’s Innovation Cell.
Kindly share the vision and mission of the institute.
PIBM strives to skill the youth of our country as well as whole of Asia & the World to make them employable so that they can either “JOIN A COMPANY OR START THEIR OWN COMPANY THEREBY CREATING MORE JOBS.” Our vision is to become the hallmark of professional excellence by adopting a holistic approach to learning. At PIBM, our mission is to develop action oriented leaders of extraordinary tenacity and stamina to make things happen as they should be.
What sets the campus culture at your institute apart from others?
At PIBM, students are highly energetic and possess an activity oriented mindset. Participation in 10+ annual and cultural activities plays a crucial role in the academic and social growth of the students. Also, students are involved in 15+ annual corporate events which builds their organizational skills, decision making capabilities, increases self-confidence, and generates a sense of community within the campus which makes them want to achieve more.
What according to you are the challenges in the Education Sector in India?
One of the most important things that the present education system lacks is application based learning, which needs to be more highlighted. Today’s students must be engaged more in industry interactions to cover up the gap between industry expectations and content delivery in classes which provides them with practical knowledge and builds their confidence. Intensive training of the students is missing which interrupts their overall development. At PIBM, redefining the present training pattern is important for ensuring student’s problem solving attitude and handling unanticipated situations.
Please share the latest technology that the institute is utilizing to offer better learning solutions.
Understanding the technological shift in education sector, PIBM introduced its own Smart Learning Management Software – CLASSROOM+ which ensures the all-round growth of the students, faculty and the entire institute. We have revolutionized the way we measure students’ growth by being able to measure the Outcome and Competency Based Learning and monitor Performance and Growth.
How does the institute prepare its students and connect them with the real business world?
Our industry leading curriculum features various experiential learning opportunities like Internship Programs, Live Business Projects and Industry Visits where students get a hands-on experience of the corporate world. PIBM also organizes regular Corporate Sessions where corporates from top companies comes to interact with the students which boosts students’ knowledge and sense.
What are the new specializations or classes that the institute plans to include in the future?
PIBM has recently introduces PGDM program in Business Analytics which focuses on building the analytical mindsets of students. In this program, students are trained on Data Statistics, Visualization and applications in Marketing, Finance and HR domains. We’ve also introduced Machine Learning into the curriculum to train the students on Python, R and Tableau to make them competent for the data analytics. In future we are planning to launch a program in AI and its applications in Business Management.
About Harshada Khirsagar
Harshada’s major role is of “Controller of the Examinations”. Additionally, she takes lectures on the Information Technology subjects for the students.
While heading examination department, she takes care of the evaluations done for the students to understand their continuous progress. PIBM doesn’t only believe on conventional evaluations but also focuses on practical evaluations where students can implement the concepts learned during the course. At PIBM, Harshada maintains a transparent examination system and ethical practices with timely execution of all the evaluations to ensure concept understanding and declaring results on time so student can understand where they stand. She manages all the internal and external bodies related to the courses and keeps records of all degree holders (pass out students). She’s also in charge of planning, managing and executing the Convocation Ceremonies of all batches and verifications of all students as well.
Observing her mother from her childhood, who held an administration position in Indian Judiciary, motivated her to work for some noble profession through which she can contribute to her nation. Education sector is that noble profession which creates and nurtures future leaders.
