Future Of Specialised Programmes In India
Indian premier Institutions have always been cognizant of the changing business landscape. Unlike international requirements, higher education in India is judged primarily based on student placement records by the market; due to this reason, most institutions in India have inherently worked towards catering to the needs of the rapidly changing business environment.
International ranking and recent participation by most Indian institutions in such ranking and accreditations is a testament that the institutions in India are on par with the best in the world. This is despite the low or almost no endowments or research support that the Indian institutions, especially the private institutions get. There is no doubt that with the government emphasising the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) there will be a push to skill-based and specialised curriculum. The competition is bound to increase by allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in the country through GIFT City in Ahmedabad. This clubbed with the market demand and unprecedented social, environmental, and economic challenges, will drive the need to emphasise specialised programmes.
It is pertinent that educational institutions focus on developing programmes that have a deep functional focus that aligns with the student's goals and purpose. The specialised programmes should have social and business immersive exposures. Flexible learning pathways with multiple specialisation opportunities will be the differentiator.
The trends that one needs to look out for are in the areas of:
Technology advances such as Generative AI and immersive technologies:Opportunities in this space for problem-solving are unimaginable. Incorporating technology-focused courses ensures students have a solid foundation in digital skills, data, and analytics tools. Another area to reckon with is a large language model (LLM) that uses deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to understand, summarise, generate, and predict new content. Programmes helping students understand and use such technological advances for social causes could be a game changer.
Leadership skills and communication: Programmes and activities that improve empathy, team, and leadership skills with the ability to communicate and narrate effectively will gain prominence as we embrace technological advances. Effective communication enhances the leadership deliverables. Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for planning. The differentiator would be the ability to narrate large data sets in a way that is easily consumed by the target audience. Programmes that develop ‘golden brains’ that juxtapose both the right and the left brain, storytelling with the correct data. Empathetic leadership and Communication solutions to the industry, government, and community will continue to be in demand.
Entrepreneurship and creative talent: An outstanding entrepreneurial mindset with a creative twist to handle issues will help students achieve their unique goals. Specialisation in such areas will be futuristic and in high demand. The ability to assess business and social opportunities and transform them into new ideas to improve and grow can take graduates to newer heights in their careers.
Governance and change management: While the industry emphasises ESG, programmes that will give a view to manage the rapidly changing social, economic, and environmental landscape and the need for sustainability will be sought-after. These frameworks that include key elements around environmental and societal impact and how governance structures can be amended to maximise stakeholder well-being will be the ask.
Customised and interdisciplinary programmes: With the move towards super personalisation, programmes that facilitate flexibility and customisation that are holistic and interdisciplinary will be an excellent pathway for growth. Programmes that are taught collaboratively across one or more disciplines and may straddle two or more faculties will allow the students to create their own individualised majors.
Integrated and immersive programmes: Learning will be enhanced if the courses and deliverables are made practical. Immersive and field-based programmes, integrating and fast-tracking programmes would be the need for the future.
MICA, in keeping with the legacy of its foundation has been ahead of the curve with respect to fulfilling the industry's demand. The programmes are unique and futuristic. Here the programmes are constantly evolving, and the contents are updated to meet the challenges of society, the economy, and the environment. They incorporate technology, emphasise soft skills, foster a global perspective and leadership skills, instil innovation and entrepreneurship, and address sustainability. We constantly strive to stay ahead of these trends, which is essential for organisations and ambitious professionals to remain competitive in an ever-changing corporate climate.
- The author is Dean, MICA, founded in 1991 by the Mudra Foundation
