The Higher Education Review

One of the biggest pain points that is plaguing management education nowadays is that educational institutions are not experimenting enough to ensure that their students are equipped with the skills required to thrive in the modern world. ABBS School of Management is a pioneering autonomous educational institution approved by AICTE, that aspires to be a change-maker in the Indian management education space. And the institute has created a distinctive curriculum that not only boosts the students to learn and improve constantly but also align them with the ever-changing requirements of the industry. With this, the institute has been able to nurture capable professionals and develop leaders who can have a positive impact on society. Also, over the years, ABBS School of Management has been able to develop into one of the most versatile and industry-centric management education institutes in the country owing to their passion for constant innovation and continuous improvement.

Quality Education for Responsible Future Leaders
"The institute was established in 2009 with a vision to make education affordable, accessible, and relevant for anybody who wants to pursue management education. We strive to develop contemporary management education that is able to change with the changing industry requirements so that our students are industry-ready. Our mission is to build an ecosystem for our students as well as faculty to constantly learn and to create socially responsible leaders. Building relationships with businesses, educational institutions as well as other higher education bodies has also been a top priority for us. This is owing to the fact that we believe that management education needs to happen in cooperation and contributions from various

stake holders", says Ajitesh Basani who is the Executive Director of the institute when asked about their inception story.

Being part of Karnataka and Bangalore to be specific has been a huge advantage for not just ABBS School of Management but also for their students. Bangalore being a commercial as well as IT hub and more importantly the startup capital of the country that promotes entrepreneurship gives new alleyways of opportunities for our students to be job givers rather than job seekers. Also, we are very close to one of Asia's largest industrial areas and that is also a unique advantage for us as well as our students. All this has helped them to create the perfect learning environment where the students can hone their skills and work towards their holistic development.

“ABBS School of Management has been able to develop into one of the most versatile and industry-centric management education institutes in the country”

Also, them being an autonomous institution allows them to constantly change the curriculum to keep themselves aligned with the industry. And the curriculum change comes from the board members that include corporate leaders as well as pioneering academicians. Apart from that, ABBS School of Management ensure that their students receive the right blend of theoretical and practical education that includes an extensive internship as well as regular industry interactions and exposure. One of the unique initiatives that ABBS School of Management has introduced is theatre in management. It imparts our students with critical life skills, problem solving skills, leadership, cooperation and collaboration skills. The techniques shared in these sessions lead to the evolution of the faculty in terms of their personal skills and motivate them to develop their own creative tools to deliver deeper learning experiences.

Theatre classes have enabled students to `snap out' of their shells and showcase their talents. It has improved their

verbal articulation and enhanced their kinaesthetic abilities. And they have seen significant changes in the confidence and communication levels of the students after taking part in the theatre. Apart from all that, they also offer various certification programs such as Six-sigma Green belt, and Business Analytics to the students that adds great value to their resume.

Making New Paths to Success
Placement is a crucial aspect of modern-day higher education and when asked about the placement assistance as well as training offered to their students, Ajitesh Basani adds, "We work on placement from day one and through continuous assessments we find out what the students' interests are and what are the things that they are good at. We train them on the various areas that they can improve and our student-led placement department works rigorously to ensure the placement of our students. Also, over the years we have seen a steady increase in the number of new companies that recruit our students. Owing to the pandemic, we have also revamped the way we train our students for placements while at the same time we ensured that more international job opportunities opened up for our students. For instance, Dash (Batch of 2020-22) recently got placed with a package of Rs.22 LPA.

To cater to the entrepreneurial interest of the students ABBS School of Management has created a separate entrepreneurship development cell that focuses on the development of their students right from business plan building to raising the funds. They have mentors who take care of this and through individualized care and attention, they are able to build a great platform that their students could use to leverage their entrepreneurial ventures. Going forward, ABBS School of Management want to continue focusing on building quality systems for education, through that attract working professionals and international students to their programs so that they can create a diverse student body which is crucial for cross-cultural learning.