The Higher Education Review

In an era, where development is happening like never before and everyone is rushing towards achieving success in the shortest possible time, what massively miss are the basic human values. Instituted in the year 2008, Ajay Kumar Garg Institute of Management (AKGIM) aptly understands this lacking of essential value in the 21st-century workforce and thus guarantees its students to take away home an education and experience that will not only make them employable, but also develop them as a good human being. The institute is endowed with a team of well-trained and certified teachers who can give the students lesson on how to live life coupled with letting them pursue a compulsory course on Universal Human Values and Professional Ethics (UHVPE).

"The world is in need of more sensible leaders who can make a positive difference. We at AKGIM, since the inception, have been generating such leaders," pinpoints Dr. T R Pandey, Director, AKGIM. Based in Ghaziabad, a part of the National Capital Region of Delhi, AKGIM is affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (A.K.T.U), Lucknow and is also certified by BSI of United Kingdom for its system and quality parameters. "This certification from BSI helps us in raising the standard of the education and in smooth functioning of varied operations of the institute," adds Dr. Pandey. AKGIM is an initiative of Indian Institute of Management and Engineering Society, which runs the prestigious Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, recipient of Academic Excellence Award as the best Engineering College in U.P under A.K.T.U. The institute annually enrolls students from different levels of society ranging from remote areas to metro cities for ensuring a good diversity and harmony in the classroom. Dr. Pandey shares, "We offer a

two-year full-time MBA programme, which is approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, New Delhi. The students can choose specializations in subjects such as Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, International Business, and Information Management." Considering the faculty members hold a great share when it comes to molding the careers of the students, the institute makes it a point to have on board a highly qualified and proficient faculty member and encourages them to go through optimum FDPs and duly involve in research works. "We quite frequently organize FDPs and MDPs to be assured that each member of the institute positively contributes in the growth of AKGIM and our students," adds Dr. Pandey.

"Based in Ghaziabad, a part of the National Capital Region of Delhi, AKGIM is affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (A.K.T.U), Lucknow and is also certified by BSI of United Kingdom for its system and quality parameters"

One-on-One Attention
Over the years, AKGIM has emerged into a very comprehensive platform for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders to find their true callings. One such venture is VIAK Interiors, a creation of two of the students - Vikas and Akash. "We identify the level of interest and the validity of the proposed plan by the students regarding their ideas and accordingly strive to give wheels to their dreams," opines Dr. Pandey. For this purpose, the institute has incorporated the AKGIM Incubation and Entrepreneurship Development Center (AIEDEC), which looks after organizing various workshops, activities, seminars, and competitions and creates a favorable environment for the promising entrepreneurs.

The Institute embraces the fact that research opens the path of limitless knowledge and insight, owing to this, the students and faculty members are explicitly motivated to engage in cutting-edge research works. "For the students of the second semester, we have made it compulsory to undergo a project called BRM- Business Resource Methodology under the mentorship of a guide faculty member. In this, they are asked to analyze and refer to different books, magazines, and journals followed by coming up with

a wholesome report," claims Dr. Pandey. And by the end of the second semester, the students are subjected to complete their internship programme with top-notch companies. "All these programmes are not prescribed by our affiliated University instead we make these extra efforts for enabling our students set apart from others," adds Dr. Pandey.

AAYAM, a Bi-annual journal of the institute also plays a pivotal role in facilitating faculty members and students to indulge in research on management-orientated themes and topics. "As in our campus, we also host learners who are from rural areas and are not that fluent in the English language or are not much confidence in public speaking, we have tied-up with a training organization ADVAIT which conducts 4 hrs weekly mandatory session for the holistic development of the students," shares Dr. Pandey. Additionally, under the Student Performance and Enhancement and Employability Center (SPEED) of the institute, from each batch 10 students are selected via a transparent series of tests.

As a result, these students often are given the first ones to crack the final placement interviews. AKGIM in the education circle is quite popular in sustaining a high placement rate with placing its graduates in companies such as Karvy Consultants, Genpact, Tech Mahindra and many more. "In near future, we are planning to initiate an Executive Programme for working professionals and make Business Analytics course compulsory for the students, in addition to working towards increasing the salary package for the graduates and intensify our facilities," concludes Dr. Pandey.

The academic excellence speaks for itself and that two students from AKGIM appeared in the merit list of top 10 students in AKTU, Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The pursuit of excellence in all the areas of students grooming is very sound making the efforts in all dimensions of training and development a perceptible success.

Dr. T R Pandey, Director
A Doctorate from Lucknow University, Dr. T R Pandey holds over a decade of experience in academics. Presently he is serving as the Professor and Director at AKGIM.