The Higher Education Review

Dr. Rajeev Bhardwaj

He is currently the Executive Director at Accurate Business School. Dr. Bhardwaj has over 15 years of experience in the field of academics. He believes, "It is extremely important that B-Schools prove to the industry that they are pulling up their socks and providing the upcoming management graduates with the skills that are required to be part of the industry, or else they will perish."

Every year during the placement season, hundreds of companies visit many management institutions in the hope of hiring management graduates who will fit the job positions available in the best possible way. As there are so many management professionals in the job market today, companies often recruit them on the basis of their skills. While there are more than 3300 B-Schools in India, majority of the institutes do not provide their students with the necessary skills that are required to become successful. Due to this, many graduates have decided not to pursue their MBA education as they would waste two years and still get the same job which they can easily get after their graduation.

Noticing the downward path that MBA education was taking, the management at Accurate Institute of Management and Technology (AIMT) decided to change the way management education was being delivered at the institute. "At AIMT we decided that we had to do things differently and shifted our focus to provide our students with the much needed soft skills along with the technical skills. This approach has changed the entire focus, making employability a central focus," says Poonam Sharma (Group Director). She adds, "The skills have been defined by a board of business leaders from various organizations." To increase strong corporate networking, the institute has gained Memberships of the All India Management Association, Noida Management Association, CII, NHRD, DMA and various other Professional Bodies.

Advantage of Tie-ups with the Industry

One of the distinct advantages that AIMT enjoys is the vast degree of involvement that the industry has, in shaping the academic content of the two year PGDM course that is offered to students. This has ensured that the students at the end of the two years are well equipped to meet the expectations of the corporate world, and the fast changing business environment.

"Our students have been benefited through the revision in the curriculum by the Curriculum Revision Committee at AIMT, which consists of the faculty members, leading academicians from the other reputed & leading institutions and representatives from the corporate world," says Dr. Rajeev Bhardwaj, Executive Director. "The committee meets every quarter to review the dynamics of changes in the industry and recommends the necessary changes in the curriculum" adds Dr. Bhardwaj.

The institute organizes events including conferences, seminars, and workshops that aim at dissemination of thoughts, views, ideas and opinions of the leading doyens from industry, academia and other luminaries from their specialized domain area. This has acted as a strong blending exercise of industry and academia thereby giving a catalytic boost to the process of knowledge integration. AIMT has arranged a variety of workshops with different focus areas including personality development, business communication, business etiquettes, Interview skills, Resume writing and many others. “The events provide a common platform to practitioners/Industry professionals, Academicians, Researchers, students and various others to come to a common platform to discuss and exchange ideas on contemporary themes/issues of management,” says Dr. Bhardwaj.

Projects have become compulsory and indispensable part of the curriculum at AIMT where all students are compulsorily required to undertake Research Projects/ Live Projects and prepare the dissertations according to their curriculum. The Summer Internship Project of eight week duration is carried out by every student, who is required to undergo practical training in a corporate organization or may undertake a research project under the guidance of a faculty member.

The Optimum Utilization of Faculty and Pedagogy

At AIMT the faculty members act as mentors not only for the project or assignments but also for the students throughout their tenure at the institute. "As the faculty is the backbone of any institute, we look for faculty, who act as mentors for students, as we understand that students have the capability to achieve the goals, if given proper direction and motivation," says Ms. Poonam Sharma. AIMT has faculty members who are a mix of both, PhD's and industry experience.

"The institute has launched Accurate Business Review, to encourage the faculty to engage in research, and motivate them to participate in various international and national, conferences and seminars" says Dr. Rajeev Bhardwaj.

The faculty and the management realizing the ever changing corporate world has implemented a variety of pedagogical methodologies to improve the skills of the students. Students are required to participate in making presentations, solving and creating case studies, playing management games and creating business plans. "Implementation of the case study methodology has been invaluable to the students who participate in all three processes which range from development, analysis and solving the case study," adds Ms. Poonam Shrama Group Director.

The institute has been flourishing as they have been able to achieve 100 percent placements with companies such as Microsoft, Data 64, Indian Navy, Capital IQ, ACS Global, LinkedIn, Appstudioz, Cummins and many more. While AIMT plans to convert the institute into a university, and a place of learning for all, the institute is looking forward to achieve its endeavor in developing thriving business leaders of tomorrow.