The Hindu : Front Page : Colleges help students take up part-time jobs

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Friday, Sep 01, 2006

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Colleges help students take up part-time jobs

Karthik Madhavan

Colleges help students take up part-time jobs

ERODE: M. Tamarai Selvi wears many hats. Among them are as student in the Management Department of Kongu Arts and Science College, Nanjanapuram, near Erode and as telemarketing executive of a private company. Ms. Selvi juggles these two with ease.

Every day between 8.30 a.m. and 1.45 p.m. she is at the college pursuing her MBA. And from 3 to 6 p.m. she works for the company.

Like her, many classmates work part-time. In the process, they study management concepts, sales techniques and customer care in theory in the morning and get to test and fine-tune them in the afternoon.

"I study marketing as an elective theory in class and practical in the company. While in the company, I answer clients of all types with various needs. This helps me understand the subject better," says Ms. Selvi. In the process she also gets some money.

The college has 22 such students and their performance in the class is better than that of others, says S. Kuppusamy, head of the department.

"Their level of confidence increases, and it shows in the class. They are able to suggest strategies while discussing case studies and come up with solutions. And they are also able to see the relevance of what they study. It is perhaps his college's USP (unique selling point).''

The college adopts different time schedule to help management students take up part-time jobs.

This idea of rescheduling the class and allowing students to take up part-time jobs was mooted by D. Venkateswaran, a member of the Kongu Vellalar Institute of Technology Trust, which runs the college. In Sri Vasavi College here, the management facilitates students to take up part-time jobs. Here the facility is not restricted to management students, though.

Principal V. Sivakumar says that as and when companies knock at the college's door, he sends a circular to students, who respond in large numbers and take up jobs.

Apart from being a learning experience, it helps students from weaker sections meet their expenses, says Mr. Sivakumar.

"Students from not-so-well-off families take up work. Part-time jobs help such students finance their education."The college has entered into a tie-up with the Erode District Small Industries Association (EEDISSIA) to help the latter in administrative work.

EEDISSIA's R. Mylsami says the association is ready to help students gain work experience.

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