Moulding leaders for manufacturing sector
J.S. BABLU
|
A programme is being launched by two IITs and an IIM to mould visionary leaders in the manufacturing sector.
|
Manufacturing vision: The manufacturing field requires top-class leaders.
The National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) was set up by the Union Government to serve as a policy forum for enhancing the competitiveness of the country’s manufacturing sector. As part of its long-term manufacturing strategy, the council has readied a postgraduate programme for executives for visionary leadership in manufacturing (PGPEX-VLM), which is jointly conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, and the Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs) in Kanpur and Madras. Shoji Shiba, an internationally renowned expert in the manufacturing sector and recipient of Deming Prize, will assist in the design and conduct of the programme.
Announcing the programme, council chairman V. Krishnamurthy expressed the hope that the programme would generate 300 visionary leaders in the manufacturing field in three years.
Admission
The programme is meant for promising engineers drawn from the manufacturing sector who have the potential to occupy top management positions. A first-class degree in any branch of engineering is the basic eligibility for this course. Also, the candidates should have a minimum five-year (as on July 31) experience in manufacturing and related sectors, holding responsibilities in production planning and control, research, design and development, quality control, plant engineering, maintenance, marketing and so on. Candidates can be sponsored by their employers. The batch size for the academic year 2007-08 will be 30 to 35.
It is a full-time residential programme for a year. There will be 32 weeks of classroom interactions, case studies, tutorials, lab sessions and projects at the IITs with 960 interaction hours. There will be 11 to 13 weeks of internship in the industry. The objective of the internship is to provide an opportunity for doing state-of-the-art research leading to a product/process redesign or an innovation. The pedagogy includes learning from a team-based approach for addressing complex issues. The course delivery will be through a mix of classroom lectures, case studies and individual and team assignments.
The course includes industry tours both within India and abroad with an aim of understanding the global manufacturing environment. It is a continuing education programme. The award of a joint postgraduate diploma in management for executives in manufacturing is under the consideration of the three institutes. If the award of diploma is not approved, a joint certificate of the three institutes will be awarded.
“Generally, engineers in the manufacturing sector have great technical expertise but no management exposure. But they need input from management. In today’s manufacturing sector, technology will be of different levels. Only a management perspective can bring in an idea on what is the right kind of technology to be adopted,” says K. Ravikumar, Director, Farook Institute of Management Studies (FIMS), Kozhikode, and alumnus of IIM, Ahmedabad. He says manufacturing technology used varied with countries. Choosing the best technology is imperative in the global market. Management expertise is needed to make a comparative analysis of the quality of manufacturing technology in various countries, he says.
Course features
The programme has been designed to develop leadership and management skills, along with cutting-edge technology awareness and proficiency. The programme will have a proper balance of theoretical inputs and practical training to develop a high degree of leadership skill for enabling companies to use manufacturing as a competitive weapon. The admission process is based on academic performance, a valid GMAT or GRE score (if available within last three years), relevant work experience, employers’ recommendation and performance in the aptitude test and interview, conducted jointly by the three institutes. The fee is Rs. 5 lakh. A GMAT/GRE score is not mandatory.
The aptitude test consists of three parts and is of two hours duration. Part 1 consist of an analytical ability test, Part 2 verbal ability and Part 3 engineering aptitude. There will be 25 per cent negative marking in the aptitude test.
There is no prescribed syllabus for the engineering section of the aptitude test. The idea is to test the candidate’s ability to apply some fundamental engineering concepts across various disciplines. Specific- and advanced-level preparation of any particular branch of engineering is not required. For details, contact the VLMP Office, IIM Calcutta, Joka, Diamond Harbour Road, Kolkata – 700104, or VLMP Office Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Kalyanpur, Kanpur 208 016 or VLMP Office, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai – 600 036 (e-mail: vlmp@iitk.ac.in; web sites: www.iimcal.ac.in / www.iitk.ac.in/vlm / www.iitm.ac.in.) The last date for receiving application forms is June 15. The aptitude test will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on June 23 at the IIM-C. The personal interview will be conducted on June 24 there. The final list of candidates will be announced on June 30. The programme will start on August 27.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Education Plus
Kerala
