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Kya hai right CHOICE, Baby?
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Horse blinkered into thinking of nothing but engineering and medicine, students are usually unaware of the umpteen options open to them. RAKHEE MOHAN scours the city colleges and picks out some of the sought after choices.
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UNEMPLOYMENT IS a grave concern that has remained on the hot list of debatable topics but whereas some only show lip sympathy to its sufferers others have gone ahead and taken the initiative to erase its sting. The city colleges are abounding in courses that would on the surface seem unassuming but their significance is veritably immense.
For those who had sounded the death knell for degree courses it should come as a real surprise to know that they are alive and kicking and only ever so ready to diversify and accommodate newer subsidiaries that are era relevant. Agreeing with this view is Fr. Saviance, Principal, Sacred Heart College, Thevara who says, "Conventional courses are a must but it has to be updated to suit the needs and wants of the times."
The college has on offer a B. A. English Copyediting, a three-year degree course that has gained immense popularity because it is tailor made to suit the needs of the communicative age. "This course offers the students an insight into the workings of new age journalism and desk top publishing and with the students being sent on a month's training to newspaper houses or advertising agencies they get hands-on training experience in the respective fields, adds Fr. Saviance."
St. Teresa's College has been conducting the three year Communicative English course for some years now and it has proved to be a boon for the girl students who have seized the opportunity to make inroads into several job sectors that seek good communication skills. Dr. Sister Vineetha, lecturer, English Department, enlightens us further by noting, "At first the U.G.C had begun the course as a means of getting the students employed as soon as they graduated. But now we have so designed the course that our students can opt for higher studies in Mass Communication or even do their post graduation in Literature." And now with a number of jobs wanting front office executives and customer support personnel the placements are guaranteed. Moreover, on the job training have landed many with permanent jobs even before they have passed out. Further, Sister Vineetha adds, "This course instils a self confidence and develops entrepreneurial skills as our students become well versed with all the technicalities inherent in the concerned field."
St. Xavier's College For Women, Aluva, also has the course in addition to which it has a vocational course in Zoology with Medical Biology as subsidiary and Bio-Chemistry as complementary subjects. They also have an MSc in Microbiology. Sacred Heart College was the first in the State to start their course in Industrial Chemistry. It also has MSc in Applied Chemistry and BSc in Computer Applications, which many of the city colleges too offer seeing that one can opt for MCA as higher studies. More often than not the majority of the students opt for higher studies and these degree courses do not any way hamper their desire. Fr. Saviance too believes that, "It is only the degree students who are ready to go in for research activities and many of our students are opting for higher studies rather than going in straight away for jobs."
Sister Tessa, Principal of St. Teresa's, also informs us that the college conducts a three-year degree course in French language and one of the papers has travel and tourism as its subject of study. "This course will appeal to students who want to utilise their knowledge of a foreign language in the area of travel and tourism." And with Kochi buzzing with tourism activity all round this is an innovative course specially designed by the college itself. They also offer a B. A. in Bharatanatyam with Mohiniyattam and Abhinaya Sangeetam as subsidiaries. But as Sister Tessa points out, "only those with an aptitude will opt for this course but in the long run it will pay dividends as they can be self employed conducting their own classes." The college also has on offer two post-graduate diploma courses in Fashion Technology and Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, which have proved to be quite a popular pick with students. As Sister Tessa adds, "All our 13 students in Dietetics have been placed with leading hospitals." Even fashion technology has provided the girls with self-employment opportunities. Others go in as consultants or join apparel industries.
St. Albert's College has a three-year degree course in Aquaculture that deals with all aspects of aquatic life and conducts a course in Industrial Fisheries, which deals with capturing, processing, marketing and management. Dr. Ajit Thomas John, Senior Lecturer of the college points out, "When it comes to placements there is no segregation between these courses." Processing and export plants rope in these bright students upon completion of the course for marketing of the seed and feed for fishes. Private labs, hatcheries and scientifically managed farms all recruit skilled manpower. "This year we have successfully placed our students and some of them have flown to even Canada, New Zealand and the Gulf." Moreover, there are opportunities in plenty in the maritime states within the country itself. He adds, "the college has a one hectare farm catering to the project and research needs of the students so they get an hands on experience in the practicalities of this subject." They can also opt for higher studies in applied fisheries, biotechnology, microbiology and even MBA. Robert Stanley, Vice-Principal, and attached to the Chemistry Department informs that the first batch of students are going to pass out from the Vocational Chemistry course and the students, because of the in-house training that they received in the fifth semester, are quite confident of placements.
St. Paul's College, Kalamasserry, has two vocational courses in Petrochemicals and English Teaching in Lower Classes, which is equivalent to TTC. Principal V. X. Sebastian, though points out, " It is the Commerce stream that is gathering momentum for the youth as a career in marketing is the most sought after one now." So it comes as no surprise that Sacred Heart College has started a self-financing course in B.Com with Computers.
Most of the city colleges have applied to the U.G.C. for add-on courses and for newer branches of studies but the U.G.C. has been quite slow in granting sanctions, as there is paucity of funds. St. Albert's College has managed to get a grant from the U.G.C. from this year to begin add-on courses in actuarial sciences, media studies and documentation. And Prof. Leslie Pallath, Principal of the college, testifies to the importance of actuarial science. "With so many insurance companies and mutual funds companies scouring for manpower this is the most lucrative course this time." Acturial science deals with statistical analysis. They are professionals who determine future risk, make price decisions and formulate investment strategies. Media studies involve film and literature and advertising. The Malayalam and Physics departments of the college are conducting it. They are also beginning from this year a one-year BEC (Business English Certificate) course to strengthen English communication skills in the field of business. The Cambridge University, London, will be issuing the certificates. Apart from all these courses the college is one of the best centres in the country to offer professional education for the C.A. exam. After completion of Plus Two, those desirous of joining the C.A. can directly approach the centre instead of going in for graduation.
Prof. Harry Cleetus, coordinator of IGNOU says, "IGNOU has courses that are specific and need based and what they don't offer you in colleges you can get it at IGNOU." So you have tourism studies, library science, hospital management, mass communication, HIV and Family Education, Creative Writing in English and Hindi and a variety of certificate and post-graduate diploma courses to choose from.
The options are many, but as Prof. Leslie Pallath points out, "The students have been so horse blinkered into thinking only of engineering and medicine that they are not aware of the choices available to them. One has to choose according to one's aptitude and bent of mind."
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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