Change is obvious in our dynamic world, and these changes require an innovative approach, says Asst. Prof. Kumar

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Assistant Professor Pradeep Kumar R at Global Institute of Business Studies talks at length about the industry-academia gap as a matter of concern. He goes into detail talking about the importance of practical exposure and industrial training to bridge this gap.

Professor Kumar has over five years of experience in industrial training and development. He has completed an MBA from MU and BCom from BU and currently pursuing PhD programme.

Read the complete interview below.

Q: What are the salient features of the teaching methodology adopted by your college? How does this differ from others?

A: Our college (GIBS Business School) has adopted unique teaching methodologies. These methodologies mainly consist of four approaches: teacher-centered methods; learner-centered methods; content-focused methods; and interactive/ participative methods. Each of these methods is used as per the need and demand of the specific topic. We have applied these unique methodologies because it is difficult to find a single tool for different aspects of the ever-changing and fast-paced learning systems.

Q: How are you preparing your students to be industry-ready?

A: Undoubtedly, there is a gap between the industry-required skillset and the trained workforce. To bridge the gap, every teacher and college needs to have a system that ensures academic learning with practical industry training. We have immersed ourselves in multiple activities such as IRE Lab activities, live case analysis, and practical problem-solving sessions. We are enabling students to improve their communication skills through class presentations and by continuing to finish school sections.

Q: What are the qualities you are looking for in student applicants? What qualities do they need to do well in your course?

A: Basically, we expect students to be more creative and proactive. We focus on basic skills such as language, communication, etiquette, and attitude.

Q: How do you ensure that your course curriculum is up-to-date and meets industry requirements?

A: Change is obvious in our dynamic world, and these changes require an innovative approach. We keep a close look at these changes and constantly modify our curriculum accordingly. Along with basic subjects, we focus on other key areas such as soft-skills training and personality development. We have a team of dedicated industry professionals who regularly provide research-based inputs. Based on these inputs, we ensure that our course curriculum is always updated.

Q: Is your college receptive to innovation, technology, science, and entrepreneurship? How? Could you cite some examples of these?

A: Our students are part of innovative training programmes where they have exclusive access to entrepreneurial training under the guidance of top industry professionals. Our initiative has resulted in some successful business launches. ‘Neerwala’ a drinking water supply network, is one of the successful business startups by our final year BBA students. Similarly, our students build a business called ‘Brownie Boy’. It is a brownie-making and selling business run by a group of students from our college. These startups took the shape of reality under our entrepreneurship development skill programme.