The Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIMN) inaugurated the Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Data Science for Business Excellence and Innovation, on Sunday. Ms. Srimathi Shivashankar (Corporate Vice-President and Head – New Vistas, HCL Technologies) was the Chief Guest for the event.
The event marks the beginning of a number of PG Certificate Programmes aimed towards early- and mid-career professionals who seek upskilling opportunities to perform effectively in their current roles and to take up greater challenges as they move through various stages in their careers. The programmes range from 9 to 12 months in duration, are conveniently scheduled outside of work hours and provide working executives with the flexibility of learning from their convenient locations.
The inauguration ceremony commenced with lamp lighting, and the dedication of a sandalwood sapling presented as a symbol of growth to the batch, which will be planted in the Executive Education block on the permanent campus of IIM Nagpur.
Prof Atul Arun Pathak (Chairperson, Executive Education), welcomed the first batch to the programme. He stated how leadership skills are put to test in a volatile and unpredictable world, that we have found ourselves in now. He congratulated the participants of the first batch for making the decision to enter a rigorous learning programme. Prof Pathak assured them that IIM Nagpur would extend its support to the working professionals to ensure that they are able to balance their professional responsibilities with their learning commitments.
IIM Nagpur has partnered with Jaro Education for delivering these programmes. Dr Sanjay Salunkhe, CEO of Jaro Education, was also present at the event. He was optimistic about the potential of the programme, exhorting participants to learn while remaining rooted in the Indian value system.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Bhimaraya Metri (Director, IIM Nagpur) said, “IIM Nagpur is at the logistical hub of India, in close proximity to central and state government institutions as well as a number of corporate organizations. It thus has a significant locational advantage. Our state-of-the-art 132-acre permanent campus is nearly ready, and we boast of over 30 faculty members who are not only conducting cutting-edge, responsible research, but also have considerable corporate experience. We have three programmes currently, the flagship MBA programme, the PhD programme commencing this year, and the MBA for Working Professionals that we are planning to launch in August to cater to industry professionals in and around Vidarbha. In addition to this, we are also geared up to start executive MBA programmes in Pune in October. Discussions are underway to start a similar programme in Hyderabad over the course of the next academic year. There are also a number of short-term training programmes in progress for executives from PSUs, government and private corporate organizations.
Giving an overview of the batch for the PG Certificate Programme in Data Science for Business Excellence and Innovation, Dr Metri stated that the first batch of the programme has participants from diverse backgrounds. Participants are from over 60 multinational companies across domains – such as HCL Technologies, TCS, Wipro, JP Morgan, Genpact, and Bank of America, to name a few. The batch is composed of 40% female professionals, with an average work experience of 11 years. The participants hail from 31 cities across 14 states of India.
Dr Metri highlighted how peer learning can be especially leveraged in such a diverse batch, with IIM Nagpur striving to create a conducive environment for professionals to focus on learning to learn, and thinking about thinking, as well as trigger new initiatives and ideas in a digital, disruptive world. He emphasized on the need for unlearning and new learning, perpetually in order to succeed as leaders of the future in an Intelligence Era.
He went on to mention that just as Zero Mile at Nagpur was the point of origin for distances, the PG Certificate programme at IIM Nagpur will also be a marker of new beginnings and transformations for the participants.
Ms Srimathi Shivashankar (Corporate Vice President and Head – New Vistas, HCL Technologies), delivered the inaugural address at the occasion. In an insightful address to the participants, she focused on the significance of gleaning useful perspectives from data, and how the right use of data helps mitigate the volatility and uncertainty in business environments. She said that it was essential for man and machine to work together in order to enhance productivity and grow, emphasizing that only people with interdisciplinary skills, and the ability to shoulder general management, will become leaders of the future. She also exhorted the participants to develop their soft skills, learn to ask the right questions, and take initiative instead of waiting for a path to open up, when faced with a crisis. She congratulated IIM Nagpur on initiating such a relevant course, and expressed her willingness to recruit graduates of the certificate programme from the institution for her own strategy teams. Ms Srimathi then responded to questions from the participants of the programme.
Prof Kapil Kaushik and Prof Sayantee Jana, Programme Coordinators for the Online Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Data Science for Business Excellence and Innovation, congratulated the participants for opting to upgrade their competencies with the course, highlighting that the programme would equip them with the foundations of data science, expose them to contemporary use cases in the domain, acquaint them with industry experts and enable them to use analytics to innovate products and services. Prof Jana expressed her hope for the programme to make a constructive difference in participants’ professional lives, and concluded the event with a vote of thanks.