Vital Statistics

• WHAT IS IT? A school for nfrastructure management. • WHO’S THE BOSS? Dr Panduranga Vithal. • HOW CHEAP IS IT? The annual fees for the course is Rs 1 lakh. • WHAT ABOUT JOBS? The institute feels it doesn’t need a placement cell since the job market is booming. • WHERE TO STAY? There are no hostel facilities. • WHERE IS IT? BDA Complex, Koramangala, Bangalore 560 034; Tel: 080-25522664; Website: www.minds-india.org

With urban India on a development overdrive and policymakers harping on the benefits of industrial growth, states across the country are focusing on the expansion and modernisation of civic and industrial infrastructure. The need of the hour, hence, is a specialised workforce that can effectively manage infrastructure and formulate development strategies. The Centre for Symbiosis of Technology, Environment and Management (STEM) ? an NGO based in Bangalore ? believes it has taken a step in that direction. Come September, STEM?S brainchild ? the School of Management for Infrastructure and Development Strategies, India (MINDS) ? will be the first institute in the country to offer a postgraduate diploma course in infrastructure management (PGDIM). ?Courses on construction management have been around. But infrastructure management has never been taught in India,? says Dr Panduranga Vithal, director of MINDS.

STEM is an 18-year-old organisation that specialises in training, research and consulting in urban infrastructure. Vithal says the NGO wanted to share its knowledge of infrastructure management with students. ?India does not have an adequate pool of trained manpower to handle the crores of rupees that are being pumped into urban infrastructure,? the director asserts. ?Creating new infrastructure is not just an engineer?s job. It needs people with a holistic perspective of the subject. The course will enable engineers to handle infrastructure projects more independently,? he adds.

The PGDIM course incorporates a wide range of subjects that include environment studies, handling regulatory bodies keeping economic considerations in mind, long-term planning and funding and utilisation of latest technology. ?Only senior professionals in an organisation have a holistic understanding of the projects. But very often, they don?t have the time to pass it down to junior employees. This leads to chaos in the daily management of infrastructure projects,? Vithal opines.

The course is also an attempt to bring good engineers back into the profession. ?It?s a niche course, tailor-made for engineers. It will draw the attention of people genuinely interested in this field,? says Vithal. The PGDIM is predominantly a value-addition course for engineers. ?Engineers know all about the technological aspects of infrastructure. This course will update them on financial aspects, environmental implications and behavioural processes. It will concentrate on their soft and hard skills,? he adds.

Apart from engineers, company secretaries, management graduates and MSc students will also be considered for admission. MINDS has a collaboration with Karnataka?s Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) which has granted the PGDIM programme official recognition.

The PGDIM is a one-year programme broken into three modules. The first module concentrates on the core infrastructure-related subjects of the course. The second module addresses competency building while the third concentrates on practical training. Specialisations will be offered in transportation construction and planning management, power and energy, and settlement management. MINDS has also designed a flexible semester schedule keeping working professionals in mind. ?They can study one module each year as it is not possible to take an entire year off,? says Vithal. The director promises that students will interact extensively with the industry. ?We have invited several industry professionals,? says Vithal. Most lecturers have been drawn from the IITs and IIMs, he adds.

The first batch starts in September with the number of seats between 40 and 50. The admission procedure includes a group discussion and a personal interview. ?We want to judge whether the students who apply are fit for the course,? says Vithal. The annual fees for the PGDIM programme is Rs 1 lakh.

Now for the vital issue that concerns every student ? placements. MINDS does not think it will be a problem. Vithal believes the institute doesn?t even need a placement cell as the job market is high on demand and very low on supply. He cites some figures to prove his point. ?Larsen and Toubro has announced plans of hiring 150 engineers this year and between 300 to 500 next year. The company faces an attrition rate of 250 engineers each year. The demand for trained professionals will rise,? he asserts.

VARUNA VERMA