Jorhat, Dec. 9: The first batch of undergraduate students of the Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Co-operative Management in Sivasagar is heading to Maharashtra and Gujarat for a two-month internship.
Along with the students, 10 faculty members will supervise the students and bring case studies, which will be used as learning material.
Vice-chancellor Rafiquz Zaman said the hands-on training would benefit the 30 students who are travelling to Maharashtra today.
'I am happy that IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited), Amul and Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Islampur in Maharashtra are collaborating with us in this first-of-its-kind internship programme,' Zaman said.
The programme will be divided in phases with the students being given an extensive and intensive hands-on learning at Bombay Rayon Fashions Ltd, from December 14 to 25. This will be followed by extensive visits to various co-operatives in and around Islampur.
From January 1 to 31, the students will visit and learn the management techniques of co-operatives at Warana sugar factory, Gokul dairy plant, Rayat Seva Krishi Udyog, Kasba Bawda Society, Boragaon Society, Shahu Sugar Factory, an IFFCO-adopted village, Datta Shetkari Sugar Factory, Shirol and other small co-operatives at Kohlapur known as co-operative hub in Maharashtra.
From February 1 to 7, the batch will move to Anand to get an exposure of the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation and Amul and field exposure in small groups at villages of Khera district in Anand after which the students will return to Sivasagar on February 10.
'Such an extensive exposure trip will help the BBA students when they take admission to the MBA course. After the tour is over, each student will have to prepare an individual report about what they have learnt in regard to the functionality of a co-operative society,' Zaman said.
Earlier, these students were given a rigorous 15-day training at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) at Bhopal in a bid to ingrain in them the need to manage and protect forest resources as a group activity.
'In our university we do not have a number of courses. There is only one degree, which we offer the BBA degree in co-operative. Our mentor is IIM Ahmedabad which helped us develop the syllabus,' Zaman said.
