Symbiosis International University and Project Management Institute collaborate to promote skill development and encourage industry academia interaction, Gauri Rane reports.
As per the Anderson Economic Group’s study, ‘Estimating Project Management Practitioner Skills Gap, 2010-2020’, till 2020, India is projected to need almost 400,000 new project professionals not just in IT sector but across all project-oriented industries including infrastructure industry. “With 400,000 positions predicted to open up every year up to 2020, this is the crucial time to train prospective project managers in required skills, knowledge, processes and techniques,” explains Girish Kadam, president, Project Management Institute (PMI), Pune. It is to tackle this demand supply ratio that PMI has collaborated with Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resource Development, (SCMHRD) Pune, to train students in skills that will make them industry ready.
SCMHRD had recently introduced an MBA in Infrastructure Management and this tie up with PMI proves to be an add-on qualification for students. “Since infrastructure is all about projects, we felt that an association with PMI will provide the much needed exposure to students in theory and practice,” explains Vidya Yeravdekar, principle director, Symbiosis Society.
PMI has also announced an endowment programme especially for students pursuing MBA in Infrastructure Management at SCMHRD. “This programme aims to enhance the project management skills of management students who have opted for this course,” informs Kadam. As part of the endowment programme, PMI will offer scholarships to students who do well in the project management subject of the course. Plans to expand coverage of this association to other Symbiosis institutes are also in the pipeline.
According to the MoU signed between the two institutes, experts from PMI’s Pune Deccan Chapter will train the students in project management curriculum via guest lectures. “This training will help the students to learn about project management, get industry knowledge and eventually earn the much valuable CAPM or PMP certification once they pass the examination,” says Yeravdekar.
Post course completion, the availability of open positions is just one part of the appeal of a project management career path; the substantial salaries are another enticement. “The median annualized salary of a project manager in India with 5 to 10 years of project management work experience in India is approx Rs 20, 00,000,” informs Kadam.
Looking at the job opportunities and pay packages offered, one can conclude that project management is indeed a profession where the income levels continue to rise despite recession. The salaries of project managers around the world continue to climb, indicating not only that project management professionals are in strong demand, but also that organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of trained project managers to further their overall business goals.
Three main benefits for the students through this tie-up:
- Research opportunities from PMI
- Get industry ready with valuable certifications viz. CAPM and PMP and resultant better employment opportunities.
- Networking and interaction with industry professionals through cases and lectures.
