Category education

By Sushma Sharma, Director – Career Success Strategy, Veative Group

“The world of work is constantly changing and evolving. From the era of specialization and hyper-specialization wherein employees had defined roles focusing on a specific task or domain, the working landscape has come a long way. Today, it’s not uncommon for employees to take on a variety of tasks and have a diverse set of skills. Interestingly, future careers are expected to be led by a higher level of cross-functionality and a multidisciplinary system of working. A recent report by the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, most jobs will require a blend of technical, social, and emotional skills.

The way forward: a multidisciplinary approach

Albert Einstein once said, “All religions, arts, and sciences are branches from the same tree.” Specialization has long been emphasized in higher education. The majority of students, including those who have not yet enrolled in college, are aware that after taking core classes, they would have to study a particular field of interest. While specialization has paved the way for in-depth exploration to build on expertise in a field, the current career landscape takes it a step further. It demands a heightened synergy between streams and subjects to synthesize concepts from other fields to prepare students for the world of work in a better way. The National Education Policy (NEP 2020) also emphasizes the importance of incorporating a multidisciplinary approach to education. The NCF 2022 (National Curriculum Framework) proposes to implement the features of NEP for the holistic development of children from an early age. The inclusion of stimulating experiences for a child’s development in varied dimensions – cognitive, social-emotional, along with physical, will enable them to gain precious skills required in the world of work later.

Connecting the dots between streams

It has been increasingly recognized that students need the best of both worlds when they are preparing for the future. For instance, STEM graduates may hold mastery in their subject but lack business and project management skills, such as leadership and communication. All kinds of roles will require essential skills such as logical reasoning, critical thinking, effective communication, and ethical behavior. The increasing dependability on technology and automation across industries translates to higher demand for candidates that can combine technical expertise with business acumen and creative abilities. Many professions such as data science use a combination of technical skills (such as programming and statistical analysis) and domain-specific knowledge (such as business or healthcare) to analyze and interpret large datasets. Similarly, UX design combines design, psychology, and technology skills to create user-friendly and intuitive products and interfaces. It is important for individuals to be adaptable and open to learning new skills and knowledge areas in order to stay competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing job market. NEP has emphasized the dissolution of a strict demarcation between streams and that students should be offered more flexibility in choosing subjects. The way subjects are taught in an integrated manner at the foundational stage needs to make space for different combinations to inculcate dynamic skill sets in students.

Emerging careers

Interdisciplinary approach to learning encourages students to bring together knowledge and skills from different disciplines. Some emerging careers that require an integrative approach to learning include:

Renewable energy engineers: They use a combination of technical skills, such as electrical engineering and renewable energy technologies, and non-technical skills such as project management and communication, to design and implement renewable energy systems.

Social media manager: They apply a combination of marketing skills, such as content creation and social media strategy, and technical skills, such as data analysis and social media platform management, to manage a company’s social media presence and engage with customers.

Robotics engineers: They use technical skills, such as programming and mechanical engineering, and non-technical skills, such as problem-solving and project management, to design and build robots and automated systems.

Biomedical engineer: Biology and engineering expertise is combined with non-technical skills, such as project management and communication, to develop medical devices and technologies.

To ensure that students have a common thread running through science, business and humanities, we must focus on creating linkages between all three disciplines. Tomorrow’s employers will value collaboration. A report by the McKinsey Global Institute predicts that there will be a growing demand for hybrid jobs that combine technical and non-technical skills, such as data analysts who can also communicate effectively with business stakeholders. Thought leaders from various disciplines must work together to find solutions to the complicated issues we currently face, such as climate change, the pandemic, or the role of artificial intelligence. We can put diverse spaces in perspective by combining several streams, helping the young workforce to achieve success in the dynamic job market of the future.

With the careers of the future involving a blend of different skills and knowledge domains, the education industry needs to step up in order to prepare students for success. This may involve integrative learning experiences that help learners develop the skills and proficiency necessary to be flexible and adaptable in a rapidly changing employment market.

Mumbai, 10 February 2023: CollegeDekho, India’s largest higher education services ecosystem has won the award for the ‘Best Enrollment & Admissions Management Solutions of the Year’ at the recently concluded Education Innovation Summit & Awards 2023, held in Bengaluru. After their win in the last year’s edition of the same awards in 2022, CollegeDekho’s positive impact on the higher education ecosystem and value proposition proved critical in ensuring this victory for a second consecutive time.

Since 2015, CollegeDekho has guided over 85 lakh students while successfully ensuring 1.3 lakh admissions, across all its platforms. They began with a vision to create a globally trusted student guidance ecosystem. The company has a unique and innovative Common Application Form (CAF) platform where students can apply to multiple colleges with a single click. Students also benefit from CollegeDekho’s website which offers various information on more than 35,000 colleges and universities across the country. Along with its offerings for students, CollegeDekho also helps more than 1500 colleges with their student recruitment.

On receiving the award for the category of ‘Best Enrollment & Admissions Management Solutions of the Year’, Ruchir Arora, CEO & Co-Founder, CollegeDekho, expressed his excitement and said, “We are delighted to receive this title twice in a row, which is a testimony of our hard work and goal-oriented vision to create a globally trusted student guidance ecosystem. This motivates us to continue our mission of guiding students from across the country on various higher education-related choices that not only open avenues for their employability but also match their interest and capability.”

In the past year, CollegeDekho has increased its workforce and made key additions to its senior leadership. The company also made strategic acquisitions which have enabled CollegeDekho to strengthen its existing offerings while opening up avenues to explore newer opportunities to positively affect the lives of students. The value proposition of the company has also led existing investors to double down on their investment by pumping USD 9 million into the company.

Kolkata, 9 February 2023: Gurunanak Institute of Technology, under the JIS group, hosted a meet-and-greet session with the lead actor of the upcoming Bengali movie “LSD: Laal Suitcase ta Dekhechen,” Soham Chakraborty, along with director Sayantan Ghoshal and music director Savvy, at the college campus on Wednesday evening. The session was attended by thousands of students of Guru Nanak College Campus and they enjoyed interacting with the star cast throughout the time.

The movie promises to deliver an engaging dark comedy with many twists and turns. Other actors in the movie include Kanchan Mallick, Sourav Chakraborty, Avijeet Guha, Labony Sarkar, and others in key roles. The film highlights the implication of drug addiction and how it destroys the young generation. A dark comedy in itself is an intriguing genre and is based on a very relevant issue that is a cause of serious concern. Shot in real locations the movie has potentially all the spices for preparing a perfect entertainer along with its social message. Both the actors were cordial to the college students and answered most of the questions with a smile on their faces which won the heart of the audience present there.

Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Taranjit Singh, Managing Director of JIS Group mentioned, “As an educational institution our foremost duty is to guide the students on a path that leads to a successful future. Hence, it was absolutely amazing to witness the lead cast of a Bengali movie that promises to bring up a relevant issue and guide youngsters to a safe path for themselves.”

New Delhi, February 08, 2023: To bridge the gap between India-specific public policy content and material, the Indian School of Public Policy today announced the opening of its new research center – The Case Study Centre. The center will serve as a hub for rigorous and cutting-edge policy research, driving innovation and thought leadership in the field of public policy with curated Indian content from the national, state, and local government levels. The research center will provide a platform for faculty, students, and policy practitioners to collaborate and tackle complex policy challenges in Indian contexts through data-driven and evidence-based research.

The Case Study Centre will produce case studies covering a wide range of issues in public policy, administration, and governance with a very Indian focus. By converting the tensions and dilemmas faced by policymakers into teaching material, the center provides public policy professionals with a rich repository of real-life policy problems they can analyze, solve, and learn from.

Additionally, ISPP has taken a step forward to enhance the school’s intellectual capital and support its vision to create impactful solutions for India’s most pressing policy challenges through the appointment of three senior faculty members across ‘Sarkar, Samaaj and Bazaar’ (Government, Academia and Corporates) respectively.

Dr. O P Agarwal, Professor Krishna K Ladha, and Mr. Ajay Khanna, who have over 130 years of combined experience, bring their diverse experiences and skill sets to take ISPP to higher levels across academic and research programs.

Dr. O P Agarwal joined as Professor of Practice and Advisor, Case Study Centre. He is teaching the Urban domain at ISPP, among others. Dr. O P Agarwal is one of India’s leading figures in urbanization, infrastructure, and urban transport. Till recently, he was CEO of World Resources Institute 2017-2022, after a 6-year stint with the World Bank. In his 28 years as an IAS officer from 1979-2007, he also served as Joint Secretary (Training) from 2000-2005 in the Government of India, Department of Personnel & Training. Dr. Agarwal has a Ph.D. in Transport Economics from IIT Delhi, a Master’s degree in Transportation and Technology Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras.

Professor Krishna Ladha joined as Professor at ISPP. He has been visiting faculty since 2020 and taught ISPP Scholars two courses on Game Theory, and Business and Government. Since 1980, he has been teaching Game Theory, Business and Government, Microeconomics, Public Policy, Social Choice Theory,

and Management of Societies at one or more of Washington University in St. Louis, New York University, University of Chicago, University of Mississippi, and Helsinki School of Business. In India, he has taught at IIM Calcutta, MDI, IIM Kozhikode, and Goa Institute of Management. He has published in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Social Choice and Welfare, and Public Choice. He is a recipient of the Duncan Black Prize for the best paper published in the Public Choice journal in 1991. Prof Ladha has a Ph.D. in Economics from Carnegie-Mellon University, an MBA from IIM Calcutta, and an MSc in Pure Mathematics from the University of Calcutta.

Ajay Khanna joined as Professor of Practice and Advisor, Careers recently. He would be teaching Scholars about Public Policy, Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement. He is a leader in Public Affairs & Public Policy, Advocacy, Corporate Affairs & Communications, Leadership, and Strategic advisory with a demonstrated history of working across industry sectors with strong global connections. Over a 43-year career, he spent 27 years with CII (Confederation of Indian Industry). As head of the IBEF (India Brand Equity Foundation 2002-2006), he led engagements with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos and has participated in the WEF Davos annual meetings for the last 35 years. After a stint with Accenture, he joined the Jubilant Bhartia Group in 2009 where he is currently Group’s Global Strategic Advisor & Ombudsperson. In 2008 he co-founded PAFI (Public Affairs Forum of India). He has been a member of several high-level Government delegations, committees, and task-forces of the World Economic Forum. Ajay graduated in Commerce from Shriram College of Commerce & has a Degree in Law from the University of Delhi

World University of Design hosts the Vietnam-India International Exhibition and Workshop – ‘VIIEW’ : Beyond and Beneath Art Exchange’ at the campus by bringing together 12 Vietnamese and 17 Indian Artists from February 4th to 13th, 2023 curated by Prof Rajan Shripad Fulari, Dean, School of Visual Arts, WUD.

Dean Phan Quan Dung from Van Lang University, Vietnam and Dr. Sanjay Gupta

The artists workshop started from Monday, February 6th, 2023 at WUD Campus in the grand opening in the presence of well known artists and art lovers. Vietnam-India International Exhibition and Workshop – ‘VIIEW’ inaugurated by the honorable Vice Chancellor of World University of Design, Prof (Dr) Sanjay Gupta in the gracious presence of eminent senior artists Deepak Shinde, Yusuf, Prem Singh and Phan Quan Dung, Dean, School of Art and Design with Nguyen DAC Thai, Associate Dean, Van Lang University, Vietnam. And the exhibition of created art works by all artists and senior faculty members will be inaugurated by DCM, Minister Counsellor, Dr. Do Thanh Hai from Vietnam Embassy will be pleased as Chief Guest at Art Konsult, Hauz Khas, New Delhi from Sunday, February 12th, 2023 to Tuesday, February 14th, 2023

“After a successful stint at the first chapter of VIIEW at Van Lang University, Vietnam in November 2022 the two universities are coming together once again with the vision and mission to promote Art and Design that are an integral part of the cultural heritage of both the nations. The event is designed to bring together artists from the two countries as well as faculty members and academia from the two universities to shed light on creativity and innovation in fine arts” told Prof (Dr) Sanjay Gupta, Honorable Vice Chancellor of World University of Design, Sonipat. And this initiative has been taken by Mr. Binoy Varghese who himself is a renowned painter and the director of The Kekkeyellam Foundation.

“The workshop is themed around UNEXPLORED SPACES, a curatorial project which proposes both Indian and Vietnamese artists to liberally interpret their own creative endeavors in art with specific importance to the tangible practice of painting. The International art camp is intended to be a venue for going beyond and beneath art exchange of ideas on Unexplored Spaces and contexts prevailing in each artist’s creative work and thought process. The concept of space has always been an area of creative encounter ever since the origin of images in human life. The persistence, enunciation and manifestations of space is the essential force of all the visual and non-visual expressions throughout the ages. Space plays a vital role in the physical and metaphysical forms of human existence,” remarked curator of the exhibition Prof Fulari, Dean, SoVA-WUD.

Adding value and expertise to this 10-days programme will also be present leading Indian Artists whom the World University of Design has honored with the WUD-Critics’ Choice Awards along with the own artists/faculty members and some eminent artists like Deepak Shinde – Mumbai,  Yusuf – Bhopal, Prem Singh – Chandigarh, Ananda Moy Banerji, Kavita Nayar, Binoy Varghese, Dharmendra Rathore, Ajay Kumar Samir, Sangeet Gupta, Shuchi Khanna, Durga Khaintola. Artist faculty members from WUD are Suresh Kumar, Sumit Sarkar, Prashant Patil and Megha Katyal and the event convener is Dr Preeti Yadav, coordinator are Akanksha Wadhwani, Aparna Gwande, Simerpreet Sokhi, Devrath Joshi along with special performances are being organised by Dr. Parul Purohit Vats, Dean, School of Performing Arts.

Ready to welcome the Vietnamese contingent to India, Dr. Sanjay Gupta (Vice-Chancellor) also says, “We had an enriching experience in Vietnam during the first chapter of VIIEW : Beyond and Beneath Art Exchange and welcomed the talented artists and faculty members from Vietnam to our campus. I am euphoric to see our university as the nucleus of this new verse in the realm of art and culture. We are creating a nexus of young throbbing brains to uninhibitedly exchange views.“

San Jacinto, CA, February 07, 2023 — Fulton Books author, Darrell Hensel, a children’s book author from a town forty-five minutes east of Los Angeles, has completed his most recent book, “Muffin Toppin’ It to School”: a lovely illustration that teaches young readers a few basics in waking up to a new day and getting ready for an exciting adventure.

Hensel shares, “This book is a creation of a fun, exciting, and innovative way to teach children some of life’s essential and basic fundamental steps of getting their day started. Mr. Muffin, Muffin Topping It to School was written in a way which similarly reflects that of the famous Dr. Suess, setting an example for newer generations using my quirky own style with a play on words that can easily be understood.”

Published by Fulton Books, Darrell Hensel’s picture book is great material for toddlers and kids to enjoy and learn from. With amusing wordplay and vibrant illustrations throughout the pages, the young learner will be hooked and entertained while knowing a few essentials in life.

Readers who wish to experience this well-written work can purchase “Muffin Toppin’ It to School” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.

Please direct all media inquiries to Author Support via email at support@fultonbooks.com or via telephone at 877-210-0816.
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L-R – John Churchill and Chuck Thomas [photos Courtesy of Southwest Tennessee Community College]

(Memphis, Tenn.) – Southwest Tennessee Community College recently announced two new leaders to its senior leadership team. Chuck Thomas III has been named the College’s chief government and external relations officer and John Churchill, community liaison for Southwest Workforce and Community Solutions.

“We are excited to have John and Chuck join the Southwest family,” Southwest President Dr. Tracy D. Hall said. “They are outstanding leaders with a history of success and leadership in the Memphis and Mid-South community. They will play a critical role in advancing our strategic plan and efforts to position Southwest as a workforce development leader in the Mid-South.”

As the chief government and external relations officer, Thomas will build community support to advance the college’s initiatives and collaborate with government, civic, and community leaders to increase awareness and develop intervention and remediation strategies to address issues that impact the future health and safety of the Southwest community.

“I’m excited and honored to join the Southwest Tennessee Community College leadership team,” Thomas said. “I look forward to building and strengthening alliances with the greater Memphis and Shelby County community, state legislators, local elected officials and key business leaders.”

Thomas joins Southwest after a 40-year telecommunications career that spanned several account management positions. His most recent post was regional director of external and legislative affairs at AT&T, a position he held from 2009 until his retirement from AT&T this past December after more than 23 years of service. During his tenure in external affairs, he advanced the telecommunications giant’s public policy initiatives in Greater Memphis and 15 surrounding West Tennessee counties. His efforts ensured successful small cell and AT&T Fiber deployments and successfully positioned AT&T’s FirstNet, SLED and National Account teams with key stakeholders throughout the region. Thomas also served the Greater Memphis community as a board member of the Memphis Federal Reserve (Chairman 2014), Greater Memphis Chamber, The United Way of the Mid-South, Memphis Rotary (vice president), Teach For America, LISC Memphis, Bartlett Chamber and LeMoyne-Owen College. A native Memphian, Thomas grew up in Orange Mound and attended Melrose High school, Mississippi Valley State University, Southwest Tennessee Community College and the University of Memphis where he studied Criminal Justice and Political Science.

Churchill will be instrumental to the rollout of the Southwest Workforce Solutions Center (SWCS) as he works with community stakeholders to increase career pathways through a diversity of high-quality workforce programs that promote economic mobility for Southwest students.

“Coming back to Southwest feels like coming home,” Churchill said. “I am privileged to be able to work with a great staff as they develop innovative programs to provide local companies and industry with a skilled workforce. When you see a community that has a strong economy and great jobs for its workforce, typically, there is also a strong community college planted within that community,” he said. “I hope that I can contribute to the quality of Southwest’s workforce development programs and help increase the community’s awareness of Southwest as a strong economic driver in Memphis.”

Churchill began his career as a member of the United States Navy, where he served for 20 years. During his military service, he supervised testing and assessment systems for the Navy Trident submarine facility and directed operations for an advanced electronic training school. After the military, he joined the Kimberly Clark Memphis tissue manufacturing plant as supervisor of electrical maintenance and technical training. He also served on the startup team for Kimberly Clark’s first fully self-directed facility in Tulsa, OK. After stints in maintenance operations leadership with Champion Paper and Nabisco in Houston, Texas, Churchill joined Gerdau Ameristeel where he oversaw leadership and technical training at 20 North American steel mills.

Along with manufacturing, Churchill has extensive experience in workforce and economic development. In Memphis, he served as executive director of Corporate Training and Continuing Education at Southwest Tennessee Community College (2011-2015) and later as vice president of Business Services at the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce. His most recent post is chief operations officer for Technology Education to Go, LLC, where he helps area K-12 school districts, nonprofit organizations and businesses develop education pathways to livable-wage careers. Churchill also works with area businesses to improve work culture and increase employee skill levels.