Delhi-based Foreign Trade Development Centre (FTDC) has tied up with the Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) to offer the university’s students an MBA in International Business and a Certificate course in Export-Import Trade.
The certificate course is a six-month programme and the MBA course is a two-year programme and is currently being undertaken by the first batch of 200 students at the university.
“The five-year alliance with SMU is an exclusive one where our faculty will teach at the university apart from guest faculty from the industry. Besides, we will be giving them the academic inputs,” said Aseem Bhatia , director, FTDC. All degrees and certificates will be awarded by SMU.
Though the institute is not eyeing such long-term alliances in the near future, it plans to focus on its existing four-month diploma and one-month long certificate courses in export-import management, retail mangement, merchandising, among others by opening more centres in the country.
FTDC currently has five centres and plans to open three more by 2010 — in Bangalore, Mumbai and Kanpur. Built with an investment of Rs 10-15 lakh, each centre will have a seating capacity of 40 students and require a faculty strength of eight people.
Commenting on the placement scenario, Bhatia said: “Companies now want multi-skilled professionals at the entry level and specialised skill sets at senior levels. Though we are able to place our students, the environment is tough. Companies are recruiting more freshers and less senior people.”
The institute gets companies like Orient Craft, Reliance Retail, Wills Lifestyle, among others for placements. At the fresher level, for people without work experience, the salary offered is Rs 8,000 per month but for people with work experience, this goes upto Rs 25,000 per month. FTDC also has programmes in retail management but does not plan to foray in any other specialised vertical.