Firms send execs for training again

AHMEDABAD: Companies have started loosening their purse strings for executive training, now that the economy is looking up. Employees are being sent for short-term programmes offered by the country’s premier management institute, IIM-Ahmedabad, just a year after the slowdown forced them to cut back on employee training.

Both the revenue and the number of participants of IIM-A’s management development programmes (MDPs) in calendar 2009-10 have risen compared to 2008-09.

IIMA raised Rs 12.3 crore by offering 52 programmes last year, compared to Rs 11.5 crore earned in the thick of the slowdown in 2008-09, according to the institute.

IIMA is offering 68 programmes for calendar year 2010-11, of which 11 are new, compared to 52 offered last year. It hopes to attract more participants this calendar year.

As many as 1,536 participants have enrolled for the programme in a year, compared to 1,032 participants in 2008-09.

“The programmes are designed by the faculty members based on their expertise and market need,” said professor S Manikutty, former chairperson, MDP. The MDP formats are company-specific as well as open-enrollment. While company programmes target mid-management level employees, open enrollment programmes are cut out for functional managers across levels.

The programmes are short-term, and are offered for durations ranging from three days to a month.

While calendar 2008-09 was difficult for IIM-A due to cost-cutting measures adopted by companies, it improved in 2009-10 but not without special effort on its part, including programmes relevant for a particular target group. It also offered early bird, group and combined discounts to participants.