IIM Shillong starts Business Management course for defence officers

Shillong: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong, successfully inaugurated its Business Management Certificate course for Defence Officers on Friday at its campus.

The 6-month certificate course has been introduced in a bid to reduce the knowledge-action gap and manage the altering dynamics of the military and commercial sectors.

Through interactive lectures, case studies, sessions with industry experts, management games, simulations, and student participation, the course seeks to emphasize experiential learning to the Indian Defence Forces, which are among the best in the world and are recognized for their competence, prowess, morality, size, and technology, IIM Shillong officials said.

At the inaugural event on Friday, Air Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik shared his own experience of imparting executive learning and told the participants that this was a great opportunity to further their education while working in the defence.

“The ‘FAUJ’ is very different from the corporate world. It is important to unlearn what you already know in order to absorb the information the faculty exposes you to,” he said.

He went on to describe how the course will appeal to defence authorities by exposing learners to challenging real-world business scenarios from a variety of industries and organizations.

DP Goyal, Director, IIM Shillong explained how the program would appeal to defence officers. “This program will build on the skills defence officials already possess as a result of their years of excellent service to the nation, allowing them to utilize the classroom activities and interact with peers to further enhance their skills. It is a specialized curriculum designed to equip defence commanders with the skills, knowledge, and understanding needed for a seamless transfer into the business world,” he said.

The Chief guest for the event was Air Marshal D K Patnaik, who is also the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), and Officer of Eastern Air Command. Prof. D P Goyal, Director, IIM Shillong, Prof. Sitanshu Sekhar Das, Programme Coordinator, and Prof. Vibhas Amawate, Chair, MDP & Consultancy along with Brig Vinod S were also present at the event.

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