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Preparing for life outside college

Asra offers certificate course in human resource management for students who have just finished their graduation or for those in their final year of graduation.

A group of students stand in a circle discussing inter-personal relationships. About how to communicate, about misunderstandings, trust et al. All part of the certificate course in Human Resource Management, offered by the Asra Institute of Management.

Most students here are in their second or final year of graduation. They come from varied streams from home science, to computer science, to management and commerce.

The institute was started in 2003 and has since been offering job-oriented courses, preparing students for a life in ‘the big, bad world,’ outside the protected environment of college.

And there is a lot of stress on values, not just on the job or the money that one can earn from the jobs. The courses at Asra provide a stopgap for students who have just finished their degrees, or those in the final year of their graduation, before they can move on and decide to get a job or opt for higher studies.

Placements

Asra helps students find good jobs, thanks to a tie-up the institute has with some companies. A former student Dhanyata owes a lot to Asra. She is presently working with a reputed consultancy firm, and adds that Asra helped her get that job. “The soft skills classes were particularly useful. But for the training there, I wouldn’t have seen myself working where I am working,” she adds.

Course content

The course in Human Resource Management has four modules. The course comprises HR Theory. These classes are participatory in nature, and there is no grading involved. As part of the soft skills classes, the students are tutored in areas such as problem solving, time management etc.

These are conducted by way of workshops on weekends. Then there is a project that students have to prepare, and present in front of the class. Here, they learn about the methodologies employed in research and do a lot of field work.

The final module which has a lot of practical sessions, where students will actually get a hands-on experience of HRM, will lead up to an exam and a certificate.

The courses have come in handy for a lot of students over the years, some of them who have gone on to their MBAs, some of them who have been working in HR departments of some big companies, and others who have learnt to combine HR knowledge in their chosen area.

The advantage with doing a course at Asra is that there are flexible timings. This will help students combine their other academic activities with the short-term courses on offer.

Asra is also planning to offer a course in advertising, for people who are looking at a career in advertising, on the non-creative side -client servicing, media planning for instance. It will be a 50-hour certificate course.

A course in stock markets is also on cards, which will be held once a week, and will be useful for BBM and B Com students. The other course on the anvil is a ten-month crash course in investment management for BBM final year students.

Asra is full of ideas, to help students prepare for their careers. Always with an emphasis on values, and an education that prepares students for life. For details on registration, contact Asra Institute of Management (Centre for Vocational Education and Training), 10/18, Basement, Opp Chitrakala Parishat, Chabria Layout, Kumara Krupa Road, Bangalore -1 or call 080 23441347 or e-mail: asracentre@yahoo. co.in

Savitha G R

Certificate Course in HRM

Duration: Six months

Timings: 10 am to 1 pm on weekends

Eligibility: Minimum second class in first year degree

Course Fee: Rs 1,500 per module