For commerce graduates, GST opens up a world of opportunities

Firms solicit their help in tax regime; GST makes it to UG syllabus

With the arrival of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, business organisations are looking for commerce graduates to help them seamlessly transition to the new tax system.

Several universities are tweaking their syllabus to create a workforce of GST-trained professionals. M Prakash, Director of Studies, Seshadripuram Group of Institutions, said there never was a dearth of opportunities for commerce students. “Commerce students had good career opportunities even before GST was introduced. GST has only placed them better. Bangalore University (BU) has introduced GST as a subject starting this year for final-semester BCom students,” he said.

Colleges are organising workshops to update students and teachers on GST. “We are trying to get tax consultants to deliver lectures about GST for our students and teachers. After this semester, we will get a clear picture about the placement opportunities for students,” Prakash said.

BCom is the entry-level degree for accounting and finance-related jobs. Others have to go for specialised training or higher studies, including chartered accountancy and MBA (Finance). GST has come as a boon to commerce graduates, who are in high demand to do first-level entries in GST businesses.

“Accountancy and taxation students have been getting tremendous placement opportunities ever since GST was introduced. We have introduced a separate subject on GST,” said Suman Chakraborty, Head, Commerce Department, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences.

Geetha Rajaram, Head, Commerce Department, CMR University, said: “GST has expanded the scope for commerce graduates and they just need to grab the opportunities. We have added GST to our syllabus with a practical approach.”

Since it is a new topic for most of the universities and colleges, institutions are conducting symposia, workshops and seminars by inviting experts to speak on GST. “We are conducting workshops on GST by inviting experts,” said R Praveen, Registrar, CMR University. “Companies are offering attractive salaries to students with good knowledge of accountancy as well as the nitty-gritty of GST.”

M Muniraju, Acting Vice Chancellor and Dean of Commerce Department, BU, said the concept of GST would be introduced in the curriculum of all commerce programmes starting next year.

The syllabus

Rationale and structure of GST, GST council, GST network, state compensation mechanism and registration among others.