IGNOU’s new programmes

IGNOU’s new programmes

G. KRISHNAKUMAR, THE HINDU

A BA course in international hospitality administration and a diploma programme in retailing are among the new academic offerings.


Retailing revolution: Career prospects in retailing are good owing to the huge growth of the sector.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is ready to offer some innovative academic programmes. Come July, it will launch the BA course in international hospitality administration. The programme is being offered in association with the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, U.S.

Senior university officials say the programme incorporates the flexibility of distance and continuing education with the conventional learning system and provides face-to-face interaction through its programme centres, for both theory and practical parts. Internship (industrial exposure training) is an integral part of the programme.

There will be 120 credits for the undergraduate programme. The duration of the course is three years, including six months of internship. The programme fee is Rs. 1 lakh a year. Candidates with a pass in Plus Two examination can apply.

Some of the courses to be offered by the U.S. institute include food production principles; food and beverage service; housekeeping management; front office procedures; international hotel management development; supervision in the hospitality industry; resort management; security and loss prevention management; hospitality sales and marketing; and convention management.

IGNOU will offer a foundation course in tourism, management in tourism, communication skills in English and understanding international tourists and human resources.

Candidates must complete the internship at the place deputed. It is a prerequisite for obtaining the degree and part training will not be considered.

The course is designed to ensure that students who pass out are fully employable in the hospitality industry. The classes at the programme centres are therefore mandatory for acquiring hands-on training and skills development required by a hospitality administration professional.

Retailing

Inspired by the growing Indian retail market, IGNOU has come up with a diploma programme in Retailing. The course will be offered in collaboration with the Retailers’ Association of India (RAI).

M. Shanmugham, Regional Director of IGNOU, Kochi, says that business and university relationships are perfected in the programme and all the students who join the course are guaranteed an internship of a minimum six months with an established retail company.

Each student will be paid a stipend during the period of internship. Every student is required to maintain a workbook to record his or her performance and it will be authenticated with remarks by the sponsor. A separate confidential report in a prescribed format shall be submitted by the sponsor explaining the performance of the student during the internship. There will be 36 credits for the course. Eligibility required is pass in Plus Two. Some of the courses offered as part of the programme are overview of retailing; principles of marketing; retail management perspective and communication; customer service management; merchandising; visual merchandising and store design; and retail operations and store management.

The University will establish exclusive study centres for the programme. Besides academic counsellors, experts from the retail industry will provide counselling, special lectures and discussions.

IGNOU has also proposed a Bachelor’s degree programme in retailing. The BBA programme will be developed with a modular approach incorporating diploma in retailing.

A student who takes the diploma will be eligible for admission to the BBA programme.