Mumbai, December 2, 2015: Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool), rated among India’s top business schools, and a pioneering management education institution, has been adjudged the prestigious ‘AICTE -CII Best Industry linked Management Institute’ in the country.
The award was presented by Prof Dr Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to Prof. Dr Uday Salunkhe, Group Director Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool) at the 5TH AICTE-CII 5TH Global University-Industry Congress in the Capital today.
The institutes are evaluated on their industry linkages on the following six parameters in every stream separately: Governance, Curriculum, Faculty, Infrastructure, Services / Projects & Skills Development and Placements.
AICTE Chairman, Prof Dr Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe, appreciated the efforts made by WeSchool in establishing excellent Industry–connect while bestowing the award. “The number of participating institutes in each category of awards has increased tremendously over the years, with 1225 entries participating this year. With all its efforts towards establishing excellent industry linkages, WeSchool has always strived to add to the skills quotient of its students to increase their employability .We expect that WeSchool will take the lead in mentoring other institutes to develop their capacities in a similar manner.”
Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Higher Education, Mr. Ninad Karpe, Chairman, CII Western Region& Managing Director, Aptech, Mr. Vijay Thadani, Chairman, CII National Committee on Higher Education &Vice Chairman & Managing Director –NIIT Limited &Co-Founder, NIIT University, Dr. Naushad Forbes, President-Designate, CII& Director Forbes Marshall Private Limited, Ms. Sushma Berlia, President, Apeejay Stya &Svran Group and Dr. Sanak Mishra, Vice President, Indian National Academy of Engineering were the dignitaries on the dais.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool) said, “WeSchool has focused on an outcome driven approach in its strategy for Industry-Institute Interaction. Only when there is an impact of this interface will it sustain and make a difference.
For example WeSchool has pioneered the launch of programs such as Design and Innovation, in 2007, largely due to our consistent engagement with industry which allows us to spot upcoming developments and industry needs. Today Design and Innovation are of strategic importance in every organization and we are fortunate to be guided by stalwarts such as Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, Mr Harsh Mariwala, Ms Madhabi Puri Buch, Mr Kishore Biyani among other industry leaders who work closely with our Academic Board.”
WeSchool closely works with bodies such as the National HRD Network, National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), Information Security Audit and Compliance Association (ISACA), Project Management Institute (PMI) and International Council of Societies of International Designers (ICSID). This directly contributes to the Institutes understanding and responsiveness in developing its curriculum and nurturing students who are ready for the world of work.
How Industry Institute interaction impacts students is critical. WeSchools Global Citizen Leader Program wherein students work on Live Business and Social impact projects drawn from industry, for a period of 5 months gives student an opportunity to learn by doing and involves everything from problem spotting, idea generation, prototype making and testing to designing a feasible and sustainable solution. This year student teams worked on 63 such industry linked live projects, apart from their summer internships.”
Dr. Naushad Forbes, President-Designate, CII & Director Forbes Marshall Private Limited congratulated WeSchool,” It is the responsibility of industry to engage with academia; it’s not a social service but an important responsibility. Knowing how industry interaction is productive is critical.”
The award was based on a survey done across AICTE approved technical institutes of various streams with the objective to showcase best practices of the industry. The nation-wide survey iwhich saw participation from established engineering, management, pharmacy, architecture streams participated, was jointly conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
The survey began with the filing of online applications by the Institutions from across India. The institutions had to answer a set of questions to assess the faculty, placement, curriculum, governance, projects and skills development and infrastructure to check the institution’s industry relations.
The selection of the winner involved various stages. It also involved a visit to the Institute by eminent academicians and industry representatives who evaluated the information submitted by the Institute on the AICTE portal. They interacted with students, faculty, placement officers and other stakeholders who contribute and engage in industry institute interaction at the institute. The focus of the survey was not only the activities but also sense the impact of the industry institute interface on the quality of education, development and opportunities for the students and how this interaction has contributed to the development of the Institutes ability to design and deliver programs that are useful to the industry.
About Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research
Among India’s top business schools, WeSchool is a pioneering management education institution in India which emphasizes on design-led innovative management education for shaping vision and mission of global citizen leadership. WeSchool strongly believe in integrating the philosophy of ‘leadership’ and ‘innovation’, and nurtures students with a holistic view on the socio-economic-political matters with a coherent and tactical approach towards problem solving. Keeping design and innovation its core, WeSchool endeavors to provide newer avenues to students towards achieving excellence in all sphere of life.
WeSchool has introduced several pioneering management programs in business design & innovation, e-business, retail, legal, healthcare. The institution constantly experiments with new pedagogical approaches to enhance student learning. The scope of curriculum has expanded to incorporate sciences and subjects such as anthropology, sociology as well as tools such as ethnography research with a strong focus on participant-centered learning and experiential learning. WeSchool is ranked 10th in the Times of India ‘Best b School survey in 2015’.
WeSchool has partnered/associated with national and international design and innovation institution of repute to ideate and formulate path-breaking ideas in the field of technology, education, healthcare, renewable energy, etc. In the past, WeSchool has associated with MIT Media Lab, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, IDEO, etc.
It has collaborations with international Universities such as: Malardalen University (Sweden), Curtin University (Australia), Unitec Institute (New Zealand), Grant McEwan(Canada), Copenhagen University (Denmark), Lancaster University(UK), Otto Fredrich Universitat(Germany), Audencia Nantes(France), Jonkoping International Business School(Sweden) and Stuggart Media University(Germany). More recently the Institute has partnered with three leading Universities in Israel.