Renewable energy courses planned under Solar Mission

Anticipating a boom in demand for skilled personnel to power India’s nascent solar industry, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is drawing up a proposal to develop specific diploma and technical training courses. According to officials in the ministry, a plethora of courses such as low- and medium- temperature solar thermal applications, and specialized programmes in solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power are proposed to be introduced in India’s technical training institutes. While some programmes are being introduced for engineering students, a bulk of them are for graduates of technical training schools.

The introduction of such courses signals policymakers’ plans to tap a large base of skilled workers that could effectively contribute to a small, but ambitious initiative by the government to install 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. “Introducing proper human resource development initiatives is key to a successful industry. We can’t survive on imported expertise,” said an official in the ministry who didn’t want to be identified.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar mission is one of the planks of the United Progressive Alliance government’s response to climate change, in which it proposes — in the first phase — to install nearly 1,000 MW of grid-connected, highly subsidized solar power by 2013, at the cost of Rs. 20,000 crore (Rs. 200 billion). “To achieve the target of 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022 we need to put in concerted efforts and the indigenous manufacturing of solar power equipment will be of paramount importance in achieving this goal,” Bharat Singh Solanki, Minister of State for Power, said at a press conference.

Currently, it costs around Rs. 15 to produce a unit of solar electricity, which is significantly more than the coal-based approach, which costs Rs. 4-6. The government now subsidies a significant proportion — nearly Rs. 12 — of the cost of solar power.

Another official in the ministry said that the courses would be introduced as part of the government’s National Skills Development Mission, a Rs. 31,000 crore (Rs. 310 billion) initiative. As part of this, the government plans to extend training facilities to 10 million people a month, up from 2.5 million a year.

Source: Mint, October 1, 2010

Renewable energy courses planned under Solar Mission

Anticipating a boom in demand for skilled personnel to power India’s nascent solar industry, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is drawing up a proposal to develop specific diploma and technical training courses. According to officials in the ministry, a plethora of courses such as low- and medium- temperature solar thermal applications, and specialized programmes in solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power are proposed to be introduced in India’s technical training institutes. While some programmes are being introduced for engineering students, a bulk of them are for graduates of technical training schools.

The introduction of such courses signals policymakers’ plans to tap a large base of skilled workers that could effectively contribute to a small, but ambitious initiative by the government to install 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. “Introducing proper human resource development initiatives is key to a successful industry. We can’t survive on imported expertise,” said an official in the ministry who didn’t want to be identified.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar mission is one of the planks of the United Progressive Alliance government’s response to climate change, in which it proposes — in the first phase — to install nearly 1,000 MW of grid-connected, highly subsidized solar power by 2013, at the cost of Rs. 20,000 crore (Rs. 200 billion). “To achieve the target of 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022 we need to put in concerted efforts and the indigenous manufacturing of solar power equipment will be of paramount importance in achieving this goal,” Bharat Singh Solanki, Minister of State for Power, said at a press conference.

Currently, it costs around Rs. 15 to produce a unit of solar electricity, which is significantly more than the coal-based approach, which costs Rs. 4-6. The government now subsidies a significant proportion — nearly Rs. 12 — of the cost of solar power.

Another official in the ministry said that the courses would be introduced as part of the government’s National Skills Development Mission, a Rs. 31,000 crore (Rs. 310 billion) initiative. As part of this, the government plans to extend training facilities to 10 million people a month, up from 2.5 million a year.

Source: Mint, October 1, 2010

IIM-Calcutta students get into the mind of investors

IIM Calcutta students are now studying psychological concepts to better understand investor behaviour and the financial implications of such behaviour. In a novel course introduced this year called Behavioural Finance taught by Prof. Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, the Goldyne and Irwin Hearsh Chair in Finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management, the students, by means of interactive dialogue, learn about different aspects of investor behaviour, the rationale, or lack thereof, behind such behaviour and ways to forecast them.

Classical finance assumes all investors to be rational and thus, fails to explain events like market crashes, unprecedented booms or volatility. Behavioural finance, on the other hand, proposes psychology-based theories to explain anomalies in the market.

The course gives the students an insight into the world of irrational investors, and through interactive dialogue, helps students assess what investors would do in various situations, as humans and not as calculators. Nitin Pahwa, a student who took the course, said: “The course material comprised a set of recent research papers in the field and the discussions in the class were of immense value.”

Source: The Economic Times, October 1, 2010

IIM-Calcutta students get into the mind of investors

IIM Calcutta students are now studying psychological concepts to better understand investor behaviour and the financial implications of such behaviour. In a novel course introduced this year called Behavioural Finance taught by Prof. Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, the Goldyne and Irwin Hearsh Chair in Finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management, the students, by means of interactive dialogue, learn about different aspects of investor behaviour, the rationale, or lack thereof, behind such behaviour and ways to forecast them.

Classical finance assumes all investors to be rational and thus, fails to explain events like market crashes, unprecedented booms or volatility. Behavioural finance, on the other hand, proposes psychology-based theories to explain anomalies in the market.

The course gives the students an insight into the world of irrational investors, and through interactive dialogue, helps students assess what investors would do in various situations, as humans and not as calculators. Nitin Pahwa, a student who took the course, said: “The course material comprised a set of recent research papers in the field and the discussions in the class were of immense value.”

Source: The Economic Times, October 1, 2010

Seniors join ISB for modern lessons

For a clutch of senior professionals with an average 18 years of work experience life has come full circle. They are back to school, not as teachers, but as students. Sixty-six executives from various sectors have joined ISBs (Indian School of Business, Hyderabad) new programme PGPMax, a part-time course designed for senior executives. For the next 15 months, the first batch of students at PGPMax will trade their current roles in their respective companies to debate over current issues with classmates, spend hours pouring on study material and burn the midnight oil to wrap up last-minute assignments. The idea is to grow beyond their functional areas, and look at larger aspects of modern management.

Paramita Sarkar is a case in point. With 19 years of experience in sales, marketing and product development laboratories, Paramita, General Manager, Care Chemicals at BASF India, says that though a professional learns a lot on the job, certain important areas are left out because it doesn’t fall in his or her vertical. “I want to equip myself on issues pertaining to M&As as my company has investment plans in China and in the Asia Pacific region,” says Sarkar, who has a B.Tech. in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University in Kolkata.

For Imal Fonseka, a Sri Lankan national, it is the need to know how managers in India strategise and work on big brands. “We are facing competition from India and other nations in the Asia Pacific,” says Fonseka, Managing Director of Hemas Consumer Brands of Sri Lanka. “Gaining local knowledge and meeting those in competition is what I am looking for,” adds Fonseka, who comes with 20 years of experience in the FMCG business.

The premier B-school decided to start this programme as it found that several business leaders were looking for a leadership course for senior executives. “We discovered that several CAs, engineers and other professionals were a few levels below the business head, and wanted to move on to the next level of leadership,” says Deepak Chandra, Deputy Dean. “We decided to start this programme to fill the gap,” adds Chandra. Peer-to-peer learning is the key unique selling proposition of this programme.

Source: The Economic Times, October 1, 2010

Seniors join ISB for modern lessons

For a clutch of senior professionals with an average 18 years of work experience life has come full circle. They are back to school, not as teachers, but as students. Sixty-six executives from various sectors have joined ISBs (Indian School of Business, Hyderabad) new programme PGPMax, a part-time course designed for senior executives. For the next 15 months, the first batch of students at PGPMax will trade their current roles in their respective companies to debate over current issues with classmates, spend hours pouring on study material and burn the midnight oil to wrap up last-minute assignments. The idea is to grow beyond their functional areas, and look at larger aspects of modern management.

Paramita Sarkar is a case in point. With 19 years of experience in sales, marketing and product development laboratories, Paramita, General Manager, Care Chemicals at BASF India, says that though a professional learns a lot on the job, certain important areas are left out because it doesn’t fall in his or her vertical. “I want to equip myself on issues pertaining to M&As as my company has investment plans in China and in the Asia Pacific region,” says Sarkar, who has a B.Tech. in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University in Kolkata.

For Imal Fonseka, a Sri Lankan national, it is the need to know how managers in India strategise and work on big brands. “We are facing competition from India and other nations in the Asia Pacific,” says Fonseka, Managing Director of Hemas Consumer Brands of Sri Lanka. “Gaining local knowledge and meeting those in competition is what I am looking for,” adds Fonseka, who comes with 20 years of experience in the FMCG business.

The premier B-school decided to start this programme as it found that several business leaders were looking for a leadership course for senior executives. “We discovered that several CAs, engineers and other professionals were a few levels below the business head, and wanted to move on to the next level of leadership,” says Deepak Chandra, Deputy Dean. “We decided to start this programme to fill the gap,” adds Chandra. Peer-to-peer learning is the key unique selling proposition of this programme.

Source: The Economic Times, October 1, 2010