XLRI Ties Up With Hughes For Distance Education

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: Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur, has forged an alliance with satellite-based technology solutions provider Hughes Escorts Communication Ltd to initiate a post-graduate programme in business management targeted at working executives.

The 14-months programme is the first initiative taken by XLRI to take management education across the country from the confines of Jhar-khand. The programme will begin from October 21, 2002 and will cover 12 cities across the country. XLRI is eyeing 200 candidates in the first year of launch.

Speaking to The FE, XLRI director Thomas PD said the institute, for so long, was tinkering with similar short duration courses. “There was a strong feedback from corporates to initiate a longer and more exhaustive version of those business management courses,” Thomas said.

The twice a week, 360 hours course will use Hughes Direct-Way Global Education’s satellite platform to reach candidates in different cities. HECL will set up a studio at XLRI’s campus at an estimated cost of Rs 3 crore. Hughes DirectWay Services, the dedicated education services arm of HECL and Apollo Inc of USA, has forged similar alliances with IIM-Kozhikode and Apollo University to impart eMEP or virtual executive management programme. HECL has established its Rs 20 crore KU-band based hub at Gurgaon and has centres in the four major metros to facilitate the courses.

XLRI will conduct an entrance examination called eXAT spanning two hours in September for the course and will test the candidate’s verbal ability and comprehension, general knowledge and quantitative and analytical ability. While XLRI will offer faculty, set and analyse examination papers and design curriculum, Hughes will provide infrastructure including setting up of the studio and e-classrooms.

The course fee for the interactive course, which is on a higher side, is Rs 1.5 lakh per candidate. In its first year, the revenue sharing arrangement between HECL and XLRI will be 60:40 which will be reviewed after a year depending upon the success of the course. The XLRI faculty also stands to gain from the course getting Rs 2,000 an hour in the virtual classrooms. XLRI does not have a placement cell abroad and will therefore utilise the V-SAT backbone for the course to place students abroad.

The 12 centres in India are: Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Che-nnai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Trichy, Pune, Co-chin, Coimbatore and Madu-rai. Hughes currently has studios in all the four major metros and is appointing franchisees in other locations to conduct the course.