In the seven MPTs held so far, about 50 organisations from various industries have participated, and the sponsors have often implemented the project work done by the participants. Now on to the eighth MPT, is there any new focus in the forthcoming programme? Replies Murty: ``Based on our programme experience and feedback received from the participants and sponsors, we do constantly review the programme to reflect the contemporary concerns of the industry.'' For instance, certain new moduleslike supply chain management, enterprise resource planning (ERP) were introduced recently, he says. ``Engineers and technologists working or planning to work in ERP and supply chain management will find that the programme provides excellent exposure to domain knowledge,'' Murty explains.

Describing the features of the programme, Murty says that though the programme has been of six-month duration, there has been a constant debate to increase the duration in the interest of the extended curriculum and learning and to reduce it in view of the opportunity cost of the participants' time. But the general feeling is that MPT, in its present form, is a high-pressure programme, he adds.

The programme consists of three terms. During the first two terms the participants receive in-class conceptual inputs covering all facets of management. During the third term, they do project work at their respective organisations for six weeks and then spend two weeks at the institute to finalise the project report and make apresentation. The institute faculty and a responsible superior of the sponsoring organisation guide their project work, elaborates Murty.

Talking about a change in trend, Murty says that in the last two programmes, more entrepreneurs managing small and medium size enterprises participated in the programme. ``And they found the programme highly relevant and useful,'' he says.

Another significant and inspiring aspect about MPT is that many of the projects are implemented in organisations. Says Murty: ``The participants find it very satisfying to see their work being implemented.'' For instance, Rajiv Jain (a participant of 7th MPT from Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd) won the CII Gold Medal for Best Project Award. Triveni Engineering found his project work (Design and Implementation of Cellular Manufacturing Systems) so useful and essential for the organisation that his work was taken up for immediate implementation. Also, he was made in-charge for the implementation, says Murty.

To make theprogramme more attractive, there have been some innovations in terms of fee structure also. Says Murty: ``Changes introduced in organisations yield significant results only when there is a significant number of employees educated about the changes. In order to facilitate the organisations reach this critical mass, this year we introduced some fee concessions that encourage multiple nominations.''

While in the normal course, the programme fee is Rs 1.40 lakh per participant, it's Rs 1.30 lakh per participant, if more than three candidates are sponsored by an organisation. The programme fee is inclusive of stay, food, and course material. In case of overseas participants, the fee is $4,000 per participant.

And is there any drive to attract foreign participants in MPT? Says Murty: `CII southern region is taking active interest to promote the programme. Last year we had two foreign participants. This year we already have two confirmed nominations.'' He adds that IIM Bangalore is actively promoting theprogramme in the SAARC countries.

Exclusively designed for practising engineers and technologists, MPT enables the participants to develop deeper understanding of issues in managing technical functions. Also, on the whole, it teaches the participants how to deal with other functions of business like marketing, finance and HR.