IIMs lap up students with job experience for PG courses

As a rising trend, the intake of students with work experience in the PGP (post graduate programme) course is increasing every year at some of India?s premier B-schools, the Indian Institutes of Management.

In a batch of 408 students for the year 2009-11, IIM-Calcutta has 63% of the students who have worked before, with an average works experience of 27 months. Last year, 55% students had work experience.

Similarly, IIM-Lucknow, in its current batch of 345 students, has 93.33% with work experience, among which the students with more than three years of experience has increased to 150 in 2009-2011. Last year IIM-Lucknow had 89.25% with work experience, whereas 109 students had work experience of more than three years.

According to a spokesperson from IIM-L, there has been a conscious decision from the management to take students with work experience rather than those with none.

?It?s a conscious decision and extra weightage has been given to people with work experience. Hence, this year among 345 students, 322 are with work experience,? commented Himanshu Rai, chairman, admission, IIM-L.

It is believed that those with work experience bring in better perspective as they already have knowledge about the how the industry and the corporate world work. Moreover, since the students in the classrooms of the IIMs deal with a lot of case studies, some amount of practical work experience helps better learning.

?It has been felt that those with practical work experience come with a better understanding and a better perspective. However, we want to keep it a healthy mix of those with work experience and the fresh graduates,? commented Rai.

Though it?s also felt that many professionals are more interested in pursuing an MBA due to the difficult economic times, those from the education sector feels that working professionals were always interested and applying for the IIMs.

?We have always been getting applications from the working professionals, and over the years we have realised that having greater number of students with work experience helps both the institute and the students as well. Hence every year, we are trying to increase the number of students with work experience,? commented a spokesperson from IIM-Calcutta on conditions of anonymity.