Almost all professionals want a fat pay package and a fast career growth. But there are a few who opt out of such a life and prefer to mould young minds before they enter the corporate world.

Bringing industry closer to academia

Almost all professionals want a fat pay package and a fast career growth. But there are a few who opt out of such a life and prefer to mould young minds before they enter the corporate world.

Entry-level managers need mentoring to understand the industry and this missing link is what brought Suresh Rao, a successful corporate professional of 11 years, into teaching. The investment banking expert strongly feels that the curriculum needs a blend of theory and relevant practical knowledge; which is possible only with frequent interactions between industry and academia. “I always wanted to have a social impact on my life. And, teaching allows me to achieve this,” says Rao, who teaches at Imarticus Learning, a specialised institute that offers comprehensive industry-specific training programmes in various sectors, such as financial services. “Like any MBA student, I had many plans of what I would want to do. But after entering the industry, what I was getting into was totally different and difficult. Unlearning the institute lessons was important. This unlearning has to be done well and a mentor, who knows the industry, proves to be the saviour,” explains Rao. As a corporate professional, Rao had been member of several recruitment panels and campus placement hiring processes. As Rao himself says: “There are many job applications with so many students passing out each year. Ironically though, a company struggles to get the right resource.” The standard industry complaint that freshers have low employability quotient had triggered Rao to be the link that can connect the industry with aspiring managers. Rao feels the industry is justified to have complaints, but a lot more needs to be explored by the corporations to help bridge the gap. “Dedicated efforts can be made to increase the interactions between industry and academics. A faculty member with a decade of teaching experience is not linked with the industry to prepare industry-relevant degree holders. Teaching as a profession needs to be incentivised by the corporates by offering opportunities to teachers to upgrade their industry knowledge,” suggests Rao.