25th PGDM Batch Of IFIM Business School Sets A New Benchmark Of Class Diversity

IFIM Business School, Bangalore, one of the top six AACSB accredited management institutes in India, recently commenced the 25th batch (2019-21) of its flagship two-year, full-time, residential, AICTE approved and AACSB accredited Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), at its main campus.

The PGDM Class of 2021 comprises 300 participants drawn from across 26 States and Union Territories of the country. The class is as diverse in terms of its gender split, participants’ undergrad qualification streams and work experience mix. This is the first batch admitted after IFIM Business School changed the selection process for its PGDM programme which comprises an Innovation Potential Test (IPT), a Group Exercise (GE) and a Personal Interview (PI).

Speaking to the students at the commencement ceremony, Dr Atish Chattopadhyay, Director, IFIM B-School said, “This year is significant as we welcome participants from across the country with diverse backgrounds who have come through the new selection process and would significantly contribute to the quality of learning environment at the institute. This is also the first batch that will go through the new curriculum aligned to the needs of Industry 4.0, developed as an outcome of the research of Industry 4.0 needs in partnership with National HRD Network".

About 41 per cent of the 300 participants are female while more than 58 per cent are male. More than 66 per cent participants have completed their undergrad qualifications in streams other than engineering and technology. 27 per cent of the participants come with a prior work experience while 73 per cent of them are freshers. Among the ones with prior work experience, 29 per cent have worked for less than a year, 30 per cent have worked for 1-2 years and 41 per cent have worked for more than two years. The average work experience of the class is almost 6 months.

While the class comprises students from 26 Indian states and UTs, the highest no of participants have joined from Karnataka (14 per cent), closely followed by Tamilnadu (11 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (10 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (8 per cent) and West Bengal (8 per cent). Almost 49 per cent are from other states and UTs. One student has joined from Nepal and UAE each. Experienced professionals and freshers, the batch has an advantage in aligning itself towards Industry 4.0. 

Addressing the students of IFIM, Don Capener, Associate Dean, Woodbury School of Business said, ‘’This day marks a new beginning that would bring in success and failure altogether. To cope with failure each time is what the students must strive for to grow into professionals that the industry anticipates. With each failure coming upon us, there will be multiple opportunities coming in to show us the light of success.

"Believing in this would not only help us in having a positive approach towards learning but also help us in uncovering the optimism that lies within each and every individual. Young students entering the field they’re passionate about would determine the skills they would develop throughout their journey of becoming professionals along with the roadmap of success", he added.