We Want To Promote France As Preferable Destination For Indian Students: Isabelle Huault, Emlyon Business School

How does the university foresee fostering collaborations with Indian educational institutions and industries to provide students with a globally relevant education? Are there specific initiatives or partnerships in place to encourage student and faculty exchanges between the European university and Indian institutions?

Collaborations with Indian educational institutions and industries is critical to provide students with a globally relevant education along with a strong industry and corporate interface. This provides students with differentiated and innovative pedagogical techniques used by different institutions as well as access to an array of courses and programs. This is complimented with corporate interaction to get hands on experience and discussion with industry experts and managers. 

emlyon business school, founded in 1872, is a world-class institution among the 1% recognized by the triple accreditation: AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA. Our activities in India are aligned with its vision and true to its embodiment of values of ‘early makers’. We have been pro-active with wider engagement in the Indian education ecosystem over the past several years. We are among the first French institutions to establish Indo-French business school in the country with the aim to offer entrepreneurial education and a unique experience of global education. We already have partnerships with leading higher education institutions in India like IIMs, ISB Hyderabad, IIT Delhi, MDI, XLRI, Jindal Global Univ. etc.  The aim is to widen and deepen our engagement with leading institutions for student/faculty exchange as well as promoting joint research programs/conferences.

As a leading business school in France, we would like to promote emlyon business school as a preferable destination for Indian students pursuing higher education abroad to get quality education and international experience that we are known for. We intend to increase admissions of Indian students at our campuses giving them access to world class knowledge and infrastructure. Simultaneously we are engaging with leading Indian institutions and stakeholders to further develop and strengthen education ecosystem in India and for India. The objective is to enhance the capabilities and competencies of Indian students to be future ready for India and for the world.

How does the university plan to tailor its curriculum to meet the educational needs and expectations of Indian students, considering the diversity in academic backgrounds and cultural contexts? Are there specialized programs or courses designed to address the specific demands of the Indian job market?

As one of the oldest business schools in Europe, it is internationally recognized for its academic excellence and unique position, which anchors it, here and now, in the challenges of the 21st century. Its understanding of teaching is focused on initiative and decision-making. emlyon's ability to reinvent itself has made it a front runner in higher education with a unique take on entrepreneurial spirit. The school ranks #2 in the Global Employability University Ranking 2023 of the best business schools in France in terms of employability and ranks #41 in the world's top 50 of best business schools.  

The education sector is a key priority for India for it to bridge and improve its skill sets to achieve its vision of a developed country by 2047.  Towards this we want to propose unique courses and programs to Indian students at our French campus. Thanks to our top-notch faculty, deeply embedded in research strong industry-academia partnership and world-class infrastructure we want to expose Indian students to the international environment. We offer several specialized master's programs such as supply chain, luxury marketing, hospitality, strategy and consulting, innovation and entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, data science and AI etc. among others which could be of value to Indian students. 

We actively participated in the India-France Knowledge summit in 2018 in New Delhi. For the 2019 edition held in Lyon where were one of the hosts and sponsors of the summit. We led the Round Table Session on the theme ‘Strengthening Employability and Entrepreneurship’ held at Lyon, 17-18 October 2019 presented to the higher education delegation to both Indian and French institutions and ministries. It focused on key areas such as: skill development, start-up landscape, developing entrepreneurial ecosystem and social entrepreneurship. We believe these are key areas where we can provide unique offerings through our BBA, MBA and several Masters's programs in management focusing on such and similar themes in order to address the specific demands of the Indian job market. 

In promoting diversity and inclusion, how does the university plan to create an environment that welcomes Indian students and addresses their unique cultural and academic requirements? Are there support services or cultural integration programs for Indian students to ease their transition into the European academic setting?

We have our campuses in Lyon, Paris and in Shanghai and pride ourselves on our international diversity be it in our students but as well as in our faculty of which around 50% of them come from outside France. We have over 9000+ students at our campuses coming from over 125 nationalities, this speaks volumes about our diversity of students at our campus. In addition, we boast of over 38000 alumni networks across 130 countries. 

We have a dedicated admission and recruitment team that supports students through their process right from admission query, application process and enrollment formalities. Also, our India-specific team assist students in pre-departure orientation, counselling them on specific queries regarding scholarships, accommodation, travel etc. In addition, the support student mobility team and student service centre welcomes Indian students at the campus and provide induction training and information sessions to sensitize them to the new environment and allow them to mingle with their colleagues and get acclimatized to the French context. 

There are also several clubs and associations run and managed by the student bodies of which they can be part of. The Student Council at our school is an association of associations, made up of students who organize all the association’s events and activities. The Student Council is heavily involved in guiding and supporting the students. It federates the other 34 associations on the Lyon campus. 

How does the university plan to connect Indian graduates with career opportunities, both in Europe and in India, after completing their education? Are there specific partnerships with Indian companies or industries to facilitate internships and job placements for students?

emlyon business school’s Career Center is a team of 25 career counselors and over 50 consultants who help students get to know companies from the inside, sit for selection tests and prepare more effectively for interviews. Students will have access to numerous offers reserved for emlyon students, along with a multitude of forums organized every year, including one specifically on finance and another on strategy consulting. The Career Center is a full-service offering to guide and support you from your arrival at emlyon business school through to three years after graduating. The objective is to construct and carry out student’s career plan, consolidate the skills developed during your studies and provide guidance and coaching for recruitment and the corporate world. There is also the career counseling service where we conduct “Employability tools” workshops, focusing on Career plan, job fields, résumé and LinkedIn, pitch and interviews, etc. Also “One-on-one and pick-and-choose coaching workshops” as well as “Networking and recruitment events” are also organized for our students. It is there no surprise that for the sixth year in a row, emlyon has been the second-ranked business school in the Times Higher Education “Employability University” ranking. Hence employability of our students is one of its top priorities. 

As for Indian students, in addition to the support given by the career center, we are actively engaged with the respective chamber of commerce and industry of India and France to explore internships and job openings for our students. We also envisage to develop programs in India with focus on Corporate/Executive education by working with Indian and French Chamber of Commerce and Industry to identify and promote certain corporate programs for French and Indian audience/market. While also networking our current students with our 38000+ strong alumni network who can assist our students in their career development. 

In terms of research collaborations, what opportunities exist for faculty and students to engage in joint research projects with Indian universities or research institutions? How does the university plan to contribute to addressing global challenges through collaborative research with Indian partners?

Central to this question is as to how we (as a leading French B-school) will be contributing towards India’s higher education ecosystem, especially with focus on research, employment prospects, enhancing employability skills, but also on entrepreneurship, tech and startup ecosystem here. emlyon business school wants to bring in more value to the Indo-French ecosystem. We are also planning to bring in more and more of our students from France for different immersion programs in India so that there is a bilateral exchange of students as well as faculty for joint programs, research and conferences. As case in point is that our students from MSc in Cybersecurity and Defence program will be coming to MDI Gurgaon for a 9-week immersion program comprising of classes, corporate and industry visits and cultural visits. We believe that such exchanges are critical for academia contact and learn from each other.

As a foreign university, we want to contribute towards the Indian higher education ecosystem actively and positively. Be it bringing global perspectives, innovative pedagogy, benchmarks and standards in quality education & research and above all employment and employability of the students. In todays’ time we need students who are not merely job seekers, but job providers. At the same time, we need to strongly inculcate in our students becoming responsible and socially conscious future managers who look at business and management from a sustainability prism. Hence, we strongly support programs and in our curriculum sustainability and entrepreneurship perspectives. For nearly 40 years, emlyon business school has been guiding and supporting the owners of innovative projects as they progress through the ideation and kick-off phases. Infact were the first to have an incubator among French Business schools in 1984. This supports and compliments ‘Skill India’ and ‘Startup India’ initiatives of the government here.

emlyon business school’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is underpinned by its faculty’s up-to-the-minute research, a network of over 90 very high-level experts and mentors, and a network of very high-quality partners, leveraging the complementarity and hybridization of their skills: incubators and accelerators, cutting-edge research laboratories, engineering schools, enterprises and institutional partners. The Entrepreneur Academy is tasked with fostering the emergence and development of any type of project (whether technological or not) that tackles problems or opportunities linked to environmental, social, technological, or digital mutations. 

Considering cultural differences, what measures are in place to ensure that Indian students feel integrated and supported within the university community? Are there cultural exchange programs or events that promote a deeper understanding of Indian culture among the European student body?

One of the key pillars for emlyon is internationalization. We believe that we must celebrate diversity of cultures at our campus. We welcome students from over 125 nationalities. So it is imperative that we make all efforts to make them feel integrated, interactive and included within the campus and even in the broad social context of living in France. Studies is one part of their life and experience in France, it is the socio-cultural learnings that also leave a great imprint on the students when studying abroad. Campus life, the atmosphere, the variety of activities and opportunities (academic or not) are rated very highly by students and graduates, along with a very strong spirit of entrepreneurship. 

As mentioned above, we have several international student offices that support students right from their admission process to enrollment, through their induction at the campus and during their time and life at the campus and their placement. Ofcourse, students must also make efforts to walk that extra mile and integrate themselves in the multicultural environment that we provide to them at the campus. We have 1,090 students involved in 56 student associations at our school. In addition, we also provide our students the opportunity for a student exchange at one of our 190 academic partners across 60+ countries. This further their expose to international environment,