Why Professionals Are Looking Overseas To Become Strong Leaders

Gurinder Bhatti Nov 29, 2018

Globalization has transformed the Indian business landscape into a dynamic field, with entrepreneurs and professionals constantly being challenged by emerging trends, new business models and technological breakthroughs. In order to keep up with the changing demands of the business world, professionals are now opting for executive education from prestigious universities across the world.

Executive education refers to courses targeted at professionals working in executive or managerial roles within organizations. These programs offer training in a variety of business and managerial concepts including finance, strategy, negotiation, and accounting. They also sharpen management, leadership and team building skills for future leaders and managers.

There are several leading Indian institutions offering such courses for professionals looking to take on more challenging roles in their career. However, with changing global trends and increasing competition within the Indian job landscape, an increasing number of professionals are now opting for overseas executive education.

Executive education – Why is it important?

While generic MBA degrees brush upon a lot of general concepts for managers, executive education courses gear them up for more stimulating leadership roles. These courses fill the gaps that emerge in the managerial skill set of professionals as they climb up the organizational hierarchy in the same organization. Certain executive education courses are designed for professionals from specific industries such as IT or Healthcare to offer training that is precisely suited to the needs and demands of their domain.

Most executive education courses are targeted at professionals working in executive and managerial positions since 2-3 years. They offer working professionals a chance to step back from their daily routine and reevaluate their career paths and goals. Industry-specific executive education courses allow professionals to transition into different fields armed with adequate knowledge and expertise. These programs offer customized training to enhance the existing skill base of professionals, helping them add to their knowledge, skills, and aptitude.

Unlike MBA, MSc. Or other management courses, executive education combines performance management with the advanced science of management to inculcate practical knowledge that can be applied to several aspects of the business.

Professionals pursuing executive education from foreign universities

Quality executive education is a formidable challenge within the Indian education system. While there are hundreds of reputed universities offering management courses, those focusing on executive education are scarce. This is a major motivation behind students opting for foreign universities for their executive training.

Further, most leading organizations in the country now operate globally, which principally alters the standards they set for hiring professionals, especially in executive positions. Recruiters now look for overseas education from esteemed universities situated in the US, Canada or the UK. Universities, in turn, tailor their programs to suit the needs of students from abroad, attracting more students every year. In fact, according to reports, the number of students receiving study permits for Canada increased by 58% from 2016 – 2017. Additionally, 17% of university students in the US were from India. Clearly, Indians are increasingly prioritizing foreign universities over domestic ones for graduate, postgraduate as well as executive education.

Distance executive education – a solution for working professionals

Executive education comes as a breath of fresh air for professionals working in the same positions for a long time. Through executive education programs, they can take a breather from their jobs and invest time in improving their professional and managerial skills. However, these courses last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Often, professionals cannot afford to take a break from their jobs in order to pursue executive education.

This has led to more professionals opting for distance education programs offered by foreign universities. Universities based in foreign lands offer all-encompassing distance courses to cater to overseas students. These courses not only save time but are also more affordable than full-time courses. They are offered by high-end, global business schools that add tremendous value to the professional’s resume. Students can attach the names of the most prestigious business schools across the globe to their educational qualification without having to step out of their home or office.

In the past, distance or online education has been deemed inferior to full-time courses. However, these courses are quickly approaching a premium status by inculcating best in class content, internationally renowned faculty and the degrees equivalent to their full-time counterparts.

As there is practically no difference in the quality of education received from a distance and full-time courses, most professionals are now capable of gaining top-notch knowledge through well-designed executive education programs. Additionally, international institutions offer superlative programs for those looking to upgrade their skills whether online or in person.

All professionals need to do is make the decision to take their career to the next level, and they can pursue executive education from leading foreign locales and make their CV shine with renewed glory.