Defence officers will now get management skills at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong (IIM).

A Business Management Certificate program for Defence Officers started today at the Shillong IIM campus.

The 6-month Certificate program intends to give defence officers an exposure to analytical, strategic, and entrepreneurial thinking.

Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, was set up by the Government of India in Meghalaya in 2007.

Through interactive lectures, case studies, sessions with industry experts, management games, simulations, and student participation, the course seeks to emphasize experiential learning to the defence forces, which are among the best in the world and are recognized for their competence, prowess, morality, size, and technology.

In order to become leaders, he advised participants to learn by giving their best shot and adopting different worldviews.

Air Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Air Command, in his inaugural address shared his own experience of imparting executive learning and told the participants that this was a great opportunity to further their education from IIM Shillong while working in the defence.

“The ‘FAUJ’ is a very different area in itself from the corporate world. It is important to unlearn what you already know in order to absorb the information the faculty exposes you to”, he said.

He went on to describe how the program appeals to defence authorities, exposes learners to challenging real-world business scenarios from a variety of industries, organizations, and management specializations, and is beneficial for the country by relying on information from IIM Shillong.

The Chief Guest for the event was Air Marshal D. K. Patnaik, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Eastern Air Command. Prof. D P Goyal, Director, IIM Shillong, Prof. Sitanshu Sekhar Das, Programme Coordinator, and Prof. Vibhas Amawate, Chair, MDP & Consultancy along with Brig Vinod S, were present for inaugural event.

D.P. Goyal, Director, IIM Shillong explained how the program would appeal to defence officers.

“This program will build on the skills defence officials already possess as a result of their years of excellent service to the nation, allowing them to utilize the classroom activities and interact with peers to further enhance their skills. It is a specialized curriculum designed to equip defence commanders with the skills, knowledge, and understanding needed for a seamless transfer into the business world”, he said.

Dr. Goyal urged all the participants to approach the six-month course like new students. He said IIM Shillong provides a variety of methods by deliberately blending lectures, case studies, discussions, group projects, field trips, reading, and discussions.

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