The ICFAI University, Raipur Organised a Guest Lecture on "Career opportunities for the students post COVID-19". Mr. Rajan Gaonkar, Director, Co-founder - Global Skills app was the speaker. Global Skills app has received an appreciation from the Honourable prime minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji during Atam Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan as one of the Startups making an impact in the Edtech / Skill education sector.

Mr. Rajan Gaonkar holds an MBA from JBIMS - Mumbai & a Postgraduate diploma from XLRI. He is a Core committee member of IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) - Mumbai Chapter. He is the President-elect for ISHRAE - Thane Chapter & Secretary for MILT - Mumbai Chapter.

Mr. Rajan Gaonkar interacted with students and faculty members and shared his life experience. Talking about the sectors with negative and positive impact by COVID-19, he gave an idea about skills requirements and the area of improvement.

To reorient oneself from a career perspective, he urged students to perform the SWOT Analysis to make the most of what you've got, to improve upon yourself and to the organization's best advantage.

He talked at length on success tips for the students. Mr. Rajan threw light on Confidence, communication skills, and courage. He further explained that theoretical and practical knowledge gives confidence whereas reading, writing, speaking enables to become an effective speaker.

He also added that re-skilling and up-skilling is the need of time, one should have a practice of continuous learning and skilling and this would become a way of life.

The participants had several queries related to the skill-set, nature of the job, its availability post-COVID, and the areas. All the queries were answered by the speaker. The session was greeted with lots of enthusiasm from the participants.

On the occasion of Teacher's day, ICFAI University, Raipur invited an eminent academician, Prof. T. Tirupati Rao, to give insights on "Role of Teachers in Institution Building".

Prof. T. Tirupati Rao, is a former Vice Chancellor of Osmania University, Hyderabad.

He has been chairperson of NAAC peer committee, member of the review committee constituted by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India to review the functioning of National Council of Rural Institutions, and a Member in high level UGC committees, contributing to reforms and many other important positions.

Prof. Rao said that the teachers are the functionaries who preserve, redesign and transmit the organizational culture among the students who are the future of the nation. The primary duty of any educational institution is the facilitation of the development and transformation in the learners and there by contribute to the development of the society. For facilitating learner transformation the teachers working in the higher education institutions have to make the teaching learning process competence based, value oriented and need based, added by the speaker.

Talking at length on teacher's roll, he said transforming the learners must results in the satisfaction of the regional, national and global requirements. Ensuring learner transformation will contribute to institution building. Prof. Tirupati Rao said that teachers must have attitude of acceptance of changing philosophy and practices. Resistance to change will work as a hindrance to quality institution building.

He emphasised that an important focus of institutions in higher learning is research. Teachers have to facilitate and give a leadership to the accumulation of knowledge in the institution. The teachers and the students should engage in research and contribute to the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Then only the institution can satisfy the regional and global requirements. The creation and sharing of knowledge and, thereby, playing a key role in the society will enhance the reputation of the institution. An institution should develop effective and functional industry-institution partnership which will need based and reciprocal in nature, Prof. Tirupati Rao added. The participants had insightful queries which were duly answered by the speaker.

Mr. S.N. Abidi is General Manager at Bhilai Steel Plant. He is an alumnus of NIT, Raipur 1982 batch. He is serving the industry for more than 2 decades.

Mr. Abidi has worked extensively in the area of Operation, Maintenance, Contract Management, Administration and Plant Security and presently looking after as Chief General Manager I/c (Services) looking after responsibilities of for making Annual Business Plan, Monitoring it for its compliance, Logistics Management including supply Chain Management, Energy Management, Cost Management, Contract Management, Plant Security and Outsourcing of various operation and maintenance functions.

Prof. Abhilasha Shukla did a formal welcome of the guest and hosted the session.

The industry needs bright, talented, well-prepared graduates to join the workforce, while academia requires insight into the industry's needs to ensure that it can develop a future workforce that is prepared to meet those needs, Mr. Abidi said.

He added that the interaction of academia-industry benefits to students, industry members, and faculty members would be in terms of the educative process as well as to enhance potential collaboration opportunities.

He said that the educational institution must have a job oriented or market-oriented curriculum so that the graduating students can get easily employment. Students must cultivate an attitude of learning new things, zeal to innovate new things, etc added by the speaker.

Dr. Narsing Rao Sir, Vice-Chancellor (i/c) said in his address that the students are sent to industry for an internship of 6 months duration. The purpose of this internship program is to get actual-time expectations by the industry, skill set requirements, etc. Also, MBA courses students go out to the field after 10 weeks of completion at the campus.

Participants had an insightful conversation with the speaker. Dr. Jayant Issac proposed the vote of thanks to the speaker and to organizing team of the guest lecture. The session was enjoyed and appreciated by the participants.

Mr. Nagesh Kumar Banchhor is a founder of Educational Institutions - Pro C Education and Vishva Vedanta Schools, Chhattisgarh. He is an alumnus of IIM -Kozhikode & did his Electronics Engineering from NIT, Raipur. He is an industry experienced professional from corporate like BHEL Hyderabad, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Ahmedabad, Ramco Systems, Chennai. He has done consultation with renowned athlete P T Usha, Pearson Education (& Manipal School Services), ITM University, other government, and private educational bodies.

He talked about Dimension 1 and Dimension 2 of personality. Dimension 1 of personality includes the E-type & I-type persona and dimension 2 of the personality includes the left brain and right brain domination, he explained.

He elaborated on the significance of different personalities. He mentioned career choices for E - type & I-type personality. An extrovert person who loves to be noticed loves to be in the group, & love to have an appreciation; etc may go for a career that requires teamwork like sales, marketing admin, etc. Whereas the introvert person avoids interacting with people, do self-analysis, etc may go for a career that requires solitude like data analysis, research, coding, etc.

Talking on attitude and reaction, Mr. Nagesh described the introvert and extrovert personality of the human being. He said that our attitude depends on the focus of our energy.

Adding to the conversation, VC sir congratulated Mr. Banchhor for his recognitions received from different Chief Ministers of the State. Even if a person is an extrovert he must curve himself to engage in a situation where an introvert person is comfortable, added by Dr. Narsing Rao.

Prof. Dilip Mishra proposed vote of thanks to the speaker for his words of wisdom and to Mrs. Rashmi Kulkarni, Corporate Relations Manager, IUR for organizing such an insightful session. Students and faculty members took part enthusiastically and made the event successful.

Mr. Kailash Dhar Diwan is former Chairman cum Managing Director, Hindustan Copper Limited. He has served the industry for more than 3 decades and he has been honored with many awards like Industry Leadership Award - "Best CEO of the year" in 2016 by Platts Global Metals Awards held in London, Global HR excellence award under the Individual Category of "CEO with HR Orientation" in 2013 in Mumbai & "Skotch Renaissance Award" for corporate leadership and turn around.

Mr. Diwan was formally welcomed by Dr. GS Narsing Rao, honorable Vice-Chancellor (i/c). Further Prof Vijaya Lakshmi introduced the guest and hosted the session. Mr. Diwan gave insights over the need for soft skills and skill developments. He talked at length over several government plans (Yojna) that were introduced for skilling and upskilling for making the graduate students more employable.

He stated about seven sectors that will flourish and have more job opportunities post COVID-19. The sectors are like e-commerce, automobile, construction, logistics, fertilizers, and chemical industries, etc. He advised the students to meet and learn advanced skills. Hard work, determination, and adding skills can make students employable. He emphasized to increase industry interactions. That will help to know the various ground information. Many students from different faculties, asked the questions and those were happily answered by the guest.

Dr. Narsing Rao said that learning more in your area proves your interests truly lie in that area. He spoke about his plans about the industry-institute service exchange program to explore opportunities at a wider scale.

Prof Dilip Mishra gave a vote of thanks to the speaker. Mrs. Rashmi Kulkarni, CRM, IUR organized the guest lecture. The session was greeted with lots of enthusiasm by the students.

Mr. Anurag Jhanwar is Co-Founder and Partner-Fintrust Advisors LLP. He is an alumnus of IBS, Hyderabad batch of 2003, and a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS). Anurag has over 18 years of total experience spanning Wealth Management - Multi-Client family offices, Startup Mentor and Advisor, Real estate & Infrastructure advisory, valuation, and rating domain. His corporate stints included leadership roles at Proptiger-Housing.com, Crisil and Cushman & Wakefield in the real estate advisory, research, data analytics, and rating domain.

Talking over career growth post-COVID-19, he focused on learning and unlearn attitude along with the relevant skill sets required in the new world. He said that we have to be vigilant and keep on updating ourselves with the new tools and techniques.

He interacted with faculty members and all students of the University on a digital platform. He talked over sectors that will have neutral, positive, and negative impacts of COVID-19. He suggested improving visibility on a professional social media platform like LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, and to engage with thought leaders.

Mr. Anurag spoke at length over the technology and its integration with everything. He added, Technology will not remain an option but it will be considered as a life-skill. He advised the students to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Mr. Anurag urged them to analyze their weak points that can hinder their progress in the new world.

Many students and faculty members asked insightful questions. Mr. Anurag appreciated the zeal of students and answered the queries. Everyone found this session very motivating and informative.

The ICFAI University Raipur conducted an online webinar session for Chhattisgarh Public School, Raipur. The session was held over an online platform. The webinar was hosted by Mrs. Rashmi Kulkarni, Corporate Relations Manager, IUR.

Teachers and students of the Chhattisgarh Public School were the attendees of the webinar. The Faculty members of the University from different disciplines were invited to participate as an expert. The webinar session included the job oriented career options that a student can have after class XII other than the conventional career options. Before making a career choice, students must take time to understand themselves, their likes and preferences. In the webinar, important career skills like Adaptive Thinking, Communication Skills, and Collaboration Skills etc, were introduced to the participants that a student must have.

The webinar has been a great success and the theme was lined up with the need of students. During Q&A session, teachers and students asked insightful questions and their queries were resolved by the experts.

The ICFAI University, Raipur organised an invited talk over digital platform for its Students and Faculty Members. Mr. Ashish is a known Brand Enthusiast & a Brand Designer for Digital Customers in the field of digital marketing. He is an engineering graduate and an IBS Alumnus of 2004 batch. He is a Self-driven and results-producing marketing professional with a proven track record of more than 16 years. He is an accomplished marketer in planning and leading comprehensive marketing strategies in support of business goals and objective. Prof Vijaya Laxmi, from FMS introduced the guest and welcomed the participants of the webinar.

While addressing students in his talk, he focused over basics of digital marketing and digital channels. He said that Digital marketing is a marketing approach that primarily relies on the internet to connect with the target audience through various digital media channels and platforms. He added that digital channels, such as content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing and so on, to create elaborate strategies to reach and connect with prospects and customers.

Prof. Dilip Mishra from FST, took the opportunity to give a vote of thanks to the guest and the participants. Students from different faculties asked insightful questions regarding digital marketing techniques, tools & their management etc, which was duly satisfied by the speaker.

Mrs Rashmi Kulkarni, corporate relations manager, IUR, made the effort for necessary arrangements of the event. The session was a great success.

Mr. Hitesh Sarda is Vice president of Yash Technologies, Hyderabad. He is an IBS, Hyderabad alumnus of 2001 Batch. Hitesh has spent 2 decades in the IT & Banking Industry, building and managing business critical applications. He has worked with both start-ups and multi-billion dollar companies like Citibank, Polaris & Yash. During his career, he has worked in the field of technology, operations, process consulting, marketing, sales, finance, HR and customer support.

With essence of his rich experience, he interacted with faculty members and all students of the University on digital platform. He talked on Creating and capitalizing on opportunities, tools and the framework required for up-skilling, Job demands and many other important elements. He insisted on to build a healthy and a good network to generate the opportunities. He urged students to come out from the comfort zone as soon as possible. Mr. Hitesh emphasized upon time management. He advised students to be selective, utilize the time, prepare strategically etc.

Adding some inputs to start-up incubation, Dr GS Narsing Rao, VC (I/c) said that University is going to start an entrepreneurship cell to incubate the student's idea and to make them market ready. Many students raised their queries relating the pandemic situation that they are facing when the use of technology has become an essential part of life.

Prof. Hariharan graduated in Mechanical engineering in 1975 from Institute of Technology-Trichy. He did his post-graduation in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad. He teaches Sports Management elective at IBS Pune, IIM -Rohtak and LIBA, Chennai along with subjects i.e., Marketing Management, Services Marketing and Business Marketing (B2B Marketing).

Prof. Hariharan talked at length on career opportunities in sports management. He shared key features of product marketing, branding, sales etc. He said, Sports is one of the up and coming industries not just in India but across the world. Sports opens up opportunities in endorsements, merchandising, broadcasting, infrastructure creation and maintenance, logistics, sports good manufacturing industries etc As a career not just for athletes but also for leaders who make up for this industry, there is a vast array of opportunities this industry provides. Forecast for Indian Sports and Fitness Goods Market 2019-2024 estimated to be $6 Billion, he added.

Students and faculty members of the University asked questions regarding approaches to get the job in this field and the courses that can help to get a good job in the Q & A session. Students took effective participation and found this session very useful.

Mr. Prasad has extensively worked in the IT industry for over two decades equally spread in India & the United States of America. Quality Assurance, Testing, People/Process/Program Management, HR, Training, Development, Employee Induction, Corporate Communication, Employer Branding, and Corporate Social Responsibility, etc.

He interacted with faculty members and all B. Tech final year students via video conferencing. He shared his experience and challenges that he met during professional journey beginning after graduation. Mr. Prasad mentioned the set of essential required skills to equip with. Some of the important skills that he emphasized soft skills, communication skills, leadership skills, technical skills, adapt to changes, etc.

He shared his views regarding job availability in IT sector after COVID-2019. Students raised their doubts and held a healthy conversation with Mr. Prasad.

Dr. Dutta is a B. Tech in Mechanical from Institute of Technology, B.H.U. in 1974 & received his Ph.D. in vibration engineering from IIT (BHU)-Varanasi later. With the essence of his rich and vast experience, he interacted with faculty members and all B. Tech final year students on digital platform.

He talked on career opportunities post-COVID-2019, skill requirements, job demands, and many other important elements. He put lots of emphasis on acquiring a set of skills that will make students market-ready. He urged students to come out from the comfort zone as soon as possible.

Talking over soft skills, Dr. GS Narsing Rao, VC (I/c) said that one should have an attitude of unlearning & relearning. Many students and faculty members raised several questions relating to the present situation that they are facing when the use of technology has become an essential part of life.