Networking is more of a buzzword but, in fact, part and parcel of the learning for students, especially for management students. It is a soft skill of vital importance, which aids forthcoming career development in the current dynamic and fiercely competitive job markets. Building a quality professional network provides:
- New opportunities
- Insight
- Better career advancement
A program in a business school must hone the skills of young graduates who could become future business leaders. It is a high-intensity course that teaches personal growth, plus elements of global exposure and industrial engagement. If there is anything that marks out the PGP-BL program, it will be the aspect of enabling connections and creating a professional network.
Let’s see how PGP-BL at IIM Kozhikode helps build these important networking skills.
What is PGP-BL?
The Post-Graduate Programme in Business Leadership (PGP-BL) at IIM Kozhikode is a one-year management course designed to transform young professionals into future business leaders.
What sets this program apart is its focus on practical exposure alongside academics, ensuring students are well-prepared for the challenges of the business world. Therefore, a lot of emphasis is placed on learning leadership, and the curriculum is designed so that the in-class learning is clearly equal to that outside the class in terms of time given to case studies, group projects, and industry interaction.
IIM Kozhikode is known for following an innovative approach to management education. Relevantly, this is a programme that has been carefully crafted:
- to meet the demands of a fast-changing and dynamic business environment,
- sharpens the managerial potentialities of students into able, confident, values-driven managers,
- inculcate Eastern value orientation and Indian thought into the discipline of leadership by successfully incorporating Western thoughts on leadership.
Importance of Networking in Today’s Job Market
Today, in the competitive job market, who you know is equally as important as what you know. Networking allows individuals to make professional connections within their area of work, keeping them alongside of the most relevant trends and happenings and becoming knowledgeable about potential jobs that are probably not advertised in the public domain.
A strong network of contacts can also help provide you with mentors who can guide and support you in your career. For a PGP-BL student, networking is more than just building futuristic connections. It means building relationships that connect with valued stalwarts and help them get on with their career towards success. The IIM Kozhikode administration, too, is alive to the merits of networking and has incorporated it as an essential service in PGP-BL.
The PGP-BL Experience: A Student’s Perspective
Diverse Student Backgrounds and Experiences
In a PGP-BL program, students and faculty come from diverse academic and work experiences, making them bring diverse factors into the classroom. It leads to the general learning atmosphere characterised by interdependence and learning from the experience.
Group Learning
Group work in the form of collaborative learning is at the heart of the PGP-BL programme. It is around group projects, case studies, corporate competitions, case analysis, and classroom debates that the development of the curriculum and the processes of its orientation to teamwork occur.
Students solve business problems together, work on the case scenarios arising from the business issue and present their findings in the classroom environment. Additionally, one acquires the spirit of comradeship while collaborating in group projects, most of which are long-term professional partnerships.
Mentorship by Faculty
Faculty is not limited to teaching but plays a vital role in curbing a student’s life in a positive direction. At IIM Kozhikode, faculties are made sure to assume the role of a mentor in students’ academic and career paths.
In classes, they enrich the courses with their ideas and recommendations. The faculty has a one-on-one with the students, advising them on their rigorous work and planning their career objectives in detail as to how to accomplish them. Such interaction fosters relationships between the students and the faculty members of the B-school and forms an essential element of the PGP-BL experience.
Professional Network for the participants
The other major component that forms part of the PGP-BL program of IIM Kozhikode is students’ engagement with industry players. To support this system, guest lectures, workshops, and industrial visits are part of the core curriculum of the institute. It assists the students in developing networks with leaders of industries across sectors, assessing the overall industry knowledge to update it, and accumulating practical experience concerning the business environment.
Industry interactions allow the students to expand the number of people they can talk freely with to several acquaintances outside the class. It is how relationships are created out of which people get jobs, internships, mentorships and so on are created between the people.
Beyond the Classroom: Building Relationships
Campus Clubs and Organizations
The campus life at IIM Kozhikode is quite pro-active, and many clubs and societies are represented for many interests. They enable students to participate in some form of co-curricular activity, develop leadership skills and be associated with people of like minds.
The opportunity to socialise is equally valuable in the pursuit of learning; the PGP-BL students should thus engage in activities in campus clubs. Business clubs, cultural groups, sports teams, or any such activity would undoubtedly assist in establishing and forming bonds for the Network and peers in their respective fields.
Alumni Network
Despite being extended to the PGP-BL student community, the most precious feather in the hat probably has to be the alumni network of IIM Kozhikode.
The institute was set up in 1997 and thus has a broad and more significant alumni base worldwide.
Ex-students often come to the campus to give their accounts of coaching and counselling the young students.
The alma mater of alumni works as a source of knowledge and relevant contacts for PGP-BL students.
Whether seeking advice regarding one’s career path or where to find the right job—just a glimpse of what is in store in the given field- the alumni are ready to assist at a moment’s notice.
Relationships built over the years with the alumni put one in touch with actual internships and job placement opportunities, thus making it a precious part of the PGP-BL experience.
Mentorship Programs
In IIM Kozhikode, formal and informal mentorship come under the preview of PGP-BL. They create student-company learning relationships with groups of individuals who would be able to mentor, provide exposure to industries and facilitate students in decision-making concerning their careers.
It provides the students an excellent opportunity to build beneficial relations with the tutors, who later become their business connections in the Network.
Networking Events
PGP-BL students work in many social networking events of various shades, including parties, social dinners, international or national conferences or seminars, industrial meets, and so on, which introduce the students, alumni, faculty and industrialists in a familiar setting where they can quickly identify each other.
In these networking events, students are allowed to present themselves, their capabilities, and their concepts and clarify their doubts.
The prospects for the students of PGP-BL are to enlarge the circle of connections during these events and at least learn about new ideas and views on the prospects of professional development.
How Networking Impacts: Real-Life Stories
“I am glad that I could be a part of PGP BL 04 at IIM Kozhikode. I was able to divert all my energy toward education and various other countless activities that the institute offers us to be a part of and have learned immensely from my time at the campus. From our induction on Day 1 through to the conclusion of the course, the unparalleled faculty expertise, the top notch course design, have provided me with the knack to confidently navigate through the modern business landscape. In conjunction to academics, the community at the campus and the peer to peer learning that followed, led to an enriching experience. Looking back at everything, the education, the innovative ideas, insights, the discussions that ensued and every activity, every event that we were a part of, all the connections forged, this one year was a journey worth remembering.
I am sure, that from all that we learnt at the institute, the transformation that was brought within us, we will step out into the world and give our best. Our contributions and the change we bring about, will reflect on the character that the institute instilled within us. And I promise that it will bring the recognition that the institute and its brand deserves.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone. I say this with a feeling of gratefulness!”
Anushka Singh – PGPBL Alumni
“Being a part of this course has been a truly transformative experience for me. Over the past year, I have had the privilege of serving as a Member of the Students’ Council, which has been incredibly rewarding. The friendships I’ve made on campus, the exceptional academic curriculum, and the interactions with best-in-class professors have all contributed to an enriching journey.
When I joined this course, I was confident about obtaining a prestigious MBA degree from a reputed institute. However, the depth of learning and the comprehensive nature of the curriculum far exceeded my expectations. The balanced approach to different
management streams like Finance, Marketing, Operations, and Strategy helped me see management as a multi-disciplinary study requiring a balanced perspective.
A unique aspect I enjoyed here was working on a CIS project (Course of Independent Study), which allowed me to research a topic of my choice under the mentorship of renowned professors instead of choosing an elective. Additionally, the subjects offered as electives during Terms 3 and 4 were rich and diverse.
Also, IIM Kozhikode has state-of-the-art sports facilities, including courts for tennis, squash, badminton, and a swimming pool. We celebrated various festivals throughout the year, starting with Vishu, followed by Onam, Deepawali, and Christmas. The highlight was our Business Management fest, BL Conclave, and our Cultural fest, Thira.
Reflecting on the past year, I can confidently say that this has been the best year of my life. It has been a period of immense growth, building lifelong friendships, and expanding my professional network. The PGP Business Leadership course at IIM Kozhikode is indeed a rigorous program that demands full-time devotion, but the rewards are beyond measure. I feel that I am a true all-rounder post my graduation from IIM Kozhikode.”
Rohvin D’Souza – PGPBL Alumni
Conclusion
The PGP-BL at IIM Kozhikode is one of the most vibrant, having an active component in terms of networking.
From classroom group projects to industrial visits, from clubs on the campus to the alumni link, numerous opportunities exist by which a student can be connected to a reputable professional network.
So, professional relationships are needed for this positive growth and development of a sound and successful career and for helping the individual in continuous learning and growth throughout the lifespan.
Admissions are open at IIM Kozhikode for the Post Graduate Programme in Business Leadership (PGP-BL) Batch 06. Apply now to secure your spot!
The LAST DATE to apply is 31st October 2024, so submit your application as soon as possible. If you have any queries or to connect with IIM Kozhikode students, please visit [OFFICIAL] IIM- Kozhikode PGP-BL Batch Admissions 2025-26 | PGP-BL (Post Graduate Program in Business Leadership).