XLRI trains specialised batch for ICICI Pru, looks for more

From The Financial Express

Jamshedpur, Jun 14
XLRI, the premier business school, on Saturday produced its first batch of students trained specifically for ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co in coordination with the insurance major.

Following the successful training of 56 students in the one-year management programme, XLRI said it is now looking for more such company/industry-specific tie-ups for meeting their human resource (HR) needs.

While the initial MoU had been only for two batches, it is expected that the two institutions would, after a review, agree to continue with the programme.

"According to Prof TAS Vijaya Raghavan, XLRI's associate dean for international & corporate programmes, the next course for around 55-60 students, which takes off in mid-August, would be catering to an insurance company's "higher managerial grade needs".

Eligible candidates for the course are screened by talent acquisition Companies hired by ICICI Prudential, short-listed, and sent to XLRI for the final selection to be done by the B-School.

With the insurance industry in India witnessing unprecedented growth, both XLRI and ICICI Prudential perceived the need for such a programme.

XLRI is in talks with the HCL group as well as with Sterlite Industries for running a one-year programme on human capital management.

"We are looking at our internal resources and have still not committed; subject to the director's and the Companies' approval we may consider that," added Raghavan.

The emphasis of the ICICI Prudential programme is both on general management concepts as well as on intensive training in the insurance and finance domain.

The module in general management covers marketing, statistics and economics, organizational behaviour and personality development, business communication, business strategy as well as legal aspects in business and information technology.

A two-month internship at the end of the course came in as a good "hands-on" experience for the 56 students who received the post-graduate certificate in management and insurance here today.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company has assured the students employment as executive trainees in the company offering MBA-equivalent compensation.