Weekends have become the most productive days

A budding professional looks forward to the weekend as a welcome break from the stress and grind of their work life, choosing to spend time with family, catching up on personal errands, heading off to the malls and markets or just sleeping in. Limited time availability makes it difficult to manage this during the week.

However, some executives and entrepreneurs are using the same disadvantage of being pressed for time to out do their peers, boost their skill sets and enhance their careers. They make their week ends the most productive and future focused days of the week. ITM’s Executive Education Center offers programs tailor made for the week day busy professional.

Part time MBA programs have been around for decades and have proven very popular amongst working executives. Many management institutes in Mumbai, Delhi offer part time programs affiliated with the Mumbai University and DU. These programs are usually of three years duration, with a course schedule that sees students attending classes on weekday evenings after their work hours.

With ever increasing responsibility at work, the 9 to 5 workday is long one, making it nearly impossible for many executives to attend MBA classes every evening. What’s more, with the speed at which careers are moving, many feel that three years is too much time to invest in a much needed Masters qualifications.

Distance Education programs are a popular choice for executives who feel the need to add to their qualifications. However, many graduates have realized that employers give little value to these degrees, especially when there are candidates with full time MBA degrees waiting in line.

Empathizing with the lifestyle of today’s working professionals ITM realized that a faster but equally enriching and intensive Executive Masters program was the much sought after solution. Consequently, ITM Executive education Center started offering its students the choice of a weekend class schedule for its Executive Masters programs in 2003. Students could choose to attend classes on Saturdays and Sundays rather than during the week. This format proved so convenient that within a year all new batches were following the weekend format.

Today, ITM Executive Education center is one of the most popular choices for part time executive education in Mumbai. The numbers speak volumes for the success of the program, with over 2,000 students currently enrolled in weekend programs at its 11 centers spread across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

ITM wants to give working professionals a competitive advantage over their peers who do not have a Masters qualification, and want to do it in the fastest, most convenient and academically enriching way possible.

All efforts are concentrated towards enhancing the productivity of the schedule for working professionals. The entire infrastructure of ITM EEC is designed around the Weekend Education Programs and this is evidence to the thought put into meeting a very essential need – the need to save time.

Convenient travel from home or work is the perk:

Earlier they had just one campus in Mumbai and students lived far from it would have to travel for hours to attend their courses. But they realized that their sole purpose is time saving and that it was obligatory for them to be located closer to clients’ offices or homes. So they started looking at center locations that would be convenient. ITM Executive Center now has active centers in Sion, Matunga, Vile Parle, Dombivili, Chembur, Vashi and Kharghar, and they are still expanding. ITM has upcoming centers in Oshiwara, Thane and other locations in suburban Mumbai.

The Centers offers two programs – a 24 month Masters program in Business administration, which is for young professionals and a 16 month program, which is for experienced professionals. This distinction allows the faculties to design and deliver the right level of education to their students. Young executives who have below 3 years of work experience need a good grounding in business fundamentals and concepts. Older executive bring a wealth of experience into the classroom and require more advanced exploratory learning. Our facilities are capable of adapting the course content and subject coverage based on the age and experience of the batch.

Students believe that the programs offered are very rewarding and worth the time they spend on it.

ITM are amazed at how many new candidates come to them through the reference of their colleagues or friends who are studying with them. 60% of students come through the recommendation of a colleague. ITM EEC has been so successful with its weekend Maters Program that we have launched it in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, with similar responsiveness.

ITM EEC’s centers and classrooms are well equipped for modern teaching methods using LCD projectors and other A/V equipment. All students get top of the line Acer laptops along with their book kits. All this technology really comes to the forefront when students have group assignments and projects.

Career progression is our main objective but our students experience many more benefits. The professional and social networking possibility is a big bonus. Many students find their next jobs, business deals and even start new ventures while they’re enrolled with us. The big benefit is getting promotions and new jobs. Most of our students are able to move up of management positions in their organizations within a year of completing the program.

Weekends have become the most productive days of the week for so many working professionals who realize that they need to get qualified, get an edge and get hired.