COVID-19 and its repercussions have impacted the whole world, and, this crisis has resulted in profound economic consequences. Even though the field of higher education is used to cyclical downturns, the effect of COVID-19 has posed a major threat to the domain. The job fallouts are enormous, but fortunately, the effects will be temporary. More trained employees will be needed than ever before when the world returns to a semblance of normalcy. Perhaps, the demand for trained, well-equipped and dynamic graduates will be at an all-time high, thus, only requiring individuals who act as professionals in their respective fields. One field which deals with creating leaders of tomorrow, converting shy, timid students into confident professionals, ready to take their spots as global leaders – an education in Business Management, has always been a safer option for millions. Also, considering the need for generalists more than specialists in today’s time, MBA has gained immense popularity, where students are trained to become abled managers, who can handle market changes and trends with ease.
Out of the numerous b-schools and institutes which guarantee of quality learning/teaching, one educational haven which excels towards contributing and building a skillful society, and at the same time, setting an example in terms of brand value and educational excellency – Chitkara Business School comes as a ray of hope even during these gloomy times of the pandemic. Promoting comprehensive learning opportunities to budding management aspirants and encouraging them to participate in activities beyond classrooms and libraries, Chitkara promotes through and through holistic development of all their students. Focusing more on affirmative skills of the students, possibility of employment after their MBA programs is gradually increased. Training in SEO, Digital Marketing, AI and ML, Blockchain, Data Analytics tools like Tableau, Python, R Programming, Financial Technologies (UI and UX), Data warehousing, cloud computing, Language skills, E-Commerce and M-Commerce technologies and several other related subjects help all the business school students gain the best of learning experiences.
Started by Dr. Ashok K Chitkara and Dr Madhu Chitkara, who gave wings to their vision of creating a globally recognized organization, where academic excellence is just a metaphor, and the ground reality is much intense and efficient, Chitkara Educational Trust was founded in the year 1998. Extending their individual knowledge and expertise, in turn promoting innovation and interdisciplinary research, Chitkara Educational Trust eventually gave birth to many institutes under its shade, where Chitkara Business School was one such initiative which clearly aimed towards bringing positive reforms to the field of management and business studies.
Being one of the fastest growing organizations, Chitkara Business School boasts of exemplary academics, focused academic approach, strong industry partnerships, state of the art infrastructure, and outstanding onboard faculty. Continuing relentlessly with an aim of producing not just graduates but dynamic individuals, a dedicated 100-acre university campus gives way for management aspirants at Chitkara to grow into all-rounded industry-ready personalities.
Effortless career transformations
Encompassing 10 different specializations in the new-age technologies, such as Healthcare Management, Healthcare IT, Business Analytics and Pharma Management, along with conventional MBA Courses, all the programs hosted by the b-school are unique, flexible and well in sync with the market trends and demands. Adapting to a pedagogy and curriculum, consulting top industry experts who also visit the campus for regular guest lectures, students are made sure that they get well-equipped with the right skill sets needed to create and execute business strategies. Adding value to literally every aspect of their future organizations and their personal lives, all the students at Chitkara inculcate a strong sense of societal responsibilities and an inert love towards nature and Mother Earth.
Facilitating easy learning curves for every student irrespective of the socio-economic backgrounds they come from, accomplished academicians and industry experts make Chitkara Business School their home, functioning as the onboard faculty members. Guiding students on all walks of life, be it inside the classroom or outside, the faculty members act as Gurus to the students, in turn, building strong mentor-mentee relationships on the campus. The students are also encouraged to take up integrated project works, international exchange programs, internships, and a diverse range of electives, where the faculty members assist and guide them regularly.
“Our teachers are encouraged to visit the best b-schools of India and abroad for gaining experience in the best practices of teaching”, stated Dr Madhu Chitkara, the Pro Chancellor of Chitkara Business School, talking to us about how the faculty and everyone else present on the campus are equally important for the management at Chitkara. During a brief conversation opportunity, we got, we posed as budding management aspirants and asked some relevant questions pertaining to the current trends and demands. Quiet calm in her responses, Dr Madhu gave us an inside view of the whole working ethos present at the b-school and enunciated very valid points of why Chitkara Business School can undoubtedly be listed as one among the best b-schools of India.
“With more than 100 international academic partners, Chitkara works in the direction of creating interdisciplinary & entrepreneurial minds, who are socially capable with globally acceptable skill sets and strong interpersonal skills”, added Dr. Madhu to her earlier statement, talking about how Chitkara changes the lives of the students by making them real-world compliant, and well-rounded human beings.
All the programs at Chitkara Business School are driven by Industry. Harvard Business School Online for professional courses, Ernst & Young for Business Analytics, Fortis for Healthcare Management, Safexpress from SCM and Logistics, Bombay Stock Exchange for Financial Markets, Frost & Sullivan for Healthcare IT, Wizcraft MIME for Event Management, KPMG for our Accounting programs, and Imagine XP for Fintech programs are some examples of strong partners across the segments. These partnerships are not restricted to A4 size paper agreements, but these industry giants help Chitkara Business School in developing curriculum as per latest industry requirements, provide skill-based training to our students, Co-teach with Faculty in the class room, strong internship networks and organize live projects. Moreover, With facilities like the placement cell and a separate faculty assigned, methodologies like Simulation Activities, Case Study discussions, Internships, Brainstorming sessions, team building activities, experiential learning, and so on, become a norm at the b-school, which is a welcome change to the existing grooming process followed worldwide.
Making futures easy
As well all know, secondary or alternate outcome of pursuing management studies is to become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is thus an art, which consists of a skill set not everyone can master. At Chitkara Business School, Entrepreneurship is given equal importance and consideration, and as a result, Centre of Entrepreneurship Education Development (CEED) was established. At CEED, the mission is to increase the ecosystem’s productivity by simplifying the task of connecting people with the right opportunities. “Initially a value is created within the ecosystem, and then that value is shared with our ecosystem partners, mentors, investors and startups” stated Dr. Madhu, ecstatically. With a state-of-the-art incubation space of over 15,000 sq.ft located at just 1km distance from Rajiv Gandhi IT Park, Chandigarh, the start-up family of Chitkara has 53 dynamic tech startups. These startups actively engage with each other to share their success stories, failure lessons and sometimes, give rise to long-lasting friendships.
Entrepreneurship being a strong part of the curriculum, the University campus has an incubator, which encourages students of different disciplines to think entrepreneurial. A structured mentoring program is held to help students have a strong focus on student startups, provision of seed funds, and provision of subsidized incubation space and its availability. Chitkara Business School has organized close to 100 such events so far, which help sanitize students, regarding Entrepreneurship and still strives hard to promote entrepreneurship on a larger scale.
All in all, CBS being a part of more than 150 international partnerships ranging from study abroad programs, student exchange programs, and so on, the b-school is a hotspot for strong on-campus recruitments. With the help of the International Office, CBS provides seamless opportunities for students to travel across the world for semester exchange programs, 15 days to 1-month summer schools, international internships, 1+1 or 3+2 programs, Skill enhancement programs, Immersion programs etc. Furthermore, under partnership with University of Wisconsin-Parkside, USA and Providence University, Taiwan, MBA students can spend one year on their campuses in their 2nd year abroad and get international exposure. The students of Chitkara Business School take on several joint research projects with students of international partner universities. Nearly 30% of business students travel abroad for several academic and co-curricular activities, in turn, making all the students really think like global managers. Lastly, from laying the seeds to harvesting the fruits, CBS always stays side-by-side with their students, helping them maintain intensive focus, guiding them through every step they take and in the end, give a final push to make a successful leap into this huge world, ready to take over whatever comes their way with ease and confidence.
Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor
One of the co-founders of the Chitkara Educational Trust, Dr. Madhu Chitkara is an eminent academician and an innovative entrepreneur. She has articulated and designed the road map for the trust and has actively contributed to its tremendous growth and recognition in all these years and continues to spread the light of education in the life of tens of thousands of people. With a passion for academics and great business acumen, she has had a diversified career and variegated experience in the field of education spanning almost four decades. Knowledgeable, focused and a strategic leader, Dr. Madhu Chitkara has adeptly managed numerous academic ventures and remains a true leader who ‘leads by example’ – is warm, sincere, and always willing to walk the extra mile to deliver on her promises. Her support to several Humanitarian causes, in association with various NGOs, is indeed a tribute to her philanthropic nature, zest for life and desire to transform other’s lives for the better, pushes her forward towards her dream of bringing a positive change to society.