UK beckons the brilliant
Parbina Rashid
If you are a young professional and have made a mark in your chosen field, there is an opportunity to get international exposure. Chevening, the UK government’s flagship scholarship scheme, which has proved to be the academic connection between India and the United Kingdom over the years, offers you an opportunity to do that.

Third World nurses throng UK
Prasun Sonwalkar
LONDON: Nearly half of the nurses starting work in Britain each year come from developing countries like India and South Africa, says a new study. Carried out for the Royal College of Nursing by the University of Edinburgh, it found that the number of nurses recruited in Britain over the past five years rose by nearly 6,000 to 18,048.

UK beckons the brilliant
Parbina Rashid

If you are a young professional and have made a mark in your chosen field, there is an opportunity to get international exposure. Chevening, the UK government’s flagship scholarship scheme, which has proved to be the academic connection between India and the United Kingdom over the years, offers you an opportunity to do that.

The Chevening (India) Scholarship, 2004, offers 120 scholarships for Indians to study by providing financial assistance to train or study in the UK. The objective is to encourage young and dynamic Indian students and professionals to achieve their academic goals, return to India and contribute to current and future work in discipline concerned.

Choices and preparation

The scholarships, which cover tuition fee and living expenses for the duration of the award, varying between four weeks and one year, are being awarded under three schemes — long-term (open) scholarships, short- term (professional) scholarships and long-term (shared or joint) scholarships.

"There are a number of programmes, available and an attempt is made to represent all subjects in one or the other programmes except for medicine and related subjects like pharmacy and physiotherapy," says Mr Sushant Banerjee, manager of British Library, Sector 8.

British Library also conducts open houses for the aspirants to give details about the programmes and prepare them to face the interview board. Once short listed by a committee of British Council, the candidates require to go through an interview to be conducted between January and March in New Delhi.

Talking about their experiences, two successful candidates of last year, Ms. Payal Sodhi, an environmentalist associated with the People’ For Animals, Chandigarh Chapter, and Mr Rajesh Deol, a correspondent with The Deccan Herald say the interview is mainly based on one’s practical experiences in his or her chosen field. A candidate also has to submit a detailed project report at the time of the interview, outlining the area of interest he or she wants to take up in the UK, they add.

The applicant should be an Indian citizen with a valid Indian passport, should be under 35 years of age with a good track record both in the professional field and in academics, with preferably a first-class Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised Indian university. Between three and five years of experience is a must for professionals. Fluency in spoken and written English is another requirement.

Prospectus and application form are available at the British Library, Sector 8. These can also be downloaded from the website www.britishcouncil.org.in/ scholarships. The last date for receipt of applications is October 31.

Third World nurses throng UK
Prasun Sonwalkar

LONDON: Nearly half of the nurses starting work in Britain each year come from developing countries like India and South Africa, says a new study. Carried out for the Royal College of Nursing by the University of Edinburgh, it found that the number of nurses recruited in Britain over the past five years rose by nearly 6,000 to 18,048.

The number of new British nurses dropped by 959 since 1999 and the number of foreign-trained nurses rose by 11,184. Without this growth in overseas staff, the government would have found it difficult to increase the number of nurses working in the National Health Service, the research found. The report’s authors said despite high-profile recruitment and retention campaigns, the government was struggling to meet its target of 80,000 more nurses by 2008. —  IANS

Standing at the crossroads

Q After BCom (H), I worked for two years in an ad agency in media and client servicing. Then I did my MBA (Mkt) from a medium-rung UK B-school. I ‘am presently working as a corporate communication executive in a telecom service firm. I don’t like my present work profile. What area should I shift to? I am 28.

A I think the thing to do would be to focus on marketing (not sales) in brand/product management, including in an advertising agency. For this you can leverage your previous experience in advertising, and now in corporate communications as well as your "foreign" MBA for whatever it’s worth. And it should be well within your reach to make such a switch.

Your current profile may hamper your chances in making such a switch if it continues too long, so get cracking right away.

In addition to following the usual approaches such as responding to job ads, etc., I would like to point out that more than 50% of the available jobs are never advertised. Tap them directly.

Make a list of the companies you would like to work in — and which might find your experience in the industries that you have worked in appropriate and valuable — and contact them directly.

2) Activate your network of friends, colleagues, business associates, etc. and investigate any job leads that they may be able to suggest. Particularly at higher levels, jobs are not always advertised.

3) Talk to some reputed headhunters and placement agencies that work for the types of companies you are interested in.

Q I am studying at an ITI in Hoshiarpur and would like to set up my own small manufacturing unit after I complete the course. Is it possible to get some financial assistance to get started?

A The Punjab Government has formulated a new policy for the benefit of students of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state.

Under this plan, different nationalised banks will advance a loan of Rs 10,000 - 25 lakh to the applicants. The government will also give a subsidy of 25% to 30% on the total sharing 5-10% principal amount by the aspirants of general and scheduled categories. You can avail of the subsidy only after setting up the unit after two years. You can opt for any project as long as it is not environmentally hazardous. Senior officers of the Khadi and Village Industries (KVI) will also impart professional training to the beneficiaries before starting the project.

If you take a loan of more than Rs 10 lakh, you will get 10% subsidy. The government has also decided to promote organic farming, vermiculture, biomanure and biogas plant projects in rural and urban areas.

Q I would like to take up Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. Could you please suggest some recognised institutes and also the job prospects in this field?

A Before the pilot gets into the cockpit, every plane is meticulously tested for airworthiness by a team of aircraft maintenance engineers and certified by the aviation engineer as ready for take off. Safety being of paramount consideration, the highest safety standards must be followed throughout.

Courses in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering are offered at a large number of institutes recognised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The syllabus at these institutes is approved by the DGCA. Nonetheless, do ensure that the institution you select is equipped with the necessary aircraft, engines, library and modern teaching aids, etc.

Eligibility for these courses is 10+2 (PCM). Age: 16-23 years (at times, the upper age limit is relaxed for engineering diploma-holders and science graduates.

You can also opt for a BE/BTech in Aeronautical Engineering. While these courses include instruction on maintenance of the aircraft and its components, the emphasis is more on the design and development of commercial and military aircraft.

The Aeronautical Society of India (ASI) conducts a 3-part Associate Membership Exam consisting of Studentship, Section A & Section B. Sections A and B of this exam have been recognised by the M/o Education, on a par with a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from an Indian university. Hence you can pursue the distance learning programme in aeronautical engineering from the ASI. The minimum educational qualification for taking the exam is a pass in Class X. Students who have cleared 10+2 with science subjects are directly eligible for Section A. For further information, contact: ASI, 13-B, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi 110002. On clearing the internal exams, your forms will be forwarded to the DGCA, which will issue you an aircraft maintenance engineer’s licence.

With the entry of big-time private airlines and sophisticated aircraft, the prospects for well-trained and highly qualified engineers are bright. Indian Airlines, Air-India, Pawan Hans, Jet Airways and a few other private airlines pay a gross salary of Rs 40,000-1.25 lakh p.m. to qualified ground engineers.

Pervin Malhotra,
Director, CARING

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