Classroom without walls
Unable to get into college? Don’t worry. You still can get good college education from one of the many distance education providers, writes USHA ALBUQUERQUE. Just ensure the course is duly recognised

Beware! THOSE looking at a distance learning course need to be very selective. Every day newspapers carry enticing advertisements of new courses offered by institutes that may not be recognised. Recognised universities and technical institutes are widely listed and can be confirmed through the Internet. The Distance Education Council monitors the courses offered through this mode. You can check on the validity of the institute and the course from the website www.dec.ac.in

AMBIKA has a talent for design and is not keen on doing BA or BCom. Anshu has low marks and would not be able to get into a good college. BCom graduate Sangeeta is married, and unable to take up a full-time course. What binds them together is that fact that all of them would like to upgrade their qualifications to net a good job.

There are scores of students who want to take up a college degree but are unable to do so for a number of reasons. Today it is possible for you — and for Ambika, Anshu and Sangeeta — to enroll in a course of choice as and when suitable.

The freedom to learn at will, choose subjects of choice and take examinations without the stress of severe competition makes the distance education programme very attractive. The convenience of the system has thrown up an alternate route for those unable to compete for regular courses. It is also suitable for students who are working and have missed out on opportunities to attain higher education due to social or economic constraints and wish to supplement their educational qualifications.

Many students like Ambika are also realising that a mere bachelors or masters degree may not be sufficient to enter the professional world and are keen on acquiring job-oriented skills. In addition, the cost effectiveness of the distance education programmes – yes, correspondence courses are so much cheaper — has been a crucial factor in the popularity of what is called “classroom without walls”.

There are 14 open universities in India at present — one national and 13 state — offering distance education programmes. In addition, practically every university offer courses through correspondence. Open universities offer flexible course options that allow those who may not have a formal qualification but have reached the minimum age requirement of 18-20 years for first degree courses admission to any course after a written entrance test. Moreover, the courses can be taken at the student’s pace.

On the other hand, distance education centres of universities grant admission to those who fulfill the same educational requirements as for the regular courses but are more flexible with regard to minimum percentage marks. Those seeking admission need to have passed the qualifying course for admission. These universities offer graduate, postgraduate, MPhil and PhD courses as well as diploma and certificate courses, many of which are job oriented.

Correspondence courses provide students with course materials, contact classes, and often multimedia facilities at nodal centres or television/radio linkages. Most open universities have regional centres and personal contact programmes spread all over the country making it easier for candidates from distant locations to co-ordinate with their course instructors.

Distance or correspondence learning?

INITIALLY, distance learning was conducted via correspondence when learning material was sent and received by post but in the wake of the e-age, Internet and satellites, classes are conducted online with the help of audio-visual material. In the correspondence course, a student is expected to study on his own from self-instructional material provided by the university. While there may be some contact classes, a student does not have the benefit of a teacher who can provide academic counselling for most part of the learning process.

Distance education is more structured and teacher-student contact is better. With the help of modern communication technologies through the information super highways, thousands of learners, spread across a distance, have access to higher education. Thus, one of the crucial requirements for distance learning today is a computer with Internet access. Study centres are mushrooming in every city, big and small, enabling thousands to get the degree they had always dreamed of.

Each student is assigned to a learning centre. The centre bridges the gap between the faculty at the university and the student. It conducts counselling and tutoring in a classroom environment to provide fundamental knowledge on a topic. This counselling and tutoring helps a student to further carry on with self-study. Many of the study centres have other facilities like practical training, laboratory facilities, etc. Students are also supposed to submit assignments to the centre. These are evaluated and academic counsellors at learning centres can provide students with counselling and tutoring based on deficiencies. These facilities help a student in his studies, particularly for courses like computer science or biotechnology, which require o lot of practical work and laboratory related subjects.

While most sign up for the regular BA, BCom, MA, MCom degrees through correspondence, distance learning programmes now cover a wide variety of subjects and careers from business management, economics and all the sciences to professional courses in teaching, law, library science, journalism, computers, biotechnology, agriculture and linguistics, hotel management and so on. There are even distance learning courses in poultry farming and bee-keeping!

Opportunities galore

WITH the availability of correspondence courses, students like Ambika can take up a focused job-oriented vocational diploma in fashion design, multi-media, travel and tourism and so on, which provide quicker work options while pursuing graduation through correspondence. Alternatively, while doing a regular BA or BCom degree, Ambika can take up any of these programmes and be better suited for the job market when she qualifies.

And if like Sangeeta you are already working, or have taken a career break, but wish to enhance your qualifications for professional growth, what better route to do it than by taking up a course in business management, information technology, tourism, mass communication or the hundreds of others available, through correspondence? Many homemakers, retired persons or first time learners have also found distance education very valuable. Courses on child welfare, food technology, entrepreneurship training, business management and so on have enabled those unable to complete their education, or interested in further widening their horizons to do so virtually in the comfort of their homes.

MBA within reach

MANAGEMENT education, too, has been greatly benefitted by the introduction of distance education courses. A distance learning MBA pursued via a reputed university/institute holds significant value. Many students unable to compete in the ferocious world of business management are now finding good job options after the distance education MBA programme. It is an ideal option for those who are working and don’t want to leave their jobs, for financial or other considerations to take up an MBA programme through distance education.

There are many courses available, some by top management institutes, and also through video classes. Whenever possible, seminars and lectures are conducted in classrooms for one-to-one interaction with professors. The duration ranges from one to eight years, depending upon the rules and regulations of the university, though the average duration is three-four years. Most universities do provide a tailor-made study plan as per the convenience of the candidate.

Among MBA institutes that offer courses through distance learning are IGNOU, New Delhi, Annamalai University, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (www.nmimsonline.edu), Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (www.scdl.net), IMT Ghaziabad, ICFAI University (www.icfai.org, and several others. The IIMs also offer distance learning programmes — IIM Kozhikode conducts classes through Direcway’s VSAT connected classrooms at centres around the country.

Certificate & diploma courses

THERE are many certificate and diploma courses of varying duration offered through distance education. These include courses in computer programming (CCP), rural development, creative writing, home management, fashion design and merchandising (FDM), nutrition and food science, disaster management. Mass communication and journalism are other popular courses through distance learning.

There are also correspondence courses in law, which may not entitle you to practice in the court of law but provides you with a knowledge of law. Qualified lawyers can enhance career growth with a course in business law or take up specialisations through distance education in human rights, intellectual property rights, consumer rights andcyber law. There are also PG programmes in medical law and ethics and environment law to graduates from any discipline.

Teaching is another course that cannot be undertaken through distance education. As it requires much practical work, BEd through distance education is only for in-service teachers with at least two years full time regular teaching experience in a primary, secondary, higher or senior secondary schools recognised by the Central or state government. Universities offering this programme include IGNOU (www.ignou.ac.in), which has regional centres in Bhubaneshwar and Madhya Pradesh, Bhoj Open University, Nalanda, Open University and Kakatiya University, Warangal.

Whatever you study, don’t lose heart if you are unable to get into the college or institute of your choice, as you are sure to be able to find a similar course available through distance education. So, live anywhere and feel reassured that you can study from anywhere. Distance education is here to stay as a viable and widely acceptable alternative to formal education.

(The writer is a career expert)

COURSE CHAT
Take on the world!
Education through distance mode is in no way inferior. Armed with an appropriate degree, you can apply for any job, even a govt one
Usha Albuquerque

Work on oral communication skills STUDENTS, keep in mind that distance learning does not provide the opportunity to work on oral communication skills. You will not get the practice of interacting with professors and other students. Distance learners may feel isolated as they miss the social physical interaction that comes with attending a traditional classroom and participating in regular college activities. However, this impersonality has been lessening with advances and use of communication technologies, email and learning centres.

DISTANCE education programmes are as good as any other. The validity of the degree acquired through correspondence is the same as that of a regular degree as long as the basic eligibility requirements are satisfied. Degrees through correspondence from a recognised university are also eligible for any government job. If distance education is undertaken along with some practical work experience, you fill in the gap for the prospective employer.

One of the premier distance learning educators is the Indira Gandhi National Open University, IGNOU, the world’s fifth largest university which offers a wide variety of courses encompassing humanities, social sciences, pure sciences, commerce as well as professional programmes such as engineering, computer sciences, management and nursing. With a network of 48 regional centres and over 1,000 study centres spread all over India, some even in remote areas, the north-east and at Army command centres, IGNOU has been able to provide effective and quality education to thousands in the country.

The School of Correspondence Courses and Continuing education, Delhi University, is the first correspondence school set up in India. It offers many of the graduate and postgraduate courses offered in the regular stream, with course content is similar to the one applicable to students of the regular teaching mode. For those students unable to make it past the high cut-offs for college admission, the SCCCE courses are a boon.

Other universities such as Pondicherry University offers a range of unique courses in various management programmes like human resource management, foreign trade, software marketing and financial management, while Chennai-based Annamalai University is among the only universities which cover a large number of science subjects such as sugar technology, hydrology, petroleum exploration and others through distance learning.

Punjab Technical University is the first technical university in India to have introduced technical courses under the distance education mode. PTU’s revolutionary new distance education model imparts technical education through two hours of daily classroom or practical training in labs, six days a week, in easily accessible distance learning centres of the university and at a fraction of the cost compared to regular engineering/ professional courses. This has been made possible through private partnership at study centres spread throughout the country with well-equipped computer labs with high configuration computers, and Internet facility for practical training of the students.

Several vocational training institutes such as the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and mass communication institutes such as Symbiosis, Pune, are other institutes also offering professional courses through correspondence.

The job market is highly competitive today and the best jobs go to those who have the required educational qualifications. During direct placements, recruiters may prefer those who have completed regular courses, where selection is made through a written examination or on the basis of eligible qualifications, but distance education is as good as any other.

OFFICE MANTRA
Some things never change
In your quest to be tech-savvy don’t ignore time-tested job search etiquette. Read on for tech etiquette tips

IF there’s any small solace when starting a job search in this recession, it’s the proliferation of digital technology to help you re-enter the working world. Websites have multiplied the number of job openings you can track and the professional contacts you can make. E-mail and smart phones make it easier to pitch yourself and set up appointments. But think twice before picking up that BlackBerry and thumb-typing a message to the hiring manager whose e-mail address you so slyly uncovered online. In the end, landing the right job hinges on old-world skills.

“The electronic piece usually just gets your foot in the door,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, a tech industry recruiting division of Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing consultant Robert Half International. “But you still have to present yourself well face-to-face in an interview, and you have to have good references,” he said. “I think some job candidates lose sight of that because of all the technology options and capabilities that get your name out there.

Here are eight technology etiquette tips to help job seekers.

Resist the temptation to respond to each online job listing in your field, and focus on those that fit the best. Only about 6 per cent of jobs are filled by candidates recruited through advertisements, said Wendleton, whose firm also conducts career research. If you can use personal contacts to learn about an opening that’s not widely publicized, your chances of landing the job increase because you’ve got fewer rivals.

Instead of blast e-mailing, use the Web to research potential employers and put yourself in position to recite key facts about that company should you land an interview. “Too many people are sitting there all day hitting that send button on their computer, answering ads, answering ads,” Wendleton said.

In your first contact with a prospective employer, you’re unlikely to stand out if you join the legions of job seekers sending ‘hire me’ pitches via e-mail with resumes attached. E-mails also are too easy for a hiring manager to delete. With snail mail, you control the appearance of your carefully crafted cover letter and resume. With e-mail, the user’s machine can control settings for fonts and spacing. And managers can be wary of opening attached resumes for fear of unleashing a computer virus.

If you land an interview, pay close attention if the hiring manager specifies how to make any follow-up contacts. Email can be a good option because of its speed; if you send a follow-up note via snail mail, it may arrive too late in the hiring process to make a difference.

If the hiring manager is OK with email, send a message that addresses any unanswered questions from the interview and state that you’re also mailing a hardcopy. In the snail mail message, do refer that you have also sent an email.

Whatever you do, don’t follow up on an interview with an email sent via a handheld gadget — there’s too great a chance you’ll thumb-type a typo-ridden message. Only use handhelds to send brief, timely emails confirming an appointment or advising you’re running late for a meeting. Don’t type without regard to grammar and capitalization, and resist including smiley faces or other emoticons in electronic messages. “There is no circumstance where that is appropriate,” Wendleton said.

Even if you managed to track down a hiring manager’s cell phone number, don’t call it unless given permission. “Cell phones are considered private,” Wendleton said.

Willmer and Kate Wendleton, president of The Five O’Clock Club, a New York-based career counselling company, advise that job seekers — especially the young and tech-savvy — frequently misuse electronic gadgets and the Web and run roughshod over professional etiquette.

For any phone contact with a prospective employer, try to use a land line. With cell phones, there’s too great a risk that you’ll get a spotty connection, lose it altogether, or end up with excessive background noise if you’re in a public place. If you lack a landline, call from a quiet place like a hotel lobby. Have a pen and pad ready so you can jot down information.

If you identify a hiring manager or other professional you’d like to connect with on an online networking site, don’t merely send an electronic invitation without explaining why you want to get in touch. An out-of-the-blue request will likely be ignored.

“Write something like, “I was intrigued by your LinkedIn posting. I see you have 10 years of international experience. I too have 10 years of international experience,’” Wendleton said.

Hiring managers can be expected to go beyond your resume and references, and perform a background check online. So, be judicious about what you post on social networking sites such as Facebook, and limit access to friends and family if it’s something you wouldn’t want an employer to see.

Likewise, think before posting political opinions or personal information in blogs or other online forums. Consider posting under a pseudonym rather than your name. “As a job candidate, I would encourage people to be conservative,” said Willmer. “Assume that anybody has access to anything.”

If you resort to e-mail pitches, make them personal. If you’re introducing yourself to a hiring manager you’ve identified via a professional colleague, type that colleague’s name in the e-mail’s subject line and succinctly explain the link (example “John Doe referred me”) so the manager is less likely to hit delete. — Agencies

Dress well to reach the top
Experts say scores of employees sabotage their career simply by making the wrong wardrobe choices

WANT to climb the corporate ladder? Well, then forget polishing educational skills and long hours of hard work, for a good dress and killer heels are more than enough to do the trick.

That’s the conclusion of a leading fashion expert, who says that workplace dress codes and office etiquette has been on the decline in recent years, however, new trends suggest the vast majority of employees are sabotaging their career simply by making the wrong wardrobe choices, with Gen Y amongst the worst offenders.

Employees are shooting themselves in the foot if they don’t take grooming and dress sense seriously, Dominic Beirne of fashion consultancy Australian Fashion Partners says. “Most employers take every opportunity they can to judge staff, and employees can be overlooked for promotions if they don’t present themselves accordingly,” News.com.au quoted him, as saying.

Earlier this week the Reserve Bank tipped up to 100,000 jobs to be axed in the coming year, meaning workers need to up-the-ante if they’re going to remain in the office chair, and dressing for success may just help secure the top job.

Casual Fridays are one of the biggest tests in the dress code arena and where most employees fall victim to office scrutiny. There has been a significant shift from casual Friday to casual Monday-Thursday, says Annalisa Armitage, senior image consultant for the Association of Image Consultants International. “Employees are just far too lax in their opinions of business casual and there is a want for clarification of this term,” she said.

According to Jodie Bache-Mclean, Queensland director of leading etiquette school June Dally-Watkins, business casual simply means slightly less structured than you would wear on other days of the week. “It does not mean sloppy nor even in some cases relaxed, and the same image of professionalism needs to remain at all times,” she said. If you’re looking to make it big steer clear of plunging necklines, cheap suits and tacky accessories, Bache-Mclean says. “You need to dress like someone who can help,” she said. Dirty nails, ripped jeans and looking like you just stepped out of a nightclub are among some of the other common blunders. — ANI

Making the best of tough times
Workers use recession time to seek fun employment, amend work-life balance

CREDIT crunch-hit Brit workers are increasingly quitting the rat race, and going for what they call “fun-employment”. Many workers are choosing to leave stresses and strains of work behind, while others are in search of a better work-life balance.

“The recession is causing many to ask serious questions about their habits and work life to see if it’s really working for them,” Sky News quoted Dominic Harrison, from the Future Foundation, as saying. He added: “It makes some people want to press the pause button on life.”

Jimmy Wallace, a leisure industry manager, has spent weeks at home with his family, but has now decided to put off getting back into the rat race, and is planning a once in a lifetime trip to America. “It’s miserable losing your job but I was lucky to get a pay-off from my previous employers. So we’ve decided as a family to make the best of a bad situation and spend as much time together,” said the father of two.

Sue Bateman, who has worked in the car industry for 16 years, has taken voluntary redundancy to pursue a life-long ambition to travel around Asia. Through company Gap Year For Grown-Ups, Sue’s taking a “Paycation” for nine months to work as a volunteer.

In fact, the desire to leave the stresses and strains of the recession behind is also good news for companies like Danbury Motorcaravans, who are experiencing a boost in sales of their caravans. The Bristol-based firm can barely import VW campervans fast enough to keep up with demand. “People of all ages just want to be able to get away from it all at a moment’s notice,” said co-owner Jason Jones.

Sales of retro-style campervans are up 250 per cent, which means the recession-weary more than ever appear to be taking off in search of something better. — ANI

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Layoffs least likely cost cutting tool in India

RETRENCHMENT of employees is the least likely cost-cutting tool for Indian companies compared to their global peers and they would be the first across the world to recommence regular salary revisions, a new survey said.

According to the joint survey by global consultancy service provider Mercer and industry body CII, Indian companies were also increasingly using “innovative” incentive tools as a substitute for salary hikes to retain the talent, but were also cutting on employee mobility and travel to cut HR costs.

“Indian companies (are) least likely to consider retrenchment as a means to cut costs compared with (its) global counterparts,” the survey said. The survey explored the implications of the current global economic situation on talent management, compensation, benefits as well as on employee concerns and the HR functions.

It further said that war for skilled talent in India is set to make a comeback towards end of 2009. In such unprecedented times Indian companies have been resilient, Mercer Consulting India Managing Director Ravichandar R Padma said adding that most Indian companies have managed to turn the downturn into an opportunity.

Most of the companies worldwide are resorting to job cuts as part of their efforts to bring down cost.

IGNOU’s first community college opens

IGNOU inaugurated its first community college at CAP Foundation Campus in Hyderabad. Inaugurating the college at Pati Village, Pattancheru, IGNOU pro-vice-chancellor Latha Pillai said the scheme of community college was launched by IGNOU on July 4 for those who can’t get formal education.

The Indian government has taken up an ambitious programme of starting 500 community colleges throughout the country in the 11th Five year Plan, and for this purpose designated IGNOU as the nodal agency. The community colleges are an alternative system of education and skill development for the poor and disadvantaged youth.

It bridges the skill gap that exists between the industry and education. 95 per cent of the jobs available today are from the unorganised sector and community colleges started by IGNOU bridge this demand, Pillai said

Through community colleges, IGNOU offers six-month certificate courses which incorporate three months of class- room training and the rest on-the-job training with the industry. It also offers one year diploma programme and two years associate degree programme. — PTI

Job openings in NCR up 17 pc

THE number of job openings in NCR has increased by 17 per cent in the first four months of the current fiscal showing signs of improvement in the economy, Assocham has said. About 49,750 openings were offered by companies in April-July 2009-10 in the National Capital Region as compared to 42,501 between December-March 2008-09, the industry body said. “Of total 49,750 number of job openings in the region, 46.4 per cent accounted for Delhi, while remaining 53.6 per cent went to rest of the region,” Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said. He added the employment sector is likely to pick up as the signs of economic downturn are diminishing significantly. Out of the total share of employment opportunities offered, companies in Gurgaon has offered the maximum number of jobs (23 per cent) followed by Delhi, Noida/Greater Noida (20 per cent), Ghaziabad (5.6 per cent) and Faridabad (4.9 per cent). — PTI

Career Hotline
Pervin Malhotra

For pharma sector, regular MBA will do
The pharma sector is second only to IT with a 15 per cent annual growth rate and exports worth Rs 12,000 crore

Q. I am currently pursuing BPharma (final year). I am very confused what to do next. Whether I should stick to my field and go for MPharm or do MBA in pharma management. Please tell me the scope of MBA pharma and growth opportunities.

— Vanita Suri

A. Since you are already doing BPharma, I presume you are relatively familiar with the scope of this degree. So, let me outline the scope of an MBA in pharma here.

With over 25,000 units, the pharmaceutical industry has emerged as one of the biggest employers in the country (even during the slowdown). If you go for pharmaceutical management, marketing, wholesale and drug store management, finance, operations, quality assurance, R&D management. Some knowledge of drug laws or IPR would be useful.

Even mainstream retail chains like Pantaloon and 24/7 are zeroing in on pharma retail in their outlets. Starting off as a product executive / business development executive after two or three years you can be promoted to the position of area manager (AM) or district marketing manager. After five to six years you can aspire to become the regional manager. There after you could be considered for the role of zonal manager / sales manager and thereafter vice-president of the company.

However, it is not mandatory to do an MBA (pharma). You can even go for a regular MBA degree from a reputed B-school that will equip you for managerial jobs across sectors, including pharma and healthcare. If you are still not sure, it may be a good idea to work for a couple of years in the industry and then decide on your next move instead of jumping into a course hastily.

For some careers, MBA is a waste

Q. With just about everyone opting for an MBA, is there anyone who shouldn’t?

— Madhukar Sinha

A. Yes, for someone who has strong entrepreneurial aspirations, the opportunity cost of going to B-school can be too great to justify taking two years away from work. Similarly, those who don’t have a deep desire for a business career e.g. artists, writers, craftspeople, scientists and others like them rarely have reason to get an MBA.

There are exceptions of course: a graphic designer who wants to start her business for instance, or a scientist who wants to work on the management side of a pharma company, or a business journalist, or a teacher or a lawyer, and so on.

Then someone with a great idea might blow the chance to hit the market with that idea if s/he puts it off by two years. Similarly, someone who is already entrenched in entrepreneurial work can lose the opportunity to grow a business in the real world.

On the other hand, there are some equally good reasons for the entrepreneur to consider going to B-school. You’ll get exposure to a wide range of business issues that would make you more equipped to run your business. You’ll learn about better ways of managing people. And if you’ve got a great idea but no capital with which to convert your entrepreneurial dream into a reality, a good B-school can plug you into a network that can help you find funding.

Pursue chemistry, it offers great growth

Q. I am a BSc Chemistry graduate. I’m interested in pursuing a career in academics. My parents, on the other hand, are completely opposed to the idea because they believe that a degree in IT or an MBA degree will fetch me a better job with a fat salary. Is there any scope for guys like me pursuing higher studies in physical sciences? Please help.

— Kaushik Verma

A. It’s sad that as lucrative career options such as IT and Management continue to entice India’s brightest, pure sciences, unfortunately, are taking a back seat. This has become a matter of great concern for academicians and scientists.

However, without science there can be no technology as all technological growth is based on science. The paucity of scientists can affect the quality of our R&D as most industries are knowledge-based and need highly qualified people. Many industries are on the look out for professionals with a background in pure sciences. Even BSc students are being absorbed in the industry along with BE students simply because there aren’t enough MSc graduates.

China has 10 times the number of MEs, MTechs and PhDs than India which explains why so many products come out of countries like China and Brazil and why they are finding ready acceptance in the international market. And if earning money at an early stage is the main reason for not pursuing higher studies, the situation is not as grim as it appears to be.

The latest Pay Commission has mooted an increase in salaries in all academic institutions of higher learning. The industry is also investing in research labs as can be seen in the pharmaceutical sector. So, I would suggest that if you are very keen on pursuing your higher studies in chemistry, just go for it without thinking twice.

Least effort is expended when our actions are in sync with our interests and aptitude. And each one of us has a personal calling, a destiny and a gift or talent we can share with the world.

There’s nothing stopping you!

Q. I am interested in aerospace engineering, but after 10+2 (PCM) I had to go in for BSc (PCM) due to some reasons. Can I still do aeronautical engineering after BSc? If yes, please tell me how to go about it.

— Ravinder Kumar

A. Sure you can! After you’ve done your BSc with physics and maths, you could follow this up with a post-BSc tech programme (three-year) offered by a number of engineering colleges.

A number of engineering colleges may also give you lateral entry to the second year of their four–year BTech programme. Check those offering aeronautical engineering in your state. However, admission to these courses is essentially on merit in the qualifying exam, so do try to work up a good score.

Another alternative would be to opt for associateship of the Aeronautical Society of India (www.aesi.org). It conducts an Associate Membership Exam twice a year. Sections ‘A’ and ‘B’ of this exam are recognised by the MHRD at par with a BTech in aeronautical engineering from an Indian university for recruitment to superior posts and services in the Central Government. After this, you can also take the GATE for admission to PG programmes in IITs and other engineering colleges.

This column appears weekly. Please send in your queries with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: The Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com