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Q I have been
working for a private airline for two-and-a-half years. I want to
become an air traffic controller. How do I go about it? What courses
can I do? Please help. — Santok Singh A You have
not mentioned what exactly you are doing in the airline. I hope you
have a science background though. Earlier, you could get into air
traffic control at the relatively junior Senior Assistant level with
lesser qualifications. However, the Air Traffic Controllers’
Guild (India), has asked for scrapping of the Senior Assistant’s
post because it is felt that SA’s are technically ill-equipped to
handle the new updated technologies used by ATCs the world over.
The recommended point of entry for ATCs today is at the relatively
senior post of Junior Executive ATC. The basic eligibility for which
is a Degree in Electronics/ Telecommunication/Radio Engineering or a
pass in Sections A and B of the Exams of the Institution of
Engineers with the above mentioned subjects. You can also apply for
this post if you have cleared the Graduate Membership Exams of IETE
(India) or the Associate Membership Exams Parts II and III sections
A and B of the Aeronautical Society of India with (Electronics) /
Avionics as a group). MSc degree-holders with Physics or Maths as
principal subjects are also eligible. The ATC’s job is a major,
major one. Even a single mistake can be devastating. Unlike other
jobs the margin of error is zero. Physical as well as mental fitness
is paramount. If you are working in an airline, you must be
somewhat familiar with what a typical working day in the life of an
ATC entails: Scheduling incoming flights and monitoring them,
comparing flight plans and booking terminals for maximum efficiency,
observing and recording early arrivals and approaching aircraft,
ensuring that the gate is ready, with proper staffing, estimating
on-ground time, planning next turnarounds, ensuring that all
requirements are met before take-off, clearing the runway and
wishing pilots happy flying, and starting the same process for the
next incoming flight. All ATCs are recruited by the AAI for posting
at various civilian airports. Single Indian graduates can also
join the IAF as ATCs (in the Permanent Commission for Men or Short
Service Commission for Women).
Be a legal eagle
—
Vinod Malhotra A If you are a `legal-beagle’ capable of
handling a variety of low-end paralegal work like patent
documentation, writing contracts and templates then the legal
outsourcing sector is definitely a good option. English educated
lawyers are in great demand by firms managing outsourced legal work
for multibillion dollar US corporates. It is estimated that 8 per
cent (nearly 498,000) legal jobs from the US will be off-shored to
India by 2015. Lawyers in India charge a pittance in comparison to
their US counterparts where legal services are billed at a whopping
$125-150 per hour. In India the same job costs $20-30 per hour.
Although still in its nascent stage, research suggests that the
next few years will witness a boom in legal outsourcing. With India
rapidly scaling the value chain from BPO to KPO (Knowledge Process
Outsourcing), Indian black-coats are eying a major chunk of the US $
163 billion pie of outsourced legal services. If India is able to
leverage its low cost advantage, jobs will flood in not only from
the US but also from UK, Australia, Singapore and other Commonwealth
countries. According to a recent Nasscom study, MNCs,
international law firms, publishing houses and legal research firms
are seeking specialised legal knowledge processing services from
India. This is a big opportunity for India, which churns out close
to 3 lakh law graduates every year! As the work is mainly
restricted to research and drafting of information, it is best
suited for legal professionals whose practice is in the doldrums or
for graduates interested in managing back-end jobs. Lawyers with an
established practice are not likely to enter this field. Boutique businessQ I
want to establish my own boutique. Is it necessary to have a course
in fashion design for this? Please advise. — Yoginder
Kheterpal A Quite a few of the leading designers or boutique
owners have little or no formal qualification in Fashion Designing.
However, it might help you to pursue a course to gain first-hand
knowledge of the designing and manufacturing process. Even some of
the top institutions like NIFT offer a slew of 1-yr part time
certificate programmes which you can pursue on the side to gain some
valuable professional insights. NIFT also offers short duration
part time courses under Continuing Education scheme. Integrating
theory with practice, the CE Certificate Programmes complement the
practical knowledge of industry professionals with formal technical
inputs in their respective areas of work. The flexible schedule
enables participants to pursue the programme without interrupting
their professional activities. They can be a great help to those
aspiring to join the industry. These course offering is truly
diverse: Fashion and Clothing Technology, Visual Merchandising,
Knitwear Design, Knitwear Production, Textiles for Apparel and Home
Fashions, Fashion Retail Management, Garment Export Merchandise
Management, Clothing Production Technology and Computer Application
in Fashion Industry. Alternatively, you could hire or partner with
someone who has the necessary qualifications, while you handle the
business side which is an equally important aspect. If this is
your first business venture, you need to tread carefully. Starting a
new venture is easy. It’s sustaining the business over a period of
time that’s the tough part. Make sure you have enough working
capital and a decent location to begin with. If you are a novice,
it may even be a good idea to briefly intern with a practising
designer or work in a reputed boutique to learn the ropes before
venturing out on your own. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll
pick up valuable insights and tips that will go into making your
venture successful. The writer is a noted career consultant Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com |
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Q After completing
my LLB, I have been struggling in a small law firm without much
success. I have been offered a job in a firm that provides
outsourced legal services. What are the prospects in this field?
