There is a rising need for specialized skills in every segment and domain that has created ample career opportunities. This trend is going to further increase in future. University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun was established in 2003. The founders chose to tread on a different path by building an institution that would focus on the domain and industry segments instead of generic specializations to create a talent pool readily available to those industry segments.
Other than the full-time programs, UPES today offers higher education programs toworking executives through its Centre for Continuing Education (CCE). UPES-CCE offers degree and skilling programs across various domains including Energy, Aviation, Infrastructure, Logistics and Supply Chain, Industrial Safety, IT, International Business, Project Management, etc. “Regarded as Asia’s First University to offer domain-specialization programs, we started by offering B.Tech. and MBA programs for the Energy industry – Oil & Gas and Power. Over the last 17 years, we have expanded our offerings by including programs in Aviation, Shipping, Infrastructure, Design etc. We have continued the trend by launching meaningful and relevant programs”, says Ashok Sahu, Director –UPES Centre for Continuing Education.
Adhering to the proper regulatory guidelines while drafting curriculums, UPES goes beyond by engaging industry partners, senior academicians from India & abroad in curriculum design and employs the best of instructional designers in making the curriculum stimulating. This approach helps students retain the knowledge gained and apply it on the job. UPES-CCE has set up a robust process to suit the needs of working professionals. It has a dedicated team who keeps the students engaged throughout the program journey.
The pedagogy includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning. It organizes live interactive webinars every weekend. A world-class technology-led highly flexible environment focussed at engaging working professionals to help achieve the learning outcomes is provided. A set of highly trained program managers and counsellors are available 24X7 in person or through a technology platform to support the students in any kind of academic, counselling or career related queries. It is noteworthy that majority of the UPES-CCE faculty have received their Ph.D. from top universities and carry out experiential learning by spending 12 days each year in the industry under the initiative called Abhigyat. UPES also has a robust internal system of up-skilling faculty members.
Pedagogical Competence
UPES-CCE follows a 3-pronged approach to teaching:
- e-Learning
- Self-paced learning through world-class BlackBoard platform
- Dynamic e-Library that updates content regularly on the latest industry news and articles of interest
- Recorded video lectures from industry experts
- Faculty-Led Live Sessions
- Interactive live webinars attended by students from India and abroad
- Discussion forums to keep students engaged through asynchronous mode
- Sessions from Industry experts
- Projects and Industry Workshops
- To complete their program, students have to do a real-life project assessed both by internal and external guides
- Students are invited to attend industry workshops conducted in major cities.
UPES offers programs that prepare students for their future roles. Each program is tailored to develop an in-depth industry/domain expertise in students. The programs also focus on techno-commercial skills, people management, macro-environment, project management and communication skills that will make a student take mid to senior-level management roles confidently. “33% of our students have moved to a better job profile or have changed jobs or got pay raise or moved to the company of their choice within one year of completing their program. Between 2018 and 2020, 18 students rose to the business head or SBU head positions in their organizations”, adds Ashok Sahu.
Maintaining close ties with the corporate world, UPES has a dedicated team that works closely with corporate on Curriculum collaboration, Co-certified courses, and Customized training solutions. Of the many collaborations that UPES-CCE cherishes with the industry, the following are the most notable ones: Indigo, GoAir, Vistara, SpiceJet from the Aviation Industry; HPCL, IOCL, OIL, Cairn Energy, BORL, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. from the Oil & Gas Industry; Tata Power, BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna from the Power Industry; DTDC, Expeditors, Safe-Educate from the Logistics & Supply Chain industry; and the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and State Govt. of Uttarakhand.
Opening its gates to students from all walks of life, UPES provides ample financial assistance to the deserving students. Special Scholarships are offered for Defence and Police Personnel and Special Scholarships for Govt. employees and those in PSUs.
Moving forward, UPES – Centre for Continuing Education plans to introduce programs on Data Science, AI & ML and inculcate international curriculum through globally recognized institutions.