Delhi's Qutub Institutional Area, the high street of executive education, holds a distinct charm of its own. Ask any individual who has, as a student, frequented the tree-lined, sinuous lanes of the area with their famous dhabas, and he will narrate the experience with nostalgia. Situated in B-lane is the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), one of the many educational institutes in that area. As you enter the manned front gate, a grassy lawn dotted with colourful seasonal blooms greets you, followed immediately by Block-I, the first of the institute's two academic buildings. Students assemble in this administrative block for all induction programmes, convocations, cultural events and library visits. Block- II, the second building where classes are held and seminars conducted, is further ahead. This four-storeyed block houses a gymnasium with timings clearly mentioned - no scope for work-outs after 9 pm! The institute, sprawled over five acres, also accommodates two hostels for students who are enrolled in the residential programme.

  The 46-year-old institute, which imparts education and training to both students and corporate professionals in areas of international business, was set up as an autonomous body in 1963, and was awarded deemed university status in 2003.  When the institute was established, it ran only one year-long PG diploma programme in international trade for 40 students. The aim was to professionalise the country's foreign trade management and boost exports through human resource training.

Programmes Last year, approximately 40,000 students applied for the flagship MBA (IB) programme. This massive response compelled the institute to increase the seats to 215. "So, from this year on, the number of seats will increase to 155 from the earlier 126 in Delhi and from 16 to 60 in Kolkata," says Munish Bhargava, corporate and placement advisor, IIFT.

  IIFT steadily added more programmes. Today, there are eight programmes in the institute's academic menu, which includes a 3-year MBA (IB) programme,  executive post graduate  diploma in International Business (on campus and also through e-learning)  and certificate programme in export management and trade management, among others.

  The MBA (IB) programme equips students with basics in finance, marketing, trade, strategy and entrepreneurship. Soumaya Deep, who worked as an operational engineer in a government organisation, left his secure and comfortable job to pursue an MBA from IIFT. "The idea was to gain skills in the areas of marketing and finance so that job opportunities broaden for me," says the 26-year-old. The 2007-09 batch student is due to join a Delhi-based supply chain and logistics company as assistant manager, a new beginning for this B.Tech youngster.  

  In the rapidly changing business environment, not only do students have to broaden their knowledge base, institutes also have to keep updating their syllabi.  IIFT, too, periodically reviews the syllabus. According to Bhargava, the institute constantly gets feedback from the recruiters. "So, after assessing the need, we either introduce an elective course or widen the subject," he says.

  The Delhi campus has a hostel facility  for the flagship programme (cost Rs 2.5 lakh per annum), which works out to be approximately Rs 8 lakh. 

Primary programmes Social awareness programme An essential part of the MBA (IB) programme, this course was launched in 2005 with the aim of sensitising students to social issues. Each student spends a minimum of three weeks working with one of the 40 NGOs that the institute has tied up with. "Such awareness helps the students become good managers and leaders," says Bhargava.Port programmes Port visits are an integral part of the flagship programme. In the fifth trimester, students spend a week at various ports such as Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and Singapore, learning trade and customs procedures on-site.

Student exchange programmes Students also take educational trips to various countries under the student exchange programme. "Outbound students go mostly to France, Finland, Italy, Germany, UK, Canada and USA for three to six months," says Dr Pinaki Das Gupta, Associate Professor, International Building Collaboration and Capacity. The institute has academic collaborations with 26 international institutions, including Leeds Metropolitan University (UK), Brock University (Canada), Keio University (Japan), International University (Switzerland) and Oakland University (USA), among others.

Impressive amenities
 The institute's lecture halls are equipped with modern audio-visual aids. Block-1, the administrative block, has a 500-seat auditorium, a Management Development Programme (MDP) Centre and a computer centre on the ground floor. Students can try their hand at basketball on the outdoor court. The seven-storeyed hostel building, situated adjacent to Block-I, houses junior batch students with the first and second floors cut off for female lodging. The second hostel is for senior and MDP students with twin-sharing rooms. The hostels have recreation rooms, study lounges and gymnasium. The campus also has a guest house for visiting parents and delegates. The library has a collection of 1 lakh books. While all infrastructure on the Delhi campus is in place, the Kolkata campus will be well-rounded in about 1.5 years. A 10-acre campus coming up at Salt Lake City is likely to be completed by 2010.

The faculty factor
Preeti Hingorani, who did an Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Business through e-learning in 2007, sums up her stint as satisfactory. However, TS Sampath wasn't entirely impressed with the faculty. A student of the Executive Masters in International Business (EMIB), he wasn't satisfied with the faculty's experience and teaching style. "A few professors lacked communication skills, subject knowledge and intensity of training to guide working professionals," says Sampath. "Sometimes our query was answered with just power-point slides and text-based answers, while we needed more practical responses," adds the 40-year-old marketing manager of Korea Trade Centre. Bhargava doesn't dismiss the assertion. "At times visiting faculty is not as experienced to handle the students who are working executives, but we do keep reviewing the visiting professors' performance," clears Bhargava.
  The experience of Hingorani, the 32-year-old business manager of Noida-based Magic Software, was pleasantly different. Hingorani was expecting her baby at the time of pursuing the course. "The faculty was very supportive. I missed the scheduled second semester exam due to my condition, but they arranged for an invigilator and let me take the exam at a later date," she says.

A fruitful challenge
The admission procedure for the residential programme is tough. The written test is followed by a group discussion and a personal interview. As the course commences, the assignments start rolling thick and fast. Students grumble, crumbling under the pressure of course work. 'But the grind does you good', acquiesce the students. According to Deep, assignments enable a continuous evaluation of one's work and motivate him to work harder. "The case-studies help build up analytical skills," he says. 

While the residential programme hardly sees any -outs, the enrolments in other programmes do witness some exit numbers. Out of the 65 EMIB enrollments in Sampath's batch of 2006, almost 12-13 working professionals ped out because of time constraints or inability to cope with the workload. Exams are tough, despite a few subjects being allowed the open-book test. "Books-referrals are permitted in concept-based subjects," says Sampath.

  What do you get to take away once the grind is over? According to Hingorani, the overall package grooms one's outlook and thinking pattern and provides finishing touches that are required in tackling a situation. Sampath concurs. "My approach towards issues is now more focused, and analytical," he says. As Deep sums up: "It has helped me develop my personality and has expanded and enriched my knowledge base."

Slim paychecks
While the summer placements were exceptionally good, with all the students placed in well-established companies, the final placement ran into rough weather, owing to the current economic scenario. The average placement salary has been 8-9 lakh per annum, a 15% dip from last year. "This year, the highest salary cut-off has been Rs 16 lakh, as against Rs 25 lakh last year," apprises Bhargava. Due to the financial meltdown, banks and financial institutions have cut down on the lucrative packages which they were offering last year. The number of recruiters has also reduced. "This year we had no foreign recruiters from Singapore or Middle East visiting the campus," says Bhargava.
  While four years ago, the IT sector was the largest recruiter, accounting for 40% and last year banks and financial services sector scooped up 38% of the students, this year Public Sector Units (PSUs) have been at the forefront. Students are opting for PSUs over private organisations as they offer job stability, enabling students to meet time-bound loan EMI commitments without too much fretting.

But if you are eager to learn a lesson  or two in international trade practises and cross-cultural negotations in an increasingly global business environment, then IIFT is one of the best institutions to add to your list