At a
time when every sector is looking to reduce its headcount, in light of the
global economic slowdown, some students of Delhi University are getting an
‘unexpected’ bonus. Nearly 24 students of the retail-marketing
course offered by Campus of Open Learning (COL) have got the opportunity to work
for 10 days with Pantaloon's retail outlets.
"It is at the end of the
course in December that students would be usually getting internships with
various companies. Looking at the current crisis, we were about student
placements, but after this offer everyone’s enthusiasm level is very
high," informed Savita Dutta, director, COL.
The students will intern with
12 outlets of Pantaloon’s Future Group during Diwali. "Our association
with COL started under the Professional Skills Project. We were involved with
development of course content and it was during one of the lectures that we
realised students were really interested in retail. So, we decided to give them
an opportunity to work with us," said Anadi Sinha, general manager (HR north),
Pantaloon Future Group. COL had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to launch certificate programmes,
to help students acquire job-oriented skills while continuing with their regular
courses.
When asked about the
reason for such an offer when most companies are looking to reduce manpower, he
said, "It is true there is crisis in the economy, but we are not holding back
our expansion plans. These 10 days will be a good platform for the students to
learn about the industry." During the internship, students will be working as
team members and team leaders. Mayank Chorariya, one of the students who was
offered the internship, said, "Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in a year
and everyone is out to shop. And during this time we will get the opportunity to
interact with a large number of customers, which will in turn enhance our
understanding of the retail sector."