Corporate Access and Career Readiness: IIM Kozhikode’s CARE Office Leads the Way in Student Support

IIM Kozhikode’s CARE Office: Bridging the Gap Between Academic Excellence and Career Success

Gone are the days when placement cells merely offered job placements on college campuses and ceased their involvement after selection. Institutions like Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are now focusing on the long-term employability of their students rather than focusing on placements. To prepare students for the rapidly changing job market and develop their professional skills, the institution is focusing on increasing interactions with industry recruiters to assess their needs, organizing workshops with industry experts, external mentoring, and profile mapping of students to groom them for their chosen careers and soft skill courses.

IIM Kozhikode took the initiative by establishing the CARE office, led by Director Debashis Chatterjee, to widen the scope of management studies by improving the long-term employability of students rather than short-term job placements. The CARE office promotes professional development through three main functions: corporate access, corporate readiness, and corporate engagement.

The Corporate Access cell primarily hosts specialized sessions with industry executives which help students obtain a better understanding of various industries and jobs, this will narrow down the search of students for which industry they should apply, and also close the knowledge gap between students and industry requirements. To build industry-ready profiles of applicants through personalized coaching and personal branding seminars, the Corporate Readiness cell is specially designed by IIM-K. Meanwhile, the Corporate Engagements cell is focused on building long-term connections with recruiters. Rather than relying on student committees that change with each new batch, the initiative will be directed by a dedicated professional and supported by a team of 5-7 recruitment managers that the institute is presently recruiting.

Prof. Rajesh Srinivas Upadhyayula, Dean of Programmes in Strategic Management at IIM- K, observed that during the last decade, while batch numbers had risen, the placement procedure had remained unaltered. As the employment market shows uncertainty, it needs to provide various career routes and the technique of communicating with recruiters needs to be changed positively. Specific deficiencies need to be identified and addressed, as the content and delivery of prepared programs are flawless. As the institutions had undergone a difficult placement season and also faced downturns previously, and are most probably ready to face them again, to combat the changing scenario need to apply a fresh strategy he emphasized.

Editor’s Note:

Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are now actively boosting their students' long-term employability due to changing market demands. The recent launch of the CARE (Corporate Access, Readiness, and Engagement) office at IIM Kozhikode serves as an excellent illustration. This program is a perfect example of the way that the emphasis is now on giving students the tools they need to succeed in the workplace long term, including the information, connections, and industry skills that are essential for job matching. IIM Kozhikode is setting a new norm for complete career development through enhanced industry engagements, focused workshops, and individualized mentorship. 

Skoobuzz appreciates the steps taken by IIM-K, which changed its strategy according to market demand and prepared students for long-term employment.