IIM Trichy inaugurates the 3rd Batch of Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Business Analytics and Applications (PGCBAA)
The Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli inaugurated the 3rd batch of the Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Business Analytics and Applications (PGCBAA) on 24th April 2022. It is a 13-month programme for people with work experience across fields who wish to study data deeper by asking meaningful questions and addressing it with analysis.
The event began with a lamp lighting ceremony followed by an address by the programme Director, Dr. Godwin Tennyson. He welcomed the chief guests and all those present at the inauguration ceremony and briefly discussed the programme design. He talked about how in today’s dynamic and rapidly changing world, having just one degree and settling may not be the way to go, and going out of one’s comfort zone is more important now than ever. To explain the context and how the course is set, he expanded the idea further, saying that we live in an era where data is everywhere. He thanked the 113 participants, more than 50 from IT backgrounds, for recognising the importance of this programme and wished them luck for their journey ahead.
It was followed by an address by Dr. Sanjay Salunkhe, Founder, MD, Jaro Education. He congratulated the participants for being selected for the programme and expressed how he believes it is a testimony of their will to have made it here. Talking about Jaro, they started as a small HR firm and have been a profit-making entity since its inception. As a CEO, he said that one will be the master of their domain but would have to be the jack of all others. Human capital will always be more valuable than equity capital and further firmly talks about how money may come back, but time doesn’t come. He advises that we must undergo upskilling programmes every two years as learning must be perpetual. In conclusion, he motivated the students to have a grand vision and ensure a focus on networking in their time with the institute.
The Director, Dr. Pawan Kumar Singh, addressed the audience. He began by extending a warm welcome to the participants and the Chief Guest. Director exclaimed that the programme comprises students with 2-24 years of experience, which will be equally beneficial for all in various ways. Talking about learning, he believes it comes from 4 directions, including the teachers, colleagues & peers, one’s hard work, and the experience life provides; and believes it is one’s duty to question the teachings and enrich through discussions. Towards the end, he emphasized the bottom line that all knowledge must have practical application to make the best out of the gain.
Following this was the inaugural address by the chief guest, Shri. Pradeep Gulipalli, Co-Founder and Chief Delivery Officer, Tiger Analytics. He talks about how the talent base of India is the biggest in the world, and it is essential to groom talent in AI. He is a data scientist and an AI startup founder and began his discussion by talking about technological advances and how they are happening at an unprecedented scale. He gave a walk-through on the science of analysis, which starts with data in numbers, audio, speech, etc., which can then analyze with statistics, heuristics, visualization, and more. And finally, decisions are made for pricing & promotion, customer journey, fraud protection, and many more facets of the business. He also explored the different types of analytics like risk analytics and marketing analytics with the students to help them grasp the scope of the field.
Dr. Anirban Som, the Programme Director, delivered the vote of thanks; he extended his gratitude to everyone who made the event possible and thanked the participants for their enthusiasm towards the program. He briefly talked about the focus of IIM Trichy on developing high-quality educational programs for executives and urged the participants to make full use of this opportunity to enhance their knowledge from specialised programs like PGCBAA, which were a rarity in India and abroad even a decade earlier.