Testimonials

At the onset of the placement process in December 2013, with the Indian economy still under the shadow of an economic slowdown, a ‘hiring freeze’ was the signal given by many organizations.  It was rather natural that anxiety and apprehensions could have filled the IGTC classroom.  However, it was an extremely determined effort within the IGTC – to keep all negativity away and to allow for the magic of positive vibrations, coupled with a sincere, dedicated effort to strengthen each candidature – that ultimately paved the way for an extremely successful final recruitment process.

Reflecting on the process, Rohit Ochaney, a trainee with Forbes Marshall says, “For any journey to be successful, the base needs to be strong. IGTC helped me to get my base right with support in every way. Lectures by exceptional faculty have helped expand my knowledge base. IGTC made me take my first step in Forbes Marshall and that has ended with a pre-placement offer. I am extremely thrilled to start my career and will always be indebted to the grooming provided to me.”

Sanya Bhuta, trainee with Häfele India Pvt. Ltd. was also delighted to be recruited by her training company; she says, “I had the pleasure of training with Häfele India Pvt. Ltd. through IGTC’s Dual Education based programme.  And this strong backing and support is all that I give credit to while being retained by the same organization in the Marketing Communication Team. Staying true to its identity and name, IGTC helps its students gain a fruitful corporate experience in leading German companies which eventually helps them bag great offers in the final placement process. It is also one of the few management institutes which can boast of its placement record which is unheard of in today’s time, keeping in mind the strains that the Indian economy is currently facing.”

Amol Lokegaonkar, now Manager-Sourcing at Bayer adds, “The experience I gained during my training phase really helped me to crack the rigorous selection process at Bayer. I am extremely grateful to my training partner BASF Group and my mentor for giving me excellent opportunities to work on live projects during my internship stints.  This has not only instilled confidence in me but also given me the unique opportunity to experience the work culture of world class companies. Honestly speaking, IGTC has helped young aspirants like me to realize my dream and I now look forward to a great career with Bayer.”

Swapneel Deshpande, trainee from Bosch was overwhelmed to receive his offer letter from his dream company.  He says “I feel a sense of satisfaction and pride to join the Thermo technology business division of the company, which had become a part of my life, for the past 3 stints of internship.  I am and will always be a Boschler for life”.

Rachita, our Delhi girl, fluent in German is happy to be back to her hometown to start her career in the Marketing Communications team at her training company, Dr. Oetkers.  Jigisha, trainee with Bayer, also received her pre-placement offer in the last stint and she says that it was a feeling she cannot express in words.

Ivan D’Souza was overwhelmed to get an offer from his dream company, Lanxess; he says, “The placement process has once again highlighted the fact that IGTC, due to its supportive teaching and non-teaching personnel, is one place you can depend on to get you a job that rightly matches your skills. Getting placed with Lanxess has only strengthened my belief that if one focuses their energy towards their goals, they are eventually bound to achieve it.”

A very happy Ramanathan Parasuraman quotes, “Aspire, be determined, be thorough and you will achieve your dreams at IGTC. IGTC paved a path that helped me to start my career with a strong organization such as Siemens. The value addition and experience that a youngster like me could gather during this 18 month journey was immense. The dual system of learning and training simultaneously is the perfect aid to fulfill one’s aspirations. My 6 months of training at Siemens helped me to live and breathe through the organization which eventually helped me to get absorbed and start my career with Siemens.”

Beyond the training companies, IGTC also attracted other IGCC member organizations to take part in the placement process and to ensure that challenging roles were offered to the graduating students.  To name a few Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company, Bharat Forge, GEP Consulting, GRP Limited, Indiva Marketing, Knorr-Bremse Technology Center, KUKA Robotics India, Laxmi Precision Screws, Neilsoft Ltd and NRB Industrial Bearings have benefitted from the Open Placement Process conducted between January – March 2014.

Jatan Shah recruited by GEP Consulting says, “The placement process at IGTC was very enriching. With companies coming from various industries and varied profiles, everyone got their dream job in respective organizations, where one could use the knowledge and skills gained in the past eighteen months. My six months of practical training at Bosch Ltd. helped me significantly during the grilling external interviews.  Also, the constant support from the IGTC Director and managers motivated us to approach the process with greater ease and positivity.”

Knorr-Bremse Technology Center created the biggest bang at IGTC this year, recruiting six students in their various departments.  The icing on the cake was that they have also offered to send three of them to Germany for one year of training with their technical project department. Sanjay Salian says “I was both excited and overwhelmed to receive an offer from Knorr-Bremse and to join them as a finance analyst. I believe in destiny and the unique program at IGTC helped me shape my career and give me the perfect launch into the corporate world. I could not have asked for a better start. My internship at Siemens Financial Services (SFS) not only added to my knowledge, but also molded me as a person and made me sure about the field that I should pursue. The way in which this course is designed helps both commercial and technical students as German companies recruit students from various backgrounds. The German connect helps students get into dream companies and an opportunity to start a promising career.”

Despite the nerve breaking questions posted by the employers, the students engaged in the placement process with a lot of excitement and managed to pull it off well by demonstrating their professionalism and focused approach.  A win-win story for all – IGTC, students and organizations!!

Amol: Good evening, distinguished dignitaries on the dais – who have come to grace us on our special day; honorable guests – we thank you very much for lending us your valuable time today; esteemed professors – who guided us passionately throughout this course; respected parents – thank you for your love, care and support; IGCC and  IGTC management – without whose support this institute would not have been a reality and who worked tirelessly towards grooming us into true professionals and last but not the least our dear batch mates – amongst whom we cherish fond memories; my name is Amol Lokegaonkar

Tasneem: and I am Tasneem Muchhala, we welcome you on behalf of the graduating batch 2012 – 2014. Today is a memorable day, as we now graduate to a college called life. This day brings with it great joy, but the joy is also peppered with apprehension as we will now walk on a tight rope, with no safety net in the form of our professors, college management and our director to fall back on.

Amol: These gowns are not only a symbol of our achievement but are also a reminder of how fortunate we have been. Everyone does not have access to this unique German dual education system. We are immensely privileged.

Tasneem: It does not matter that some of us were fresher’s and others experienced, some of us came from the commercial background while others from the technical background, this intensive 18 month course has put us on the same level playing field in terms of being management professionals and transformed us into a close knit family. Yes, IGTC is our family, a home away from home, where together we’ve shaped our future and we are certainly going to miss it.

Amol: We learnt finance, industry, economy and management taught to us by our esteemed faculty. They are not academicians but they are experts, best in the business with rich industry experience. They have shared their knowledge and experiences with us. We will always owe our success to them.

Tasneem: Each one of us burned the mid night oil solving marketing case studies by Prof. Rajeev and Prof. Sagar, transportation models by our dearest Chitra Mam, extremely simple for him but difficult for us to solve mergers and acquisition issues by Fakih Sir, de-bottle necking operations by Moradian Sir, and many more assignments which have equipped us with management tools.

Amol: The internship phases with our training companies gave us a firsthand experience of a real life business situation. Just like how a new born baby falls the first few times as he tries to walk, we too learned some vital lessons of corporate work culture through falls and bruises. Today those bruises have healed and the lessons from every fall are ever fresh in our minds. We are grateful to our training companies and our corporate mentors for giving us excellent opportunities to work on live projects which has not only instilled confidence in us but also gave us a chance to experience work culture of world class companies. Honestly speaking more than training, these companies have helped young aspirants like us to realize our dreams.

Tasneem: Sometimes we achieved, so did we falter. At times we were sensible, so were we crazy. But she was there as our central support system who guided and encouraged us at all times. We thank you for everything, Radhieka Mam. We know we have tried your patience at every moment but we wouldn’t have been able to scale these heights if it wasn’t for you. Also, it would be amiss of me not to mention the valued guidance of Rashmi Mam, Mira Mam, Veena Mam and Sajita Mam all of them soft at heart and caring; always there when we needed them.

Amol: I hope that as we graduate and move on with our lives, we don’t forget how we were stretched and who stretched us. We will remember how we changed and who changed us. We will remember how high we flew and who flew with us, and how hard we fell and who offered their hand and picked us up.

Tasneem: Because this is what MBA is all about! The cases, the assignments, the late nights, the tears, the drama, the stress, the laptop crashes, the library gossips, the laughs, the joys – it’s about the journey and the people we took this journey with.

Amol: Graduation is not the end; it is the beginning of our new journey to pursue our dreams. As we walk into the wider world today, let us not forget the responsibilities that we carry both as members of the IGTC family and the society at large. We truly believe that each one of us will make our alma mater IGTC extremely proud.

Tasneem: We would like to sign off with our dearest Moradian Sir’s quote “Dream and act because dreams without actions is time pass.”

Amol: Thank you. Vielen Dank!

Tasneem and Amol: We present to you the graduating batch 2012 – 2014!

The sunset on 18^th March, 2014 saw the beginning of a new life for the students of the Indo German Training Centre (IGTC) Mumbai and Kolkata, Batch 2012-2014 at Blue Sea Banquets, Worli, decorated in synergy with the new logo and colours of IGTC – light blue and yellow.

It was a cause for huge celebration as the journey of 18-months during the Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration (PGPBA) had transformed 61 happy-go-lucky students into management professionals and into a close-knit family ready to take the corporate world in their stride.  The event was graced by the presence of not just parents and faculty of the graduating students but also by many corporates from the diverse training companies.

The event began with a welcome address by Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), who warmly greeted the dignitaries on the dias, proud parents, faculty and company representatives in the audience.  He spoke to them of how this year marks the 100years of German language education in India, the partnership with 1000 KV schools and the vision of having one million German learners in India by 2017.  He then handed the floor over to the dignitaries.

Mr. Tapan Singhel, Vice-President, IGCC and Managing Director and CEO, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company took a flashback in time as he remembered his management days.  He highlighted how the current generation should have a desire to make a difference with their learnings and have a continuous desire to achieve something more in their lives.  He mentioned that by inclination he wanted to become a scientist but by default, he became an insurer, two extreme ends, but ended his speech by saying ‘Good things happen if you believe in them’.

The welcome address was followed by the sharing of experiences by the IGTC students, Mr. Amol Lokegaonkar and Ms. Tasneem Muchhala.  They started off by saying that the Convocation gowns are not only a symbol of their achievement but are also a reminder of how fortunate they have been. Everyone does not have access to this unique German dual education system and that they felt immensely privileged. While their experience of 18 months was all about case studies, assignments, laughter, stress, library gossips, and much more, they stressed the fact that the Graduation is not the end; but the beginning of a new journey to pursue their dreams. As they walk into the wider world today, they carried the responsibilities of both, being members of the IGTC family and the society at large. They signed off with a promise on behalf of the class that each one of them will make their alma mater IGTC extremely proud. Their enriching journey at IGTC was then further exemplified by a beautiful video.

Mr. S. M. Fakih, Academic Faculty for Finance and Strategy at IGTC gave a final piece of advice to the students on how to manage stress.  He also mentioned that this batch was so special for him since only this year, he had the opportunity to teach them Finance and Strategy, which spanned the duration of all the 4 theoretical phases. Known for his subtle sense of humour, hecharmed the crowd with his wit, personality and profound advice.  Ms. Padma Gupta, Director – Human Resources, Häfele India Pvt. Ltd. spoke on behalf of all the training partners. She emphasised that the German System of Dual Education is a brilliantly conceptualized platform which benefits the students as well as their training companies. She was of the opinion that the students are better equipped as they have been with the company during their internship stints. Hence, it is a win-win situation for both.

Mr. Michael Ott, Deputy Consul General, German Consulate General in Mumbai who plays an important role in maintaining the collaboration between the two countries, expressed his happiness to be present at the Convocation Ceremony again.  He spoke of the Indo-German Urban Mela and the lasting Indo-German relations and ties.  He advised the students to go and grab the plethora of opportunities available in the world outside.

The Guest of Honour, Prof. Dr. Dorothea Wagner, Vice-President, German Research Foundation (DFG), was warmly welcomed by Mr. Steinruecke.  She reflected on her mesmerizing research on calculating traffic with the help of algorithms, through which she plans to build the best navigation system in the world for public transport and make travel cheaper, quicker and comfortable.  She is also the recipient of the one-million dollar Google Focused Research Award for Next Generation Route Planning.  It was a proud moment for IGTC when she said that she could feel the positive vibrations amongst the students and when she goes back to Germany, she hopes to see the same streak of positivity in her students.  She concluded by Grüsse Aus Karlsruhe i.e. greetings from Karlsruhe and wished them Herzlichen Glückwunsch i.e. Congratulations!

Last but not the least; Chief Guest Mr. Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited gave his keynote address.  He spoke about positive energy in his business. He mentioned about the change in workforce from blue collar to white collar for more number of skilled workers and less strikes. He mentioned about how German ties have helped India after independence in terms of innovation and technology.  He joked with the graduating students that he felt like a fossil today in front of them because at the time when he graduated the world was predictable whereas today the world has become unpredictable. He gave them two guiding principles to be able to succeed in life; first is to always keep faith in what one is doing, which would keep one focussed and second is to never keep angst i.e. fear. So, go out and conquer!

The distribution of certificates began amidst a lot of cheering and joy.  Each student was also presented a customized crystal plaque as a souvenir from the IGTC along with their certificate.  The Dr. Günter Krüger Award was presented to Shashank Chandrasekharanfrom IGTC Kolkata and to Amol Lokegaonkar from IGTC Mumbai.  The award for the BASF Corporate Governance and Business Ethics Seminar Series was presented to Ramanathan Parasuramanfollowed by the Bayer Scholarships of Rs. 50,000/- each to three students – Tasneem Muchhala, Rohan Vaidya and Shamit Jana.

Finally, Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke proposed the Vote of Thanks and gave gifts of appreciation to all the dignitaries and special guests.  Post a formal group photograph, now it was time for emotions to unfurl, and the fresh graduates partook in the quintessential hat-toss ceremony, cheering each other and soaring their hats as high as their aspirations.  They evening ended on the quote of IGTC’s favourite faculty, Mr. Boman Moradian, “Dream and act because dreams without actions is equal to timepass”

S. Kumar, Commercial Head, Bosch Automotive Electronics India Pvt Ltd., is an alumnus of the Indo-German Training Centre. He has been associated with Bosch since last 12 years and holds his present position since the last 3 years. The IGCC spoke to Mr. Kumar about the IGTC, its students and his own experience of studying as per the German Dual System.

Mr. Kumar, what is your take on the IGTC and the Dual System of training?
IGTC as an institution does an excellent job in nurturing young talents for the future requirements of the organization. We have witnessed how a newly joined candidate acquires organizational etiquettes progressively and develops in each phase of the training and builds his/her behavioural, communication and presen­tation skills suiting to a multinational environment. At the end of their training, sometimes it is quite amazing to see how an institute could transform a graduate to a well-groomed talented person suited for a multinational organization. This positive approach topped by strong collaboration with German affiliates ensures that the students to get good opportunities to in their career.

What do you think of the qualities and abilities of the IGTC students?
IGTC supports in providing a very highly motivated and competent talents to our organization. The candidates demonstrate high dedication and commitment thereby enabling us to assign them interesting and challenging tasks even during their learning phase. Their high motivation levels aid in achieving good performance since they take up their tasks in a sincere manner.

During their learning phase of dual training, the students are able to understand the organizational needs much better. They gain a good awareness of various functions in the organization for selecting their right career path for the future. We see that the students subsequently joining us as our associates perform their tasks with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, which stems from the satisfaction of having selected the right career.

You are an alumnus of the IGTC yourself. Can you take us through your days at the IGTC and subsequent career path?
Yes, I joined IGTC with Siemens as the sponsoring company in year 1996. I hail from a small town and for me IGTC was already a big cultural shift. It was quite an interesting experience to join a very vibrant batch. We had batch-mates from almost all cities of the country. The curriculum was interesting and also sometimes challenging as it was a multi-disciplinary. Though I was a Cost Ac­countant while joining, it was still a nice experience to undergo a practical and interactive learning at IGTC. It added to the level of confidence and morale to handle complexities on the job.

I was with Siemens for about two years. I had to then relocate from Siemens to Bosch due to some personal reasons. I joined Bosch in the year 2000 as Officer and countered steady progress over the years. I took the responsibility of After­market Finance in 2002 for the southern region, after which I moved to western region. In year 2003, I relocated to Bangalore and was briefly handling the entire north regional Aftermarket Finance operations. In 2005, I had an opportunity to assist the Joint Managing Director – Commercial of Bosch Ltd. I was in this as­signment for 3 years. It was that time when Bosch decided on start up of a new company for Automotive Electronics Division. I took up the opportunity and did a short stint at Salzgitter, Germany for 10 months as part of the Project Relocation.
I returned to India in Jan 2009 and took over the opportunity to head Commercial function at Bosch Automotive Electronics India Pvt Ltd. We built this new com­pany and started the entire Commercial function with a small team as we were still feeling the impact of recession in 2009. We started our operations fully in 2010 with further ramp up in 2011 to touch a turnover of Rs.1500 mil. This year is quite challenging as we relocate several production lines from other countries and we are expected to grow 3 times compared to 2011.

Overall it was an interesting journey so far and my present assignment is a very interesting since I handle all commercial functions to manage the company.

Could you give us a brief profile of your company? Do you plan to continue recruiting IGTC students?
Bosch Automotive Electronics is one of the youngest Bosch group companies in India. We are a separate legal entity, 100% Bosch Subsidiary of Automotive Electronics Division. We manufacture Engine Control Units for Diesel/ Gasoline Systems and Body Electronics for cars like Immobilisers, Body computer Mod­ules etc. We cater mainly to the Indian OEMs but also support the worldwide Bosch customers.

We are associated with IGTC since the year 2010. As a mid-sized and fast growing organization, it gives us a lot of opportunities to award good projects/assignments to attract young talents. We are very happy with the performance of IGTC talents and we certainly encourage more in the upcoming years.

The year 2014 began with the Indo-German Training Centre welcoming the second group of students from the Duale Hochschule Baden- Württemberg (DHBW), Karlsruhe for their well-established Intenstive Study Programme “Business Environment India” from 6^th – 15^th January 2014.  The essence of this student exchange programme was to bring the countries closer, to know people from both sides, to gain from diverse experiences, to build friendships that transcend the boundaries of distance and time and to create fond memories to savour.

The delegation was hosted by Ms. Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC and led by Prof. Volker Ihle, Head of Department, Business Administration and Engineering, and International Coordinator, DHBW and Prof. Dr. Ruediger Schaefer, Head of Department, Management in Commerce, DHBW.  They were also accompanied by Ms. Ramona Lange, Representative IHK Karlsruhe.  Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, IGCC formally inaugurated the programme and gave them insights on economic ties between India and Germany. Their 10-day itinerary was meticulously planned with a host of interesting lectures at IGTC, industry visits to Indian and German organizations and cultural immersion with the Indian students.

Their classroom lectures at IGTC included an Overview of the Economic, Political and Cultural Environment in India; an Overview of the Logistics Industry in India with a live demonstration of the famous Dabbawalla system in Mumbai; an interactive lecture on the Retail Industry in India with a guided tour to the traditional, wholesale Crawford Market and the hi-end, retail Hi-Street Phoenix and Palladium Mall; and a lecture on the IT/ITES Industry in India combined with a engaging visit to the Tech Mahindra Business Services Limited.

The industry visits started off by observing how German organizations such as Siemens and BASF function in India.  It was interesting for the students to know that several processes in India are done manually as they tend to be cost effective.  They were impressed by the fact that German companies invest in the education of young people as well as work towards renewable energy to ensure a good life for future generations.

Among the Indian companies, the German students visited large conglomerates such as Godrej Industries, Godrej and Boyce, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tech Mahindra, Lodha Group, and ACC Limited.  At Godrej, students learnt about the HR policies such as staff welfare and organizational structure. They visited the Innovation Centre as well as the Company Showroom with the entire product display.  At Mahindra and Mahindra plant, they gained an overview of an Indian automotive plant with emphasis on the manufacturing process, implementation of quality circles and the design strategy.  Tech Mahindra was a complete contrast to the previous two plants.  It was a completely unique experience to see people who work in the advanced 3G technology space and provide end-to-end CRM solutions for the people in the UK, Ireland and Australia. It was an interesting fact that they have a pool of 12000 professionals who attend to almost 30,000 calls per day witha commitment to putting the customer first. The students were impressed to get the actual feel of the shop floor where calls were made to offer solutions and simplify the life of the customer.

At the upcoming, luxurious, residential project “The Park” of the Lodha Group, the students gained a first-hand experience of seeing Indian labourers working on a construction site. This was followed by a visit to the legendary ACC Cement House, which is an energy-efficient, environment-friendly building. Its attractive refurbished façade now houses an ultramodern office equipped with space-saving modular workstations, access control and intelligent lighting with motion and light sensors, waste management systems and water saving devices set amid greenery. Beyond Indian corporate giants, the students also visited Infinium Precious Resources Ltd., which manufactures gold and silver coins ranging from 1 gm to 100 gm.

Work and studies were adequately combined with culture, fun and entertainment.  It is beyond doubt that Mumbai and Bollywood have always been synonymous.  Hence, a visit to the city would been incomplete without seeingthe state-of-the-art, fully integrated Yash Raj Films Studio. The students were thrilled to see the locations that bring stories to life; to take a close look at the most advancedsound studio and actuallylisten to a song recording; and post-production facilities.  It was wonderful to see two Hindi film trailers with English subtitles, and walk out to personally meet the stars, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor.  That’s why they say that dreams come true in Bollywood!!

Dharavi and Elephanta were two must-dos in the city.  At Dharavi, the students were amazed to see the heart of the small-scale industry in India. It came as a big surprise how the workshops in slums were equipped with machinery for mass-production.  The slum tour – including the tanning of leather, the recycling of plastic containers, the making of garments and the papad making process – was indeed inspiring and dispelled all notions of Dharavi being a place of misery.  The students had a delightful time on their short excursion to the Elephanta Caves, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  They enjoyed the boat journey, the mad rush for the toy train, the infinite stairs with little handicraft shops all along and the beautifully carved Shiva temple.

All these impressions over ten days culminated into final presentations at IGTC.  Along with a sunset over the Arabian Sea, the students bid farewell to IGTC – their home in India – with a promise to return someday, sometime! Auf Wiedersehen!!

The Indo-German Training Centre participated in the biggest sporting event in India; the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on 19^th Jan, 2014 . The students enthusiastically participated in the 6 km Dream Run category starting from Azad Maidan on a Sunday morning. The entire atmosphere was electrified with the collective energy of the students along with Ms. Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC and other staff members from the Training centre. The event was more of a celebration, with participants coming dressed as different characters. The participants were in groups promoting their brands as many corporate companies like Siemens, BASF, Lanxess and BMW participated in the run. Overall it was an enjoyable experience for the students as they were glad to participate in this grand event.

“Business Environment Germany”
Ersten mal in Deutschland for IGTC Students
IGTC partners with DHBW, Germany for Intensive Student Exchange Programme

For the first time, 26 students from the Indo-German Training Centres across Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata visited the Duale Hochschule Baden Wuerttemberg (DHBW) or Baden-Wuerttemberg State Cooperative University, Karlsruhe for an intensive study programme “Business Environment Germany” from 29th September to 10th October 2013. The student delegation was lead from India by Ms. Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC and accompanied by Sudhakar Kasture, Faculty at IGTC.  It was planned and supported by the DHBW faculty team including Prof. Volker Ihle, Head of Department Business Administration and Engineering, International Coordinator; Prof. Peter J. Lehmeier, Head of Department Business Administration; Prof. Dr. Rudiger Schafer, Head of Department, Business Administration, Management in Commerce and Ms. Birgit Schlenker, University Communication, Events and Project.

The student exchange programme aimed to give the IGTC students an exposure to all aspects of Germany – including education and student life, industry and corporate work etiquettes, culture, history and lifestyle.  The Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) Karlsruhe became home to the Indian students for the fortnight.

To begin the 13-day programme, a warm welcome was extended to all the students by eminent personalities in Karlsruhe:

• Prof. Dr. Georg Richter, President, DHBW Karlsruhe
• Ms. Margret Mergen, Deputy Mayor, Karlsruhe
• Prof. Hans-Peter Mengele, Director General, IHK Karlsruhe

While Ms. Mergen passionately introduced the students to the young but historic, fan-shaped city of Karlsruhe, Prof. Mengele mesmerized the students with his impromptu lecture on Innovation and Leadership by Generation Y. Through these privileged interactions, by the end of the first two days, the IGTC students understood the importance of their role as brand ambassadors of India and as members of the globally recognized German Chamber fraternity.
Subsequently, over the next few days, the students attended some lectures at DHBW and visited German companies.

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Senior Project Manager at Siemens AG gave a lecture on Project Management with a special focus on countries that are either politically unstable or just achieving stability through international collaboration.  He exemplified various personal achievements where he has successfully completed projects for Siemens in the most unique and toughest of conditions.  Through his professional work examples, he explained about International Safety Standards, Global Teams, Managing Global Risk and Investment and Crisis Management, all of which together contribute to Siemens’ success as an organization.

A business simulation game, designed by faculty Mr. Genth, covered three cycles that demonstrated the impact of different environmental and technological changes inevitable in a business.  Ms. Brigitte Brun, an independent consultant by profession and a passionate faculty on the weekends at DHBW, took the students through a case study on what success and failure meant in a global perspective, and the role of woman in today’s scenario.  Her enthusiasm and fondness for India were evident in the way she expressed her opinion that India is an organized country with great potential.

Prof. Lee took students through an interesting and knowledgeable lecture on the history, benefits and future of the Euro.  He explained why the Euro Zone was a political decision and why Germany’s role is the critical key to its survival.  A truly global person and linguist, Dr. Altehenger Smith enthralled the students through her lecture on being ‘Internationally Interactive’ – on dealing with stereotypes, intercultural perceptions, non-verbal communication and gestures in various cultures.

Prof. Lehmeier from DHBW, our continuous source of enrichment in Germany, gave the students an insight into the different retail formats in Germany and innovative concepts such as scanning the barcode with a smartphone, the P-fund system of recycling of bottles and the flexible leadership followed by DM stores.  His lecture was delivered under a tree in the garden that took the students back to the ancient Indian ‘Gurukul’ system.

Beyond lectures, the fascinating world of German companies opened their doors to Indian students.  It was dream come true for most students to see the Mercedes Benz A and B Class factory in Rastatt with its an assembly line functioning with 1300 robots and high tech machinery.  Each car was customized as per individual requirements of the clients and production schedules were always ahead of time. The students were fascinated by the audio-aided, but employee-guided tour, wherein all their queries were answered in real time.  It was impressive to witness the Mercedes team spirit wherein all employees were referred to as colleagues; and the loyalty and customer focus that were integral to the world’s most luxurious car maker.

The Central Warehouse of Michelin Tyres at Landau was an eye-opener on Safety and Space Management.  Safety gears including jackets and shoes were prepared for each student.  It was interesting to see the different varieties and sizes of tyres and methods of storing them.  For the students, Siemens stood out as a company that prides itself on providing solutions to complex problems, and signifies a global network of innovation.  After the official presentation, the students were shown the Simulators named TIA – Totally Integrated Automation which replicates the various factory processes, and is used to give young trainees hands on experience in the organization.  A tour of the production facility showcased Siemens products and their applications in the industry.

Then, the students visited a hidden champion, Klingelmail – Germany’s largest mail order company and a leader in logistics and warehousing.  With a fully automated plant and a vertical warehouse, the company handles around 80,000 consignments per day across 250,000 different products.  The highest standard of accuracy and precision were maintained with check points installed at regular intervals throughout the conveyor belt.

On the last day of company visits, it was time to “Drive the World” by visiting SEW, one of the biggest manufacturers of belt and conveyor drives.  The company not only believes in innovation but also precision, reliability and safety.

Finally, the students were fortunate to visit the world’s largest ‘verbund’, fully integrated chemical plant, BASF at Ludwigshafen.  After a start at the BASF Visitor’s Centre, students were given a bus tour of the humungous plant, almost the size of

an entire city with its own railway track for internal transportation, a port of the River Rhine for long distance transportation, three fire stations that also catered beyond the plant to the entire city of Ludwigshafen and an environment monitoring centre.  It was simply out of the world, but still very much grounded in safety and its commitment to the environment.

Of course, the student exchange programme would not have been complete without a little bit of culture and sightseeing.  Whether it was making merry at the Oktoberfest, visiting the beautiful picturesque Heidelberg, gorging on the delicious authentic Black Forest Cake, catching up on a soccer game at the Mercedes Benz Arena or overcoming every challenge at the Waldseilpark Forest Adventure Park – the students did it all.

The first cultural visit on the German National Day was to the Bruchsal Palace which captured their attention by its art, paintings and its beautiful décor.  The Museum of Musical Instruments gave them an insight to German music from the 17th to 20th century.  Heidelberg captured hearts, with its charm and character in abundance between the old bridge and the mighty castle.

The visit to the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart was dream come true for many of them. It was a journey through more than 125 years of fascinating automotive history – and on into the future. It was a treat to all car lovers. The Oktoberfest at Wasen, Stuttgart was truly an experience of a lifetime.  Trains at this time in Stuttgart were no less than the Mumbai locals but the atmosphere at the Oktoberfest was electrifying. There were people dressed in traditional Lederhosen and Drindls, giant steins of beer were seen everywhere.  The students were completely flabbergasted with the giant carnival!

Heaven on Earth – Black Forest embodied everything that one might expect of a German picture book holiday.  Green hilly pastures, pinewood trees, huge sized horses, vineyards…it was simply paradise.  The journey to the alluring kingdom started at the St. Peters Church with a divine Sunday morning service.  More fascinations – the world’s biggest Cuckoo Clock and the Vogtbauerhof, an open air museum of ancient, 400 year old Black Forest farmhomes left the students awestruck.  Most specially, the students were treated to a live demonstration of the making of the one of the most important inventions in Germany; the amazing black forest cake soaked in ‘Cherry Water’….and were then invited to feast on it.

The abundant exposure over almost two weeks culminated with the IGTC students presenting their learnings and experiences at DHBW among an audience of German students, faculty and guests from the industry.  A crisp, one hour programme was designed wherein presentations were interspersed with a short IGTC film, an Indian classical song and some Indian folk and bollywood dances.  The Indian students used every mode – words, music, dance and art – to express their gratitude to the DHBW faculty for painstakingly organizing this wonderful immersion into their dream country Germany, an exchange programme that will always remain a part of their memoirs forever!!

This is what the students had to say after their Germany visit:

“Its not the “Weather”, not the ” Lifestyle”, not the “Technology”, Neither the “Population” nor the “Size” of this country that has made all the difference. It’s the “Attitude” that matters a lot. Thanks Germany  for a wonderful experience!!”
Sayali Lokhande

“Danke für Ihre Gastfreundschaft. The Business Seminar in Karlsruhe was a great learning experience for me. It was an inspirational program which helped me to learn and understand a finer culture that excels in technology & professionalism, thereby motivating us to strive for bigger goals in life. The Deutschen personify the phrase “Work hard, Party harder!”. Bis zum nächsten Mal, Auf Wiedersehen!”
Shashank Chandrasekharan

Bayer conducted a Scholarship Program called “Championing Success” for the IGTC students of Batch 2012-2014 in September, 2013. The Bayer Scholarships are an effort to recognize and appreciate meritorious students across colleges as well as management programmes such as IGTC. The rigorous and exhaustive selection process conducted gave weightage to consistent academic brilliance, an Online Assessment Test which evaluates a student’s speed and accuracy and then finally a personal Interview on the Bayer LIFE Values.
The personal Interviews on Bayer’s LIFE Values were conducted by the Bayer team consisting of Mr. Vaibhav Rane, Mr. Percy Bamboat, Ms. Priya D’cruz from the Human Resources Department, Mr. Anand Srinivasan, Head- Supply Chain and Mr. Marco Schmidt, Executive Officer Corporate Business Services of the Bayer Group in India.
A total of 16 students were shortlisted for the personal interviews and three bright students from Batch 2012-2014 – Tasneem Muchhala, Rohan Vaidya and Shamit Jana were selected as the Bayer Scholars. They are entitled to receive a scholarship amount of Rs. 50000/- each on their Convocation Ceremony in March 2014.

The atmosphere at the training centre was filled with euphoria and cheer on the occasion of the certificate awarding ceremony of the 2nd Batch of the Executive Business Management Programme 2012-2013 held on 13th August 2013. 29 participants from diverse companies were acknowledged for their hardwork and commitment of pursuing the One-year weekend programme. The executive participants were accompanied by their spouses and children, who joined in to celebrate this special occasion. Dignitaries from the corporate world were also present to encourage and motivate the participants.

The participants of the 3rd Batch of the Executive Business Management Programme successfully completed their programme at IGTC and took one large step into a journey of life-long learning. To culminate their learning’s of the past one year the programme was concluded with a final Capstone Project where the participants took extra efforts to present significant business plans. There were 9 groups who presented over a span of two days. The projects were evaluated by distinguished faculty who suggested ways of improvement.

The projects were as follows:
1. Solar X-Ray for Siemens Ltd.
2. Mineral Water Plant for Bosch Ltd.
3. Aircoolers for Industrial Applications for Batliboi Group
4. Bosch Pharma Services for Bosch Packaging technology
5. Introduction of Innovative Construction Chemicals for Concrete Applications of BASF India
6. Palm Cab Services for HDFC Ergo
7. Gas Induction Reactor for effluent Treatment
8. Globus Slurry pump
9. Explorer – The Finishing Institute

Despite their hectic professional schedules, it was commendable that the participants had been able to sacrifice alternate weekends, giving up on personal and family time to sit through six hours of lectures, assignments, tests and projects. With perseverance, determination, time management, dedication and no doubt some perspiration, they managed to successfully complete their academic programme at IGTC and lay a strong foundation of knowledge.

The 4th batch of the EBMP was inaugurated on 27th July, 2013. The batch comprises 16 participants from Indo-German member companies such as BASF India, Rittal, Siemens, Volkswagen, Wacker Chemie among others.

IGTC Mumbai marked the successful completion of the Trainee Selection Process for Batch 2013-2015. The process was conducted over two days on 11th and 12th June, 2013 over a varied range of technical and commercial students, who were eagerly awaiting opportunities to come their way.

An Information Session was held for prospective students and their parents at the training centre on 5th June 2013 to give them detailed insight into the 18-month, full time programme based on the German Dual System of Training. A Q&A session followed to give clarity on the training companies, internships, placements, general management theory etc. Overall the session dispelled all doubts and apprehensions among aspiring candidates, and filled them with enthusiasm to meet and interview with the participating training companies that required trainees for their future organizational requirements.

On one hand, IGTC strengthened its relationship with its collaborating companies of the previous year and on the other hand, it forged new associations with other companies as well. It had got extensive support from more than 20 partnering training companies such as Bajaj Allianz, BASF Group, Bayer Group, Bosch Automotive Electronics India, Bosch Limited, Clariant Chemicals, Dr. Oetker, Epcos India, Evonik Industries, Extentia Information Technology, Faberinfinite Creative Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Fuchs Lubricants (India) Pvt. Ltd., Häfele India, Hella Group, KSB Pumps Ltd, Lanxess India, Liebherr India Pvt. Ltd., Mercedes-Benz, NRB Bearings Limited, Siemens Limited, Steinbach & Partner, Sunjewels India, Transasia, TUV India and Volkswagen.

It was an absolutely distinctive experience for all the fresh and experienced candidates to undergo multiple rounds of interview with their dream companies before gaining admission to the IGTC business administration programme. As a result of this methodical and painstaking selection process, ultimately a cumulative strength of 56 trainees was inducted as Batch 2013 – 2015 at Indo-German Training Centre, Mumbai.