With the Indian economy growing and the present government focusing on development, there’s an increasing emphasis on infrastructure. After all, it’s the backbone of growing economies and that means there is a demand for skilled professionals with specialized training in the field. The PGDM in Infrastructure Management (PGDM-IM)) program at Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management (AIIM) has been designed to mould professionals to handle the challenges in all the phases of a project. And that’s why it goes way beyond and has an edge over the regular Construction and Project Management courses offered by other institutes.
The two-year Post Graduate Program in Infrastructure Management is an umbrella course that covers the different aspects of construction management. The basis of the program lies in AIIM’s belief that there should be a clear demarcation between infrastructure and construction management. Of course, the role of a Construction Manager, who handles various tasks, including people management, project scheduling, operations and management, is vital for infrastructure creation. But in today’s dynamic environment, there is a need for dynamic professionals with specific skillsets that can be leaders in the industry.
By offering economic, financial, and strategic insights and expertise to students, the program at AIIM endeavors to bridge this gap between the industry demand and academic supply. Thus, it creates professionals who can handle the pre-construction, construction and post-construction value chain of infrastructure assets and infrastructure houses. Some of the important insights that students gain through the program include infrastructure market and demand forecasting, economic and financial structuring of infrastructure projects and portfolio of infrastructure assets, and public private partnership design and implementation.
But that’s not all – the comprehensive program goes well beyond that and covers the legal aspects of infrastructure business, as well as impacts of policy and regulatory changes on infrastructure sector. According to Mr. Chetan Bajpai, Business Head, Industry Relations, AIIM, “Infrastructure Projects are capital intensive with long gestation periods. Therefore, it demands sound knowledge of finance in order to raise money through different financing structures. Our candidates are well-trained in corporate finance, infrastructure finance, legal and tax aspects of infrastructure and different forms of contracts.”
It’s obvious that when a regular Construction Management program focuses on different areas of construction, from soft skills to productivity improvement, the Project Management program limits itself to topics revolving around projects. However, the PGDM offered by AIIM is all encompassing in many ways – for example, from risks to cost estimation. With one look at the program modules, you know that it covers a broad spectrum of subjects – from Infrastructure Policy and Regulation to Logistics and Supply Chain Management for Infrastructure; form Strategic Management and Infrastructure industry to Social issues in Infrastructure, and more.
Mr. Bajpai also highlights the importance of including several general management courses in the program: “Gone are the days when Infrastructure was a public good and primarily handled by Government. It is now another commodity offered by competing private parties. Lack of business acumen can oust any company; hence, we train our candidates to be fierce business developers with an understanding of dynamic market forces.” So, by imparting the tactical with the strategic, the economic to policy, the immediate to long term, and the regional to a global knowledge of Infrastructure, the program gives its students the cutting edge advantage.