SP Jain London School of Management (SPJ London) announced the launch of its new campus in London recently. In an interview with HT digital after the announcement, SP Jain Global Group Founder and President Nitish Jain spoke on the idea behind the launch of its new campus, future of business education and much more. Here are the excerpts from that interview:
What is idea behind opening a new campus in London? How does it help students in India?
SP Jain is a student-centric school, and if students want to go to study in London, we had to give them that opportunity. Our London school extends our global model and will operate in conjunction with the other campuses of the SP Jain Global Group in Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and Mumbai. London is one of the top destinations where students want to go.
Students from India can study entirely in London with a brand they can trust, SP Jain. They can also study in multiple cities. Today, Indian students are going to our campuses abroad in Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney, and now, they can also go to London to study and work. So students can avail of a multi-country model. Students studying in our London campus can stay on and look for a job there and also get global exposure during their stay. Our unique model, because of our own campuses in these countries (not a franchise), helps us coordinate and synchronize the learning, even if one goes from one city to another. That is the real strength of our school.
How do you look at the future of business education?
We follow what companies require. Education does not drive business; it is business that drives education. Businesses today are looking at technology as central to their growth (digital transformation). Digital is changing the name of the game in every industry. Our MBA is 30% technology with a focus on decision-making, which we have now changed to data-driven decision-making. When we use data for decision-making, there is an 80% possibility of taking the right call. Companies are looking at data analytics and big data to make decisions, and our students are well-trained in doing that. Many other institutions have not been able to incorporate data analytics into their main curriculum.
What is the USP of SP Jain School of Global Management?
The USP of SP Jain is the philosophy on which the school was founded. If businesses have gone global, then business schools should also go global because companies look for global talent. The more globally exposed one is, the more profitable he can make his company. That is the philosophy behind our school and that is why we set up our campuses in four countries in the first 11 years of our existence. And now, after stabilizing our operations, we have launched our fifth campus in the UK. We are now ready to compete with the best management schools in the world.
What skills and attributes can students studying at SP Jain expect to achieve?
A person who joins SP Jain will be totally transformed during the course of his studies. We work towards achieving this goal in both our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. We do this through the way we organize our classes. The faculty is expected to know students’ names even before we start the class. We make students learn by challenging them daily, developing their critical thinking, confidence and communication skills.
The students are much more engaged in our classes than in many other business schools (even more than some of the reputed ones). Before every class, we provide pre-class videos to students. These videos, created by us, give students a background of what will be taught in the class. So students at SP Jain come to the class much more engaged and prepared. Students coming to SP Jain can expect a complete transformation in their personality and skills, leading to jobs.
What is your vision for SP Jain? Where do you see this school in the next five years?
SP Jain is a 21st-century school, and we are a future-oriented school. We try to anticipate the future and keep moving the target along with that. First, our target was global learning, then we introduced technology, and now, it is personalized learning. We are changing our targets as per industry trends. Simply put, we believe in relevant education that leads to employability.
What will be the kind of fee structure for students who will join SP Jain’s London campus?
The fee structure (tuition fee) charged in London will be similar to that charged on our other campuses. Students need to pay for their accommodation and food. You will be surprised to know that accommodation costs in the UK can be even lower than in a city like Dubai.
Do you provide scholarships to students? What are the criteria for providing scholarships?
We provide scholarships ranging from 10% to 100%. Need is a basic requirement for providing scholarships. But there are many students in need. So the selection then moves to merit. We look at merit and then look at diversity. If we don’t have students from a particular field or profession in a batch, then we will prefer to give a scholarship to a person from that field so that he can bring diversity to the class. Diversity adds to the quality of discussions.
Can you tell us about internships and placement opportunities available to students at SP Jain?
All our students are required to do four months of internship. Students at our UK campus can do their internship either in the UK or anywhere else in the world. We help students find internship opportunities, but they need to crack the interview. All our students get internships. Our placement record is very good, and we are well-known for this.
What kind of attributes and skills today’s managers must have?
If you ask me for one particular attribute, it has to be agility. Agility differentiates successful people from others. All other skills like communication, technical skills etc. are needed in any case. I am only highlighting the one most important attribute.
What is your advice to management aspirants?
Aspirants need to have focus. If you want to be successful, you cannot stay confused for a very long time. Do not choose something you don’t have passion for, but once you have decided, you need to have the dedication to see it through. As soon as you have the focus, your life will get a new start.