India is a developing country and education is the backbone of its progress. The past few years have seen tremendous growth in the job market where employers are increasingly looking for candidates equipped with skills specific to an area.

They need professionals who can understand the functioning of an industry and deliver as per their requirement. With rapid advancement in all areas whether information, technology, education, management and others, they are looking for young people who not only have the required skills but also have the foundations to pick up changes in skill requirements as fast as possible.

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This is because it is a known fact that the human brain slows down as we grow older. It is in this context that undergraduate professional degrees play an important and vital role. Each year thousands of students graduate and start competing in the job market.

In a situation like this, it is essential to have an edge that will help him/her out in the crowd. In order to prepare for such a challenge, one needs to opt for degrees that equip with the knowledge of the industry.

Undergraduate professional degrees like BCA, BBA, BJMC, BEd and others provide with direct knowledge to develop the required professional skills and leave the door open for higher studies.

Today, the undergraduate professional degrees syllabi are designed keeping in mind that students are coming to study directly from school and hence, provide basic foundations needed before starting the profession-oriented subjects. At times, they also include personality development skills which benefit one when working in a team in their respective profession.

In order to have a better understanding of the industry for which they are trained, these undergraduate professional degrees include guest lectures, industrial visits and summer internships will greatly benefit by giving practical experience in addition to the classroom training. Guest lectures are generally given by people from the industry. They are the best to take advice from as they have “been there, done that”.

They help with their experiences and valuable tips from on and off the field. Students pursuing undergraduate professional degrees get to go for industrial visits wherein they get to know the ground realities. These visits help them in identifying the soft skills, the industry standards and other related aspects of working in that particular industry. Summer internships are one of the best ways through which students get to have a firsthand experience of the professional world.

Through this, they get ample opportunities for networking in the appropriate area. They get to be in the field and in addition to classroom training, see things functioning in front of them and thus have a great learning familiarity.

The internships also help them while applying for jobs as companies look for candidates with experience. The economy is changing drastically and industries are in need of young professionals with the ability to pickup changes quickly. Students with such skills will be absorbed into various jobs without having to wait for long.

Undergraduate professional degrees cater to this demand by providing necessary foundation and professional training they need to build their careers successfully.

The writer is associate Dean, School of Information Technology, IMS Noida