New Delhi, 27 April, 2009: NIS Academy, an educational initiative of NIS Sparta Ltd. Asia’s leading training, education and learning solutions provider and a Reliance ADA Group company, today launched a unique ‘Program in Business Skills - PBS’. The program is aimed at making the students ‘Market Ready’ for fast growing industries such as Finance, Retail and Telecom. PBS has been designed such that besides enhancing business knowledge, it also sharpens - attitude, business skills and habits of the students.

Companies, especially in new age businesses, are dealing with an extremely competitive and ever changing market environment. There is a clear demand among such companies, to recruit ‘Market Ready’ customer facing professionals, who can be productive from day one and can help companies achieve their mission critical sales and servicing goals. The curriculum for PBS has been developed after a study conducted across 19 organizations, involving HR, Sales and Operations professionals.

The study focused on the key criteria used for recruiting candidates for ‘Customer Facing Roles’. The study revealed that these companies emphasize on sound knowledge of Domain, on clear understanding of Business operations and on practical aspects of Customer care. The companies also assess personality traits such as possessing a ‘Go getter’ attitude, demonstrating Customer service orientation, displaying Team work and openness to Learning for qualifying a person as ‘Market Ready’.

The study had a clear message for budding professionals: Finance companies indicated their willingness to pay a premium, while the Telecom companies pointed towards a clear preference, to recruit such ‘Market Ready’ professionals.

Based on the insights gained through the study, and leveraging on 17 years of rich corporate experience, NIS Sparta has developed this, ‘Program in Business Skills’ to make students ‘Market Ready’. The curriculum will have three offerings:

• APBS, a 2 year program for 10+2 students
• GPBS, a 3 year program for 10+2, Undergraduates, and
• PGPBS, a 2 year program for Graduates

Speaking on the launch of new program, Mr. Muralidhar Rao, President and COO, NIS Sparta said, “The Program in Business Skills has been launched by us to bridge the demand – supply gap for ‘Market Ready’ professionals, in customer facing roles. If anything, the current economic environment has thrown up need for qualified customer facing entry level professionals. The PBS curriculum is designed to provide the Industry with ‘Market Ready’ professionals and to provide students with a head start in their career, even in these uncertain times.”

This Program has been designed so that a student can complete it along with MBA in Applied Management in 2 years, or a BBA in Applied Management in 3 years. The ‘Program in Business Skills - PBS’ pursued along with regular management program, will enable students to be ‘Market Ready’.

Besides using traditional skill building methodologies such as Role plays, the Program will also extensively use emerging learning methodologies such as Mobile learning, Expert speak through Webcast, Webinars et al for improving retention and for reinforcement of learning.

About NIS Academy:

NIS Academy is an educational initiative of NIS Sparta Ltd., Asia's leading training, education and learning solutions provider and a Reliance ADA Group company. Established in 1991; NIS Academy has facilitated the growth and development of over 60,000 students and aspirants, till date. Currently, NIS Academy operates over 50 learning centres in the country, with plans to double the centres in 09-10.

NIS Academy equips students to excel in the area of Customer Care, Sales & Marketing. Students are also learn other aspects of career building like team working, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability, ability to deal with ambiguity and stress, tackling challenges and taking initiatives. NIS Academy’s programs are based on innovative and interactive teaching methodologies derived from the experiences gained while training the corporate world.

For more information visit: www.thenisacademy.com