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We live in a world where the change is the only thing that cannot be changed. This is true for higher education industry as well. The analysis of the career patterns of the graduates shows rising level of selfemployment or startups over time which is considerably higher in comparison with the new generation of the youth. This suggests that self-employment is increasingly becoming an important career destination for new graduates. The aspiration for selfemployment or business startups is also underlined by the fact that a high proportion of the graduates have a business idea, they would like to pursue before joining the degree programmes. The self-employed graduates choose selfemployment principally for the independence and flexibility it offers (N Tackey and S Perryman).
Teaching and Learning strategy
Strategic plan of NIBM ( 2017- 2022) has identified gaps of its teaching and learning strategy and has formulated new strategies to develop all its higher education processes to meet expectations in the world of work and new thinking of the youth. It was formulated due to the obvious reason of different learning styles of new generation, which are more focused on free styles in pursuing new knowledge. The role of a teacher has become more facilitative than that of forced teaching in a traditional classroom setting. One of the major thrust areas of teaching and leaning strategies of NIBM is to support NIBM students to build their own startups and to design their own future. It is vital to develop thinking, doing and finishing skills of students if they are to pursue on their own startups or to earn better career opportunities.
Graduate Attributes
In keeping with the above in mind, NIBM has developed its teaching strategy around three major skills so that its graduates will end up with possessing three key attributes that are critical in building their future prospects. NIBM’s teaching methodology, teaching technology and other learning facilities are aimed at building these three key attributes. In simple terms, these are about making students THINKERS, DOERS and FINISHERS.
To be a THINKER, one needs the POWER TO CREATE: In order to be creative, an individual should have the ability to perceive things in new ways or relate things or ideas which were previously unrelated. Simply creativity is the ability to look where everyone else is looking and see what no one else can see.
This occurs in the minds through a process of thinking, such as flexibility, tolerance of uncertainty or unpredictability, and testing of hypothesis to answer for unknown until a feasible solution is created for a given problem.
To be a DOER one needs the ABILITY TO INNOVATE: The process of bringing new ideas to life is called innovation. It is simply a process of creating greater value for which customers are willing to pay as it satisfies a specific want. Innovation involves deliberate application of knowledge, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are converted into worthwhile products. In business, innovation often results when the company applies ideas in order to further satisfy the needs and expectations of its customers. Innovation demands technical and operational skills to see the realities of the ground or the shop floor (Gemba).
To be a FINISHER, one needs the SKILLS TO DESIGN QUALITY: Quality is about making products and services that are designed and built with expectations of their users. Quality has to be built in and it has to be sourced from the design itself. Quality cannot be checked and controlled. It has to be assured in the process of making the product from the design to delivery. A great finisher starts things with the end in mind and provides near – perfect (Six Sigma Quality) products and services for its end users.
This occurs in the minds through a process of thinking, such as flexibility, tolerance of uncertainty or unpredictability, and testing of hypothesis to answer for unknown until a feasible solution is created for a given problem.
Job Creators, Not Job Seekers
Research studies revealed that 40 percent of graduates who started self-employments or startups had decided to develop their own before joining the degree programmes. Hence, graduates mean business for NIBM. “Design your future”, “Design your life” is a mantra we teach our undergraduates. NIBM- Limkokwing, National Innovation Centre (NIC) is the latest value addition to NIBM. It is an incubator for students to gain new skills of their own areas of interests with world- class facilities. Main purpose of setting up of NIC is to provide a free style of learning facilities, which support students to develop creative skills that are in demand in modern industries. We at NIBM are committed to provide a unique learning experience to discover and develop entrepreneurial skills. They are different from traditional managerial skills. Entrepreneurs need specific knowledge and skills of conceptualizing great ideas and bringing them in to real life while moving in a path of high risks. They need to tread in paths never taken by anyone. They should possess strong positive attitudes. They should be able to challenge the current statusquo. They should treat failures as a positive feedback to test the next hypothesis. NIBM is geared to offer a total solution of higher education than that of a piecemeal, which is the most popular norm of the industry. We guide our students and advise not to wait till someone else decides their lives. We educate them to think that they should design their own future for themselves. A design of another person might not be what they anticipate in the first place. We constantly question as to why they want to be job seekers, when they can be job creators? NIBM teaches its students to think big and make a huge impact in the society at their early stage of the life while upholding social values and the decency of professionalism.
Why NIBM?
National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) is planning to celebrate its 50 years of continuous business excellence to the nation in 2018. NIBM has become a household brand for quality education and training in Sri Lanka and in the region. World-class universities and professional bodies have accredited NIBM for its quality of education and service excel-