Ground control
The eld of ground handling presents a plethora of prospects for those aspiring to be at the heart of aviation’s operational excellence.
Failure. The very word stings. Since failure has strong negative connotations, including scarring us permanently, we tend to avoid it at all costs. However, none of us started o believing that failure was the end of the road. In fact, as infants, we’ve taken shaky rst steps and fallen a few times. But that didn’t deter us from trying and eventually walking with ease. Though we’re programmed to take failure in our stride quite literally as infants, by the time we enter the portals of formal schooling, we become enculturated to denigrate and shun it.
With decades of painstaking research to back up her assertions, psychologist Amy Edmondson provides
India’s aviation sector is soaring to new heights and passenger capacity is expected to increase from 192 million to 420 million in the next four years at the six major Indian airports. The eet strength of Indian airlines is also expected to grow from 700 to 2,000 aircrafts within the same time frame.
What it involves
This has led to a pressing need for procient individuals to orchestrate the seamless and safe operations of ground handling services at airports across the country. Ground handling encompasses a spectrum of services vital for the swift transition of an aircraft from landing to take-o . These encompass aircraft marshalling, baggage handling, fuelling, catering, aircraft cleaning, passenger services and aircraft maintenance, all of which collectively ensures the safe, punctual, and ecient operations of airlines and airports.
This, in turn, directly inuences the overall passenger experience and bolsters an airline’s reputation. Consequently, the demand for skilled ground handling professionals is burgeoning.
Opportunities
Key roles within this domain include:
Ramp Agent: Responsible for handling passenger baggage and cargo, handling Ground Support Equipment as well as other related activities when the aircraft is on ground.
Baggage Handler: Ensures the proper loading, unloading and transportation of passengers’ luggage to designated areas.
Customer Service Agent: Facilitates smooth check-ins, assists passengers with inquiries, aids persons with reduced mobility and handles other related activities to ensure a a more nuanced perspective on failure in Right Kind of Wrong. Rather than demonising all failure, she argues that failure comes in di erent guises. While we may try to avoid ‘bad’ failures, we may also learn the craft of “failing well.”
Edmondson denes failure as “an outcome that deviates from desired results” including doing poorly in the Stats exam, falling o a bike or having a short story being rejected by a literary magazine. Further, she categorises failure into three types.
Types of failure
Basic failures are ones that could have been easily avoided if we take sucient care and invest requisite e ort. Suppose you fell o your bike because you were trying to push away your hair that was getting in your face on a windy day. Had you worn your helmet, your hair wouldn’t have disturbed you. So, that would qualify as a basic failure, as it could have been averted by simply seamless process.
Load Control Agent: Plans, coordinates and produces all loading, weight and balance documents as per company and client airline specications.
Despite automation, the industry demands highly trained individuals to oversee seamless operations. Specialised training is necessary for tasks such as operating ground service equipment and loading cargo to maintain safety and eciency. This requires the development of industry-specic skills, including interaction with AI and ML technologies, and the honing of soft skills for passenger interactions. To bridge the skills gap, a new talent pathway is essential, with specialised training academies o ering accelerated programmes to prepare individuals for diverse roles within the aviation industry. boarding
Courses
Currently, many training academies o er a Certicate in Ground Handling and Airport Operations, spanning 30 days or more. Prospective students are required to meet specic eligibility criteria such as Class 12 pass certicate for Ramp Agent and a degree for Customer Service Executive (CSE). Upon successful completion, students receive placement assistance.
Ground handling is pivotal for the aviation industry and o ers a diverse spectrum of career opportunities for those seeking a dynamic and fast-paced work environment.
A career in ground handling also opens up avenues within the hospitality and services sector owing to a close proximity between them. With India’s aviation sector on a growth trajectory, the demand for adept ground handling professionals is poised to escalate. wearing the appropriate gear.
What about the Stats exam? Suppose you had put o studying until the last minute. Under normal circumstances gribusiness Management is fast emerging as a course that can create employment opportunities in agribusiness, banking, insurance, and allied agriculture sectors. It combines agriculture, business and project management disciplines and covers di erent areas such as crop agriculture, animal husbandry, dairying, poultry production, sheries, horticulture, rural development, food processing, food retail, co-operation, food ebusiness, dairy business, project management, entrepreneurship, logistics management, and startups.
ACourses and institutes
A range of courses are available: certicate, diploma, undergraduate postgraduate. While some universities in India o er BBA or B.Com. in Agribusiness Management, UG courses are limited.
However there are plenty of postgraduate courses. The Hyderabad-based National institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) o ers a two-year PG Diploma programme in Agribusiness Management with admissions being based on scores in CAT. The course
In today’s rapidly evolving world, the demand for technical expertise is undeniable. Industries are constantly looking for individuals procient in STEM elds to build an ecosystem around innovative ideation and practices. While the traditional academic curriculum focusses solely on technical expertise, knowledge acquisition and innovation, there is a growing recognition among educators worldwide that academic success alone is not enough to prepare students for the complexities of the modern world. This has led to increasing concern about the well-being and emotional health of students in higher education.
Reports of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout among college stutelligence that wouldn’t have been a problem because the portions included only one chapter that you understood quite well. But, just as you got down dents have become increasingly common, raising questions about the underlying factors contributing to these mental health challenges. The pressure to excel academically, coupled with the demands of social and extracurricular activities, can take a toll on mental health.
A holistic educational approach that nurtures mind, body, and spirit and empowers students to succeed not only in academics but also in their personal and professional lives is essential. Emotional inposed to studying, some visitors landed up unannounced. As nobody else was at home, you ended up entertaining them for about an hour. Soon as they left, you (EI) encompasses a range of skills such as self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy, communication, and resilience.
A simple literature review would show several study models and frameworks to understand and assess EI. Two of the most well-known are the FourBranch Model proposed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer (with four key components of Perceiving, Using, Understanding, and Managing Emotions) and the Mixed Model prohit your books. But, within 10 minutes, there was a power outage. You studied with a torchlight, but found it hard to work out problems. The low grade by Daniel Goleman (with ve key components of Self-Awareness, SelfRegulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills).
Apart from providing frameworks to understand EI, they delve into how these components contribute to overall emotional and social functioning. Academicians with social welfare units can use these models to develop assessments, specic interventions, and training programmes to enhance EI in the education landscape. you got on the test, thus, cannot be attributed to any single cause. According to Edmondson, complex failures have myriad causes and “often include a pinch of bad luck” as well. However, the lesson you may glean from this failure is that putting o studying till the last minute can be risky at times.
Your story being rejected by a literary magazine constitutes an intelligent failure. You did your best by working hard, writing, rewriting, proofreading and polishing multiple drafts. So, your story did not have any basic errors like sloppy writing. For a failure to qualify as intelligent, it has to have four features. First, it has to “take place in new territory.” This is the rst time you are submitting to a literary magazine. Next, the failure should help you get closer to “a desired goal.” You aspire to be a writer someday, so knowing how the publishing world works is useful information. Third, the failure is “informed by
Action points
One intervention mechanism would be to identify, support and foster comprehensive student support services that provide access to peer support and counselling, mental health resources, and wellness programmes.
Another step that can bring about a signicant change is incorporating EI training into curricula. Courses on topics such as leadership, teamwork, and conict resolution help students develop essential interpersonal skills. Through experiential learning opportunities, such as group projects and internships, students learn to navigate complex social dynamics and communicate e ectively with others. By instilling values of integrity and compassion, universities equip students to become responsible citizens and ethical leaders in their elds.
Student Support Centres that o er group therapy, workshops, and outreach programmes will help raise awareness about mental health issues and promote emotional well-being. Universities should focus on integrating mindfulness and wellness practices into campus life to help students manage academic pressures available knowledge.” You did all the due diligence by researching magazines that take debut writers and incorporated your English professor’s feedback. Finally, the failure is low stakes where the cost of failing is not going to hurt you badly.
As Edmondson avers, these criteria may be used as guidelines to determine whether a failure is intelligent. Knowledge only advances when we’re willing to embrace intelligent failures. Venturing into new territory always entails uncertainty. Whether it’s a science experiment, your rst time living on your own or a job interview, unless you try, you cannot learn from experience. If you fail, don’t fret. Instead, analyse why an experience didn’t pan out as you hoped, learn from it and move on. and cultivate resilience.
Beyond academic coursework, extracurricular activities play a vital role. Participation in clubs, sports teams, and community service initiatives provides students with opportunities to collaborate, lead, and develop empathy. These experiences foster a sense of belonging and connectedness and enhance feeling of well-being.
Promotion of cultural diversity and inclusivity is another aspect to make students from diverse backgrounds feel valued and respected, cultivate empathy and global awareness. This enriches students’ learning experiences and prepares them to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.
Ultimately, universities play a crucial role in shaping not only students’ academic knowledge but also their emotional intelligence and personal growth. A holistic approach that addresses the multifaceted needs of students will prepare them to succeed in a diverse and dynamic world.
The writer is Associate Director Student Welfare, and Associate Professor, Department of Data Science and Computer Applications, Manipal Institute of Technology, MAHE, Manipal.