The Hindu (Mumbai)

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 is of di erent types and we should learn to recognise what kind it is and the lessons it teaches us.

- THINK Aruna Sankaranar­ayanan Sanjay Gupta The writer is CEO, Air India SATS. Dr. T. P. Sethumadha­van By adopting a holistic approach and prioritisi­ng self-care and mental health, universiti­es can empower students to thrive academical­ly and personally Poor

ailure. 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

Fndia’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.

IWhat 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 eˆcient operations of airlines and airports.

This, in turn, directly in™uences 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 Agent: Service

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 suˆcient 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 eˆciency. 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.

Courses

boarding

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 n 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

Ithat wouldn’t have been a problem because the portions included only one chapter that you understood quite well. But, just as you got down 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 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. start-ups or working in agri-food based Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise­s (MSMEs). Agribusine­ss Management profession­als can also work in banks and companies such as fertilizer rms, cattle feed manufactur­ers, dairy processing centres, poultry processing units, seed companies, NGOs, agri-insurance companies, technology providers, retail rms, co-operatives such as Amul, IFFCO, milk unions, among others.

Other opportunit­ies include roles in the Agricultur­al and Processed Food Products Export Developmen­t Authority (APEDA), the business incubation centres of Indian Council for Agricultur­al Research, start-ups, food retail companies, cargo and export management companies among others.

It has been forecast that, by 2025, of the total retail market, 70% will be food related. In order to explore the increasing need for ready-to-eat and ready-tocook food products, country requires skilled Agribusine­ss Management profession­als to address the emerging opportunit­ies and challenges.

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