'Jobs Galore for MBA, Engineers in Construction'

'Jobs Galore for MBA, Engineers in Construction' - L&T VP Talks at LIBA, Chennai

Loyola Institute Of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai, played host to a very distinguished guest, Mr. G. D. Sharma, Vice President and Head-HR, L&T Ltd., on 27th July 2006, who spoke about "Careers with Infrastructure".

A gold medalist from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Mr. Sharma has more than 27 years of experience working with companies like Vedanta, EID Parry and SPIC. He was holding key posts in CII, FICCI, MMA, and AIESEC. His lively presentation captivated the gathering of 250 Students of LIBA.

The country is witnessing a steady growth with much of its contribution from Manufacturing and Services. Construction is only the second largest sector in terms of employment after agriculture and has a 5% share in GDP. It provides a huge canvas of opportunities for growth, both in domestic and foreign markets. With huge investments running into crores in the pipeline in sectors like oil and gas, irrigation, water, roads, bridges, power plants, urban infrastructure, apart from those in steel and other industrial projects. All these need a large number of techno-commercial managers.

A progressing Indian Economy and rapid infrastructural growth is now offering better career opportunities in the field of design and construction. The booming construction industry has opened up challenging career opportunities for young engineers and management graduates. Mr. Sharma explained the contribution made by the sector towards GDP and growth of the country. He also highlighted the significance of Technology and Management in the field.

Construction giants like L&T are looking at recruiting engineers with MBAs with core competencies in executing large projects. Management graduates should have technical competency with a sound domain knowledge. On the behavioural side, they should possess relational competency for winning contracts and managing projects in different environments and locations. They are also expected to have an evaluation competency for business management. Also required is entrepreneurial ability for scaling up operations and business.

Speaking about L&T Ltd., a pioneer in the field, Mr. Sharma explained the diverse portfolio of projects executed ranging from flyovers, highway roads, hydro projects, religious institutions, IT Parks, power plants and various institutions. This had also led to a "problem of plenty", where they have had to refuse many projects out of compulsion.

Mr. Sharma insisted on the importance of managerial skills in the field highlighting a few of his personal experiences in L&T. He shared his views on the requirement of Managerial Skills in the Infrastructure sector and encouraged students to opt for a challenging and rewarding career in the field.

Concluded.

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Contributed by -
Bhaumik Chokshi,
Head - Web Coverage,
PGDBM - 2nd Year,
Loyola Institute Of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai.

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