EMERGING HOT CAREERS

Sectors like construction, travel and tourism, health, food services and gems and jewellery are ‘emerging and newer industries that hold tremendous job potential’

” We take a quick look……..

1. GEMS AND JEWELLERY

Forecast: “India now accounts for nearly 55 percent of the world net exports of cut and polished diamonds in value terms, 90 per cent in terms of pieces and 80 percent by cartage.” With the plain and studded jewellery sector growing at 15-20 per cent per annum, the total gems and jewellery exports of the country has witnessed exponential growth in the last five years…. Exports have increased from US $7,779.5 million in the financial year 2001 to US $15, 70.9 million in the financial year 2005, making it one of the country’s largest foreign exchange earners.

Job options: nearly three million people work in this industry as gemologists, designers, repair persons, stone-settlers and store-owners or managers.

2. CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE

Forecast: With massive government initiative on urban renewal mission. “Industry estimates indicate that 50,000 new jobs in the civil engineering sector are expected to come up every year.”

Job options: the realty sector engages real estate consultants, estate managers, maintenance engineers, facilities administrators/managers, real estate valuers, interior decorators and other professionals.

3. PETROLEUM AND ENERGY

Forecast: “In view of the enormous demand for petroleum and petroleum by-products, not only for fuelling our vehicles but also to run our industries, the potential for growth and development in this sector is huge.”

Job options: the oil industry has an array of career options for geologists, geo-physicists, and petroleum engineers for up stream (exploration and production) activities and chemical, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and production engineers for downstream (refining, marketing and distribution) engineers.

4. ANIMATION

Forecast: this field boasts of a gaming market projected to swing up to US $55.6 billion by 2008 with foreign studio work flowing to Indian shores.

Job options: jobs “abound” in advertising, media, multimedia and web-designing. In addition, animation is used in the fields of medicine, sports, architecture, archaelogy, physical sciences, forensics and online learning.”

5. BIOTECHNOLOGY

Forecast: according to the study, “About 175 new companies have come up this year alone…. At present, about 55,000 people are employed in the segment. And it is expected that by 2012, another 100 million jobs are likely to be added.” They study states that among the branches of biotechnology, bioinformatics is “poised for stupendous growth.”

Job options: “Jobs in this sector can be classified as industry, research and development and training.” Potential employers of biotechnologies also include companies engaged in plant biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, plant tissue, hybrid seeds, bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers, animal husbandry, crop improvement, floriculture, enzyme production and vaccine development.

6. ORGANIZED RETAIL

Forecast: this area, too, is in need of qualified manpower with malls, departmental store chains, supermarkets and hypermarket popping up in every city. “This is just the tip of the iceberg and the real retail boom is yet to come. As and when foreign direct investment is permitted into the sector, the pace of growth is bound to skyrocket. Organized retailing is estimated to be worth US $30 billion  by 2010 and will employ about two million Indians.

Job options: options exist for shop floor assistants, customer service executives, visual merchandisers, supply chain heads and category managers, among others.

7.      BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

Forecast: “Today’s technology-driven banks have widened their scope of activities into many areas such as personal banking, mutual funds, securitization business, credit cards, consumer loans, housing loans, besides gold trading and foreign exchange.

Job options: professionals such as chartered accountants, chartered financial analysts, management graduates, graduates/post graduate in commerce are “in great demand” for back office operations, customer interface and specialized services.

8.      INSURANCE

Forecast: “Insurance goes beyond life risk and covers real estate, vehicles, assets and health…. Industry experts quote that only five percent of the total market is insured, which means there is phenomenal scope for expansion to capture the rest of the segment.

Job options: privatization has meant many more work options. “Various openings include retail (agents), bank assurance, broker channel and DSA (direct sales). Apart from these are work profiles that include back office operations, under writing portfolios, business development managers and business analysts. Insurance BPOs too, absorb those with specialized knowledge skills.

9.      TRAVEL & TOURISM

Forecast: “Indian tourism registered yet another year of double digit growth in 2005 with a 13 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals till November, resulting in a 20 per cent rise in foreign exchange earnings.

Job options: opportunities can be found at the central and state directorates and departments of tourism. “In the private sector, qualified tourism professionals can get employment in travel agencies, tour operator firms, airlines, hotels, transport and cargo companies. Today, some large information technology companies also have travel desks..”

More jobs will be created as the aviation and hotel sectors take off. “Industry experts believe that in India alone, about 1,80,000 vacancies are expected to be filled in the hotel industry by the next decade.

10. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Forecast: “The Indian software exports and BPO industry is estimated to be US $22 million or more than 2.66 per cent of the global software services market.

Job options: “The….ever-evolving field keeps throwing up new job profiles every few years.” Software programmers, analysts, information systems managers, test engineers, quality assurance engineers and project managers are some of work profiles.

11. TELE-COMMUNICATION

Forecast: “The tele-density per hundred grew from 7.08 in March 2004 to 8.95 in March, 2006. The government is aiming to augment telecom connections to 250 million by the year 2007 and 500 million by 2010. Mobile coverage will be extended to 85 percent of the country.

Job options: are in various fields. Manufacturing – switching and transmission equipment, handset, accessories, fibre-optic, digital equipment etc, Service providers – landline, mobile phone service providers, cable companies, Internet service providers. Government – Ministry of Communications, Information and Broadcasting, state-owned telecom service providers, Border security force, police, defense and railways. Software – development, testing, quality control, maintenance, fraud detection, billing and other work.

12. HEALTH

Forecast: “The health sector is projected to employ nine million people in the next decade….. India spends only 0.9% of its GDP on health care in the public sector; this is expected to go up to seven per cent in the next 10 years.”

Job options: include nursing and personal care, hospital administration, rehabilitation, sports and fitness, imaging technologies, home health care and nutrition, among other areas. Other career opportunities in the fields like development psychology, reflexology, alternative medicine etc.,

13. FOOD SERVICES

Forecast: this industry comprises food processing, catering and hotel management, nutrition and dietetics. “Food processing is the most promising segment of the food services (sector).”

Job options: are in canning, dairy and food processing, specialty processing, frozen food/refrigeration and theme processing analysis, preservation, and fortification and packaging. “Allied segments such as flavoring and additives, and nutraceutical industries also hold interesting job potential.”

14. OUTSOURCING

Forecast: “The total addressable market for global off-shoring is approximately US $300 billion, of which $110 billion will be off-shored by 2010. India has the potential to capture more than 50 per cent of this opportunity…according to the Nasscom-McKinsey report 2005.”

Outsourcing can directly employ around 2.3 million people. The Indian knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) sector is projected to hire over 2,50,000 knowledge professionals by 2010, compared to the current figure of 25,000 employees

Job options: entry-level positions are in functions such as customer care and help desk, telemarketing/sales, collections and back office data/transaction processing. Employees can move up to be quality controllers, voice/accent/culture trainers, product/process trainers, project managers, network or system administrators etc.

15. MEDIA and ENTERTAINMENT

Forecast: the Indian media and entertainment industry is likely to generate Rs419 billion as it grows at a compounded annual rate of 20 per cent by 2007.

Job options: major careers are in print journalism, electronic media (radio, television and internet), advertising, public relations, event management, content creation and radio and television.

Clinical Research

Clinical research all set to brighten career prospects

Drug research and development is no longer an exclusive bastion of microbiology and pharma students, now even the doctors, dentists, pathologists and other graduates with medicine background are all set to prove their worth in the same field under the banner clinical research.

Believe it or not, the current trend in the job market encapsulates that it is an era of clinical research after the popularity of BPO, Medical Transcriptions and Call Center jobs. With the more lucrative career prospects being promised in the field, clinical research is all set to rock the Indian job market. Clinical research, as it is known popularly, is the field which is brimming with huge potential in the research area with new experiments in bio-technology and medicine, and its beckoning young enthusiasts.

Gone are the days when there was a mandate that medicos must take up practice after earning their degrees. Now with the clinical research, it's a golden opportunity for them to pursue new heights in their respective fields.

With a view of popularizing the field of clinical research in India, Institute of Clinical Research (India), an organization which promotes ethical research in India, has established centers of excellence for promoting ethical research and providing quality education to meet global demands and standards. The institute aiming to motivate students to take up clinical research as an alternative career, is offering courses at multiple campuses throughout the country.

Presently, the institute is offering two years full-time maters in clinical research and M Sc in clinical research. Apart from these main stream degrees, it also offers part time post graduate diploma in clinical research which is of one year duration and also awards doctorates in the field. With the three centers in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, the institute also provides customized training and workshop for corporate.

Cranfield University, UK has recently collaborated for Clinical Research Programs in India. Prof Anthony C Woodman from Cranfield University UK said. "India with this phenomenal success in the field of Bio-tech and drug research possesses an untapped huge potential which is very much required in this field. The work factor and rapid progressions made in this field bear an eloquent testimony to its performance in the field."

As the whole world is battling its way through the strong clutches of Polio, AIDS, SARS, Bird flu and mad cow diseases, it is good that clinical research has provided all hope and better career choices.

Institute Address in Delhi

Institute of Clinical Research (India)

A-201, Okhla Industrial Area Phase – I

New Delhi – 110020

Phone: 011-41406946-49

Principal: Dr. Ravindra Ghooi (ravindraghooi@icriindia.com)

Website: www.icriindia.com

Mass Communication

Introduction

Courses in mass communication help students become more discerning and critical consumers of mass media. In addition, as these are writing-intensive courses, they help foster reading and writing skills within the context of improving media literacy. Course requirement include readings on mass media, journalism and society along with series of writing assignments. Although communication remains the core element, the nature of work would depend on the field you are in.

Mass communication is a broad umbrella term that includes various fields – i.e., advertising, journalism, public relations, cinema, radio, television and broadcasting, theater, and now internet in its ambit. It is a way of communicating from one person to group of persons through a transmitting device (a medium) to a large audience or market.

A course in Mass Communications will give you a general overview of each of these fields at the macro level. Thereafter, you can opt for a job in the area that fascinates you most.

Aptitudes, Interests and Personal Qualities

Mass communication offers a plethora of job opportunities. Each job requires a combination of abilities, interests and personal traits. This sphere of activity requires excellent verbal/performance skills, an ability to work as a part of a team and to think with originality. The journalist should have good observation and perception to see what lies beyond the obvious. Enthusiasm and the ability to work for long hours is expected. There is scope for professionals from the vernacular mediums. Opportunities exist for persons looking for a career which has challenge opportunity, fame and social as well as professional responsibilities.

The Work

A Bachelor's degree program in Mass Communication encompasses four major program areas; Advertising/Public Relations, Radio/TV/Films, Journalism/News Editorial/Photojournalism, and Multimedia. Courses in specific areas of mass communication include those on reporting, editing and production.

Students are introduced to the basic quantitative and qualitative research methods used in advertising, journalism and public relations professions. They also focus on media audience research such as listener, viewer and readership behavior patterns, media buying and planning, advertising, how research findings are used to create and support an advertising or public relations campaign.

Topics include the role of advertising PR and corporate communications in the overall marketing strategy. Consumer behavior, creative strategies, and types of media are also explored along with media planning and the social, legal, and ethical aspects of advertising, journalism and public relations.

SCOPE

Diversification in the area of communication and media is expected to generate options for budding journalist. Vernacular journalism is offering challenging career options. The internet offers job opportunities for home page designers and communicators. Computer skills along with writing/editing/illustration/communication expertise are expected to be topping the list of professional's skills in communication offering the best pay packets and professional experiences.

In the TV industry the demand may be even greater. There are 3 lakh professionals at present in the industry. There is need for technically trained professionals in production, direction, editing, scripting, camera, computer graphics, multimedia and journalism up to the tune of 10 lakhs.

WHERE TO STUDY

1. Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi (www.jmi.nic.in)
2. Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi (www.iimc.nic.in)
3. YWCA, Delhi (www.ymcaindia.org)
4. Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune (www.simc.edu)
5. Wigan & Leigh College (www.wiganindia.org)
6. Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai  (www.xaviercomm.org/courses)
7. Indraprastha University, Delhi (www.ggsipu.nic.in)
8. IGNOU, Delhi (www.ignou.ac.in)
9. Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi(www.saimc.com)
10. University of Delhi (www.du.ac.in)
11. Amity School of Journalism & Communication, Delhi (www.amity.edu)

       Retailing – A Career Option

Young graduates and undergraduates can now look forward to a new career options called RETAILING. It is the booming and fast emerging sector in the country. With shopping and entertainment complexes emerging everywhere and with the growing brand-conscious consumer base, retail seems to be the next rising industry of India. Retail sector is the second largest source of employment in India. It is expected to grow by another 30-35 percent in the next five years, with over 800 new shopping malls expected to be set up, 100 of these in Delhi itself.

Retail Merchandisers select, purchase, promote and sell merchandise for a Retail store/Department/Division or chain of stores. The study market and consumer trends, visit manufacturers, designers and merchandise markets and make forecast based on the information they collect. They work with the team of buyers and managers to advice and decide the most effective way to sell their products through advertising as well as on positioning, placement as well as display of goods. They work as Buyers, Merchandise Manager or Category Manager of a retail organization.

The Indian retail industry is on the verge of a revolution! Market Liberalization and increasingly assertive consumers are sowing the seeds of a retail transformation that is bringing bigger Indian and multinational operators on the scene. A number of Indian and international retailers are entering this nascent market. And retailing as an industry in India is coming alive!

There has been a significant change in retail trading over the years, a transition from the traditional retail sector to organized retailing. The retailing industry in India estimated at INR 9300 billion (2003-04) is expected to grow at 5% p.a. and the organized retailing is well on its way to become an Rs.350 billion market by the end of this year! With around 13% contribution to the GDP and 7% employment of the national work force, Retailing, no doubt is a strong pillar of the Indian economy and a sector offering huge opportunities.

According to INDIA RETAIL REPORT 2005: An IMAGES-KSA Technopak study released at the KSA Retail Summit-2005:

The fast evolving Indian organized retail scenario is looking ahead to many strong regional and national players, emerging across formats and product categories. Most of these players are now gearing up to expand far more rapidly than the initial years of starting up. Most have regained/improved profitability after going through their respective learning curves. Indian consumers too, are rapidly evolving and accepting modern formats overwhelmingly.

Brands world-wide are willing to partner with retailers in India. Last but not the least, are the emerging Malls in India, which have taken the country by storm. Retail space is no more a constraint for growth. With India on the radar of global retailers and suppliers, the retail arena today is very different – the opportunities are incredible!

At present India is employing about 22 million people i.e. at par with USA. Organized retailing in India makes up for about Rs.28 thousand crore and business is expected to rise to Rs.100 thousand crore in the year 2010! The present scenario depicts that there will be a very high demand for talented manpower in the retail business. It is predicted that retail employers in India will need more than 8 lakh skilled people in various specialized areas for retail across the country. Retail is challenging, engrossing, dynamic and quality education is required to advance and succeed in the Retail industry today.

Moreover, due to its correlation with other industrial and service sectors, organized retailing is generating a great deal of indirect employment; security, electrical and mechanical maintenance, property management services, parking, sorting, packaging, etc. If both direct and indirect employment is taken together, organized retailing is bound to create more and better-paid, better-quality jobs. This is a large growth opportunity in an organized business that the country will see after a long time. Apart from the direct jobs, every retail job created adds further jobs in the support businesses.

Where to study retail:

IMAGES PEARL RETAIL SOLUTIONS Pvt. Ltd.

N-10, South Extn. Part - I, New Delhi - 110049.
Ph.: +91 - 11 - 24638588 / 99 Fax: 24621835
Email: info@indianretailschool.com

Website: www.indianretailschool.com