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earning experience: With courses that offer stipends or part-time assignments, there are several options for those looking to make some money in their college days

Usha Albuquerque

A number of students look for vocational or “paying” courses after Class XII instead of opting for the “regular” degree courses. There are courses that train students in the skills they require and also pay them to learn these. Moreover, it is also possible to finance your college education by taking up some part-time job that enables you to get work experience and earn while you learn.

Keeping in mind your area of interest and the kind of work you wish to learn and work in, you can choose courses in fields like catering, hospitality, customer service, travel and tourism, and some web and online services, that provide training and also include in-service paid work.

Some of the courses that enable you to learn while you earn include:

Travel & Tourism courses

The Post Graduate Diploma in Travel & Tourism Management from Thomas Cook-Centre of Learning is a vocational programme with a combination of general business management skills and specialised knowledge which prepares students for a successful career within the tourism and leisure industry. Suitable for graduates from any stream, the one-year part time programme includes three-month paid internship.

The Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management in collaboration with Air India is conducting a ‘Earn While You Learn’ tourism training programme for youth sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism. The programme will inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge amongst the trainees to enable them to act/work as tour guides and student volunteers. The full time 21-day programme covers subjects related to Indian art, culture & tradition, history, monuments, tourism travel and hospitality. Each successful candidate is given a certificate by the IITTM as well as Rs 1,000 as honorarium.

Insurance & Banking

NIIT Institute of Finance, Banking and Insurance Training Ltd. (IFBI) has launched a certificate programme in insurance. This six-month certificate course is designed for SBI General Insurance, a joint venture between State Bank of India and Insurance Australia Group (IAG). It is an “Earn and Learn” programme where students get an opportunity to work under experienced mentors and understand the business dynamics, while pursuing the certification.

Event management

This is a field where your work teaches you whatever you need to learn and develops all those involved in the job on hand. Event management is not confined to a single job, but it involves an assortment of various activities such as promotion and publicity, ticket sales, hospitality, online visibility, food service, entertainment etc. Ideal if you are a students studying management or marketing. Top event management companies recruit young candidates and offer jobs that enable you to work and learn.

Companies: Seventy India, Aagni, Showmakerz, Showtime,

Customer care

Every organisation, particularly those offering services to the public, from banks and consulting companies to mobile services organisations, hotels and airline companies recruit customer care personnel. Moreover, the concept of customer care in sales and marketing, tele-marketing, and on-line sales, has ushered in a new revolution in the way customers are being handled now, promising a great future for those with the necessary skills. Those who wish to develop their skills in this field can take up certificate and diploma courses after school or graduation which often includes practical work experience. Many business organisations and MNCs such as Genpact, Convergys, TCS, Wipro, Aegis BPO, IBM Daksh and many others offer their own training programmes and help candidates identify ways to improve the quality of Customer Care, and learn while they earn.

In addition to the above courses, more and more youngsters are entering the job market looking for temporary or part-time jobs that can help finance their course of study, or even provide first-hand experience of a possible career choice.

But keep in mind, that the work you take on must leave you time for studies and also make the earning worthwhile. And who knows if you are good and are ready to put in extra effort, your part-time employment may land you a plum permanent assignment. So don’t lose heart if you can’t get into the college of your choice, there are lots of opportunities to be tapped.

— The writer is Director, Careers Smart Pvt Ltd., New Delhi

Hotel management & culinary arts

Several courses in food preparation and culinary arts teach you the basics of food preparation and enable you to hone your culinary skills. There are a few training institutes, specifically for culinary arts, which offer specialised courses in food production, food and beverage service, bakery and confectionary, patisserie studies and F & B management. Under the guidance of accomplished master chefs, students work through intensive curricula that are centered on practical application of theoretical principles. The training often includes internships with hotels and restaurants where you will learn while on the job. Many courses also place students in internship positions with hotels and restaurants which can lead to long term employment.

Job prospects: Jobs in restaurants and fast-food outlets and catering establishments of airlines, railways, the Defence services, shipping companies, cruise liners, hospitals, and industrial canteens.

Institutes offering ‘paid’ programmes

The institutes of hotel management and ITDC hotels conduct several diploma and apprenticeship programmes in F&B Service and Food Production. Launched by the Ministry of Tourism for skill development in the hospitality sector these are the ‘Hunar Se Rozgar’ Training Scheme for 6 to 8-week short-term courses in Food and Beverage service and food production. Candidates with minimum Class X pass and students in the age group of 18 to 25 are eligible to apply for the training. The selected students are paid a stipend of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,500 on attaining 90 per cent of class attendance.

There are also three-year Apprenticeship Training courses as per Regional Directorate of Apprenticeship Training (RDAT), Ministry of Labour. These are offered by the ITDC Ashok Group of hotels, the Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management, for training in food production, bakery and confectionary, housekeeping, front office etc for Class X students. A stipend of Rs 1480, Rs 1780 andRs 1900 is given to students in first, second and third year, respectively.

Specialised chef training and culinary arts programmes also enable students to learn while they earn by placing them with national and international hospitality providers. Such courses are ideal for those who want to gain maximum skills in culinary arts, with the perfect mix of practical and theory classes throughout the year. Most of the practical work enables students to work and earn while learning, others ensure job placements on completion of the course.

Institutes: International Institute of Culinary Arts, New Delhi, Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad,etc

Two of the top hotel management institutes also offer full-fledged hotel management programmes, which provide a stipend to those selected for the specialised training. These are the STEP programme offered by the Oberoi hotel group, and the Welcomlegionnaire developed for Welcomgroup hotels managers.

The Oberoi STEP Programme (Systematic Training and Education Programme ) is suitable for students between 18 and 20 years of age, who have completed Class XII. This is a three-year programme that offers practical training in four core operational departments of a hotel — front office, housekeeping, food and beverage service and kitchen. Those admitted to the programme are given a monthly allowance, accommodation, meals on duty, uniform, medical insurance and three weeks’ annual leave. The programme also covers the IGNOU fees, reference books and an additional three weeks leave to enable you to take the IGNOU exams.

For more details check out the website : www.theoberoigroup.com/careers/join_us/step

WelcomLegionnaire Programme — This is a four-and-a-half year training programme, for boys after Class XII in hotel disciplines such as front office, food & beverage, food production, housekeeping, materials management, quality management, etc. Student trainees also pursue the Bachelor in Tourism Studies programme from IGNOU during this phase. The programme is wholly financed by ITC Ltd. (Hotels Division) and includes a handsome stipend, on campus stay, and live training at ITC hotels.

For more details check the website: www.itchotels.in/itchmi/legionnaire-programme

Part-time options

Content writers for social media channels and online sites, publishing houses, IT companies and even for academic research papers. This offers good part-time work for college students who have a flair in writing and command of language. The work entails online research and creating specific and focused content in one or more subject areas. Require excellent research, writing and editing skills. Expertise in certain areas as well as general knowledge of business is desired.

Event promotion / Compering involves promotion and publicity of events, ticket sales, hospitality, online visibility, etc. Also managing and organising activities for fairs and exhibitions. More than qualifications, such jobs require you to be alert and efficient, with good interpersonal skills.

Call centres/BPOs: Handling queries from customers of banks, tech companies, FMCG companies, mobile services, hotels, airline companies, tele-marketing, on-line sales, and many others. Practically every organisation that handles customers now has a call centre that deals with queries, after sales service and customer care. Depending upon the company and the kind of service handled, you will be required to show fluency in relevant languages and the ability to organise and multi-task effectively. Work hours could be in shifts usually ranging from five to seven hours throughout the day.

In fact, there are thousands of different part-time and internship options for students, especially in the metro cities. However, it is important to take your interests and aptitudes into consideration when pursuing a part-time job option. Those with a flair for fashion and design could approach a garment exporter for work; a travel agent may be willing to take on those with good inter-personal skills, while those good in communication could approach a newspaper, magazine or advertising agency. If you are good with the computer opt for opening s with IT companies or BPOs, enjoy web surfing why not do web design, web research or content writing ? Teaching or providing tuitions is another popular way of earning money. In fact, for giving tuitions, students are preferred over professional teachers because they are cheaper and acquiesce to a more flexible routine.

Software tester for tech and IT companies. Flexi- time work which involves testing and checking out new softwares. Requires basic technical knowledge and some previous training. Suitable for those who love computing and coding.

Sales & marketing involving frontline selling, institutional selling, door-to-door selling, direct marketing, space selling, client interaction service, market surveys, food service, research and the like, require not so much experience or training as tenacity. Today fast-food outlets such as Mc Donald’s or Dominos Pizzas and many of the large shopping malls are looking for presentable young sales people.

TISS offers a bouquet of courses

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has recently launched School of Vocational Education (SVE) in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. SVE will offer vocational courses to students after Plus II. At every stage of the three year course, the student can opt out and get a diploma certificate. Those completing the required three years would get a bachelor’s degree. It enables the trainee to earn a stipend during on-the-job duration of the course of training to support their simultaneous vocational education SVE will provide a standalone certificate recognised and awarded by TISS.