Have HR education programmes changed suitably to fulfil the needs of industry?

Have HR education programmes changed suitably to fulfil the industry needs ?

From admin to IR to personnel to HR, it’s been a long journey for the people manager. Overtime, HR education has also changed to meet the needs of industry. HR has moved from a ‘backroom’ function to a ‘boardroom’ function. Educational institutions have also tried to keep abreast of these changes and have updated and revised their syllabi over time. However, I also think this is easier done in B-schools than in universities, because the former have greater autonomy and freedom to revise their syllabi. For instance, at XLRI, the faculty concerned can change and upgrade courses to make them more contemporary. In addition, periodically, every two-three years, they review the entire course structure and pedagogy of the HR programme.

They seek feedback from their own HR alumni, from senior HR professionals, other academic institutions and from industry and build that into our course structure. This has enabled them to keep their syllabi dynamic and in sync with industry needs. They have been able to include new courses, modify some existing ones and even change the focus of the entire programme. In the current format of the HR programme, besides the required HR topics, the students also get significant inputs in finance, strategy, and IT.