Students’ Clubs at B-Schools are Essential for Learning
The aim of management education in contemporary times is essentially geared towards the holistic development of the students and honing their professional skills to prepare them for the challenges ahead in the corporate world. Management students, if given the right kind of training, exposure and skill development opportunities can outshine as entrepreneurs and managers due to their unique skill set and personalities. B- Schools are therefore paying special attention to these aspects as class room teaching alone does not meet the above needs.
In this context, students’ clubs have a significant role to play in enhancing the employability and entrepreneurial skills of the students. Employers in today’s’ world are looking for incumbents with not only technical skills but also soft skills. LinkedIn recently analyzed thousands of job postings to investigate as to which skills are needed most by the companies in 2019. It was found that employers are looking for employees with both soft skills and hard technical skills. According to the LinkedIn Survey, the most in demand soft skills by employers in 2019 are viz., creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and time management skills. According to India Skills Report , 2019 which is a joint initiative by Wheebox – Global Talent Assessment Company, People Strong – a leading HR solutions and HR Technology company from India, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) along with partners like UNDP, AICTE, and AIU, following are most preferred skills in demand by employers, apart from domain expertise:-
Most Preferred Skills
| RANK | PREFERENCES |
| 1 | Communication Skills |
| 2 | Adaptability |
| 3 | Learning Agility |
(Source: India Skills Report, 2019)
Club Activities significantly contribute in inculcating the above skills in management students. At the same time, given the growing importance of AI (artificial Intelligence), more and more employers are demanding employees with high EI (Emotional Intelligence) and club activities create a platform for enhancing the EQ of students. Moreover, student clubs in universities and B-schools are fun, as they enable students to pursue their hobbies and interests, and also bring people together. They have a positive and long lasting impact, and are more than being just stress busters that make sure students do not burnout under academic pressure.
Benefits of Student Clubs in B- Schools
B- Schools are providing immense opportunities for students’ development through a wide range of Club activities for students. The students may benefit by joining the clubs of their choice and interest. Some of the clubs in B- Schools are as follows:
- Eco-Sensitivity Club
- Photography Club
- Sports Club
- Poetry Club
- Adventure Club
- Entrepreneurial Club
- Survey Project Club
- Group Discussion Club
- Declamation Club
- Painting Club
- Vocabulary Quiz Club
- News Analysis Club
- Dance Club
- Music Club
- Creativity Club
- Club for Social Cause
- Blood Donors’ Club
- Book Readers’ Club
- Writers’ Club
- Drama Club
- HR Forum/Club
- Marketing Forum /Club
- Finance Forum /Club
As club members, students learn more about themselves, their interests, goals and potential. They discover their strengths such as multitasking, organizational ability, and service-mindedness. Clubs also provide a platform for group learning and team- building. Activities conducted under the aegis of clubs develop soft skills and management students learn to communicate effectively with individuals and groups. Handling club responsibilities, also improves their leadership skills which will prove invaluable during college life and future corporate life.
Clubs add skills and supplement classroom teaching. For example, professional clubs help to learn from peers and apply what a Professor taught about a topic. Sports clubs provide opportunities to develop physical fitness and enrich mental faculties of students. Social clubs help pursue an old hobby and even inculcate interpersonal and social skills.
Students can make use of the networking opportunities provided through clubs. Club members develop a good contacts and relationships among themselves, which is not only useful on campus but which might also help them at a later stage in their careers. Club activities involve interaction with professionals from various sectors and provide opportunities to build new contacts.
Practical organizational experience of the management students is also enriched as a club member as it may require fundraising campaigns and events for clubs or University/B-Schools. Even if mistakes are made in the process or some shortfalls are there, these can easily be rectified and improved upon since it is all done on campus, unlike any blunders that students may make outside.
Besides, club activities are not only about work. There is a lot of fun element involved in terms of creativity, relaxation and enjoyment. In fact, probably there can be no better way to enrich the campus experience of the students than regular student club activities leading to an enthralling experience and all round development of their personalities.