President visits UFV Chandigarh

UFV president Mark Evered along with his wife Maureen (to his right, holding flowers), instructor Sylvia Peary, Peter Geller, UFV vice provost, assoc. VP academic, instructor George Peary, and to the far left, UFV India associate director Gurneet Anand, with UFV’s BBA staff and students in Chandigarh, India. Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies director Satwinder Bains is also on the trip.

UFV president Mark Evered, along with vice provost and associate VP academic Peter Geller and Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies director Satwinder Bains, is currently visiting India to meet with students, faculty, and administration connected to UFV’s Bachelor of Business Administration program in Chandigarh, including Team Peary (George and Sylvia), who are teaching business courses there (see photos here).

Their itinerary includes attending an awards night for the Chandigarh students, visiting classes, signing an MOU with Himachal Pradesh University, and working on further details of a faculty development program being offered in partnership Panjab University.

Details on the faculty development program partnership

India is developing a community college system to meet the growing demand for access to education, and to increase the employability of its population through applied skills development. Without a tradition of structured and regulated trades and vocational skills training, India is looking for models to adapt to the Indian context. Indian federal and state governments, as well as public and private institutions, are seeking rapid growth in academic, technical, and vocational education.

UFV is working with Panjab University to develop instructor education programs to transform practitioners into trainers. Instructor education has been a critical factor in the success of labour market-driven training in BC, according to Geller.

“With instructor education programs in place, the Indian effort to develop a system will have a much higher potential for success,” says Geller. “Community colleges or similar systems require applied curricula that are relevant to industry needs. They also need instructors who are familiar with the latest equipment, methods, and practices in their industry, and have the teaching abilities to transfer these skills and knowledge to their students and clients.”