IGNOU launches placement cell and new courses in Bhubaneswar

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is planning to open a placement cell in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. “We will now have a regional placement centre for benefit of local students," said S K Tripathy, regional director, Bhubaneswar IGNOU centre, to TOI. IGNOU has a placement cell in New Delhi.

The regional centre, which has opened various sub-centres at Phulbani, is big on offering vocational courses to the tribal youth of Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati, Balangir and Sonepur. Some of the vocational courses that will be taught from January 2014 include mushroom cultivation, bee-keeping, beautician training, motorcycle repairing and weaving. Certificate courses on anti-human trafficking, disaster management (taught in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority) are already on offer.

The Bhubaneswar centre also plans to start a PG diploma in Urban Planning & Development. The aim of the course is to bridge the demand-supply gap of trained personnel in the construction sector. Students pursuing the course will go on to work with real estate firms, Bhubaneswar Development Authority, and road & building works.

Currently, IGNOU has about 101 centres in the Odisha with more than 21,000 students pursuing certificate and professional courses.