Careers in Infrastructure sector

By Prof Anand Wadadekar

Infrastructure is the backbone of a nation’s economic growth and development. The Planning Commission of India has stressed upon the necessity of infrastructural development in the country through a number of policies and initiatives for economic growth. Infrastructure spending has been and will remain a high priority for the government. The initial projections for infrastructure development in the 12^th Five Year Plan (FY13-17) at US $1 trillion indicate the huge investment potential in this sector. Translating this in terms of careers & employment opportunities, the scope is going to get bigger and wider.

Infrastructure Sector: Misconceptions

As a career advisor, I have observed that there are several misconceptions about this sector. This article highlights some of them and tries to clear the air.

‘Infrastructure’ only means roads and construction is a misconception. Infrastructure is a dynamic sector encompassing roads, railways, power, water supply, airways,  telecommunications, oil & gas, and so on.

There is a general perception that this sector is not meant for females, which is not the case. There are many job opportunities for females in departments like Finance and HR.

A common misunderstanding is that the infrastructure sector only requires people from engineering background, whereas, the fact is that non-engineering students also have a chance to make a career in functions like Finance, HR, Marketing, etc. where a technical background is not required. Infrastructure jobs do not necessarily mean site jobs where a person has to work with labour, contractors, etc. There are many other jobs which require managerial skills. Students can surely consider making their careers in the infrastructure sector.

Project Finance, Project Sales & Marketing, Bidding, Tendering, Project Planning & Monitoring, Project Management, SCM, Logistics, and Project Maintenance are areas which are nowhere in any sector other than Infrastructure.

Some institutes offering courses in Infrastructure business/management:

1. SAMVIT School of Infrastructure Business, Pune, offers two-year full-time Post Graduate Programme in Infrastructure Business (PGPIB). The course content is equivalent to MBA. The School also offers short duration certification courses in infrastructure, construction, etc.

2. National Institute of Construction Management And Research (NICMAR), Pune, offers two- year full-time courses in construction management, project engineering, real estate, etc.

3. Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Ahmedabad, offers one-year full-time Post Graduate Programme in Infrastructure Management (PGPIM). 

The author is a faculty, economist, author, career consultant from Pune, India.

Other interesting reads:

- All about institutes offering MBA/PGDM Infrastructure & Development courses

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