Driven by excellence, GIC Academy stands tall on the cornerstones – Mr. Prashant Tibrewal and Mr. Ritesh Tibrewal, the Founders. Let’s read what this duo have to say about the academy and its distinctiveness.
IS: Kindly tell us about the inception of the company. How are you contributing towards creating global resources and manpower?
The Duo: GIC Academy was founded based on interactions with at least a thousand students looking to grow in their career – either during college or while professionally engaged with an MNC/Startup. With the changing market dynamics, constant upgradation of one’s skillset and looking beyond the defined curriculum are two key components to long-term success. Most college students are keen to explore opportunities to gain deeper insights into their academic areas of study, especially in advanced fields such as Robotics, AI/ML, Cyber Security, etc., along with the scope to develop people and team skills in international and inter-cultural contexts. GIC Academy, therefore, put together a team of experts, to identify such areas and design industry-focused short-term programs, in collaboration with some of the leading global universities.
IS: What kind of services are you providing to students, working professionals, and companies?
The Duo: GIC Academy offers a range of short-term programs delivered at an international university campus. These programs consist of an exciting mix of academic learning, industry visits and cultural discovery. Students from some of the top colleges in India as well as outside India come together to participate in these programs, benefiting from the opportunities at the host university and country. The program is delivered by global faculty and industry experts in the respective subject areas. The host university also organizes visits to some of the top companies such as Google, Facebook, NASA, L’Oreal, etc. in their respective regions, which further adds to the experience and exposure of the participants. Further, the cultural element completes the experience, adding flavors of history, local cuisine and lifestyle. Several colleges collaborate with us to facilitate a holistic experience to its students, whereas working professionals use these courses for skill enhancement as well as an opportunity to add to their leadership and people skills. We have also had companies nominating their younger employees for these courses – especially the one with Sciences Po in Paris.
IS: Kindly enlighten us about various achievements and collaborations of the company.
The Duo: GIC Academy currently collaborates with four universities. Sciences Po in Paris is a leading research university in France, which has educated, among others, 7 of the past 8 French Presidents and 3 past heads of the International Monetary Fund. Rice University in the USA has again a leading American university based in Texas. It has a 300-acre campus and has produced several CEOs and Nobel laureates. Our partner in the UK is Coventry University, which is the fastest growing university in the country. MDIS, the Singapore partner, is Singapore’s oldest professional institute. In the last 2 years, GIC Academy has delivered these short term on-campus programs to over 500 students from some of the top colleges in India, including the IITs and other leading non-engineering colleges.
IS: How does the company assist students with immigration, travel support, accommodation, and so on?
The Duo: Given that the host universities are pretty reputed in their countries, visa hasn’t been a problem. The host university provides relevant documents for visa application and our India team helps organize these documents. Further, based on the need of the participants, we are able to organize domestic as well as international travel. The most unique part of these programs is that accommodation is organized by the host university and living and learning “on-campus” significantly adds to the experience. Further, our local representatives attend to the day-to-day needs of the participants, ensuring a smooth experience during the program.
IS: Kindly tell us about the key personality responsible behind the success of the company.
The Duo: GIC Certification programs are designed in collaboration with industry professionals who have themselves studied at a top global university. Key members and advisors include alumni from Oxford, Cornell, ESSEC, IIT, St. Stephen’s, etc. This ensures that our programs are curated to the needs of the industry and cover a range of topics and modules that are future-focused.
IS: Please tell us about the future prospects of the company.
The Duo: Going forward, the company plans to add a wider range of course options to the program portfolio, catering to students and professionals from all streams. Fashion, Sports, Architecture, Medicine, Literature, etc. are some exciting areas of study that we have seen an increasing demand for. We have also received exciting interest from potential participants from outside India, especially from countries in Africa and Middle East, who are keen to participate in these short-term global programs. Setting up offices in these countries is pretty much on the cards.
