Drawing upon its legacy of over a hundred years in the Indian education sector, the Shahani Group devotes itself to enhancing the careers of lakhs of students via its academic initiatives aimed at providing them with employment in diverse industry sectors. Helmed by Maya Shahani and Akhil Shahani, the Shahani Group is now in its fourth generation, and encompasses a new generation of institutions in areas of management, media, banking, real estate, digital marketing, and more. Along with praiseworthy initiatives such as Ask.CAREERS, Thadomal Shahani Centre For Management, Thadomal Shahani Centre For Media & Communication and Ask Talent Services, the Shahani clan has been instrumental in forming over 24 iconic colleges in Mumbai, such as Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, HR College, KC College, and National College, among others. Today, there are around 300 students studying across vaious programs who are tutored by 8 full-time faculty members along with a large pool of visiting faculty from industry.
Thadomal Shahani Centre For Media & Communication (TSCMC), was built in the year 2015 with the purpose of creating Indian media professionals who are grounded in communicating to people in the fastest growing consumer market in the world.
Stoodnt.com got in touch with Akhil Shahani, Managing Director, The Shahani Group, to know more about the unique offerings of the institution.
A selected excerpt –
What was the purpose behind establishing Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication?
The Indian consumer has different tastes than those in the west. Creating advertising that promotes products and services to them requires an understanding of Indian regional preferences and affiliations. A majority of media schools in India blindly incorporate pedagogy and curricula from the west, which ignores the Indian consumer mindset. Graduates of these institutions then need to learn the hard way that the Indian consumer may not respond to their western oriented communications. We built TSCMC to create professionals for the Indian media space who are skilled and adept in communicating to people in the fastest growing consumer market in the world.
Who promoted Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication?
TSCMC is promoted by the Shahani Group, which has been in the field of education for more than 60 years. We are on the management of more than 24 iconic colleges in Mumbai. The Shahani Group’s vision is to create colleges around India that build employable graduates who can take jobs in fast growing industry sectors of the Indian economy. The Shahani Group has received many awards for its innovative education model like the Clinton Global Initiative Award at the hands of Pres. Bill Clinton, Management College of the year – 2017 by Higher Education Review Magazine, CFBP Jamnalal Bajaj Award, CII Education Excellence Award, DNA Award For Industry Institute Interface, PIMR Outstanding Educationist Award and many others.
What is the uniqueness and mission of Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication?
TSCMC will create graduates who want to contribute to changing the world using the power of media. The institute develops their thinking skills to enable them to understand and empathise with the rapidly changing environment and enhances their creativity to formulate messages with the power to influence hearts & minds. The way we do this is to immerse them an experiential environment which gives them practical hands on learning which allows them to discover their unique strengths and develop their social and cognitive skills to enhance their capabilities.
Our mission aligns with the rapid shifts happening in global economy, society and environmentwhich requires a new breed of empathetic leaders who facilitate change that benefits all of humanity. TSCMC will be a key contributor to the development of these leaders in the media and communications sectors in Asia.
What is the present condition of Media and Communication industry in India?
The Indian media industry is developing rapidly in line with new digital innovations around the world like video streaming and online gaming. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13% to touch USD 40 billion by 2023. Due to rapid scaling of mobile phones and low data costs, India’s consumption of media has grown nine times the US market’s media consumption rate and twice that of Chinas.
Do you think today’s millennials should consider media and communication as a prospective career?
Due to the rapid growth in India’s media industry, most millennials can expect an exciting career with a lot of opportunities. Along with digital marketing specialist, there are a whole plethora of jobs positions available like Art director, content creator, public relations manager among others.
What is the differentiating factor of Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication?
TSCMC’s uniqueness can be understood through the idea of “Masala Chai”.The practice of drinking tea did not originate in India, it was brought in by the British. However, Indians took this British idea, added Indian “tarka” to create Masala Chai. Masala Chai is enjoyed not just in every city in India but has been exported into coffee shops around the world!
Similarly, the TSCMC student imbibes global influences within our curriculum, incorporates their own Indian roots into the mix and creates innovations with a worldwide appeal. The philosophy of ‘Chai Garam Hai’ continuously develops our curriculum and teaching methods, pushing our boundaries and expanding our horizons, responding and adapting to the constantly shifting media universe where nothing remains static.
What is the success rate of students who passed out in the last 2 years? What they doing now?
More than 90% of TSCMC graduates have gone on to successful careers in ad agencies and communications departments of top companies in India.
What are the courses available? What are the fees?
The courses we offer are:
- Post Graduate Diploma in Digital Marketing – 2 years, (Fees – Rs. 2.50 Lakh)
- Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Media & Communication – 2 years (Fees – Rs. 2.50 Lakh)
- Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing – 4 months (Fees – Rs. 50,000)
- Professional Diploma in Photography – 4 months (Fees – Rs. 50,000)
What are the admission criteria?
Any graduate from a reputed college can enter our Post Graduate Diploma courses. Anybody who has passed 12th Std can enter our Professional Diploma courses.
What is the secret of the success of Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication?
We have worked closely with our students and the media industry to co-create an education model that is experiential and fun for the students while developing them into employable graduates that meet the needs of recruiters.
What are your future plans?
TSCMC will be adding more courses to its bouquet of offerings along with scaling up into more campuses in cities around India.