H.R College Of Commerce And Economics: Enhancing Commerce Education in India

Pooja Ramchandani

Principal

S.R College of Commerce and Eco-nomics is a premier educational institution in South Mumbai that has been offering quality education in commerce and business for over six decades. The college is fully committed to providing holistic education to its students by enriching its curric-ulum through inputs from academia, industry, employ-ers, alumni and other stakeholders. The college always aims to upgrade the skills of its faculty and encourage its staff to contribute to new knowledge generation via reg-ular industry-oriented research. H.R College is com-mitted to strengthening commerce education in India by preparing students for the industry, upgrading cur-riculum and enhancing delivery.

Committed to Providing Excellence in Commerce & Business Education

H.R College has an enriched and enhanced curriculum, designed by taking inputs from academia, industry, em-ployers, and stakeholders at regular intervals. The col-lege ensures that the curriculum delivery is done par ex-cellence through regular industry-academia interaction, optimal utilization of the latest technology, and inter-nationalization of higher education. The curriculum is designed in such a way that students receive training in various skills and attributes that make them employable in the industry. The college offers varied subjects such as business, finance, marketing, management, account-ing, taxation, law, economics, information technology, banking, insurance, financial markets, exports, inter-national business, entrepreneurship, and more, so as to provide students with an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities associated with conduct-ing business on a global scale. This knowledge helps students to pursue careers in different national and mul-tinational corporations and also taking up various entre-preneurial ventures.

Preparing Students for the Industry

Preparing students for the industry is a challenge for high-er education institutes across the country. H.R College addresses this issue by designing its curriculum in col-laboration with the industry and taking regular inputs on various aspects of the curriculum from industry experts. The college organizes various sessions by experts who are stalwarts in their fields to make students aware of the lat-est trends in their industry. The college also offers certifi-cate courses to its students on different topics such as lan-guages, Power BI, financial modeling, GST, fundamental and technical analysis in stock markets, entrepreneurship, public speaking, cybersecurity, soft skills and more. “We have a unique model of involving and allowing students to work in different student bodies at the college level, which handle different activities in the college. The students are encouraged to do these activities themselves under the men-torship of a faculty. The college also takes conscious efforts to inculcate strong personal values among the students and develop leaders with a heart”, says Prof. Dr. Pooja Ramchan-dani, Principal.

Uniqueness of Courses Offered

One of the unique features of the courses offered at H.R College is that they are made by the experienced faculty of the college. The college became a part of HSNC Universi-ty, Mumbai, in October 2019. The university has autonomy in curriculum design and delivery by the academic bodies of the university. The courses focus on current topics and include self-learning evaluation components to enhance stu-dents' presentation and research skills. The electives offered allow students to develop deeper knowledge in specific ar-eas of interest, and the college encourages OTS students to pursue professional courses such as Chartered Accountancy, Actuarial Science, and more. The college also has an Interna-tional Programmes Committee to guide students for study-ing abroad in well-known universities and a Placement Cell that provides various training opportunities for students to interact with the corporate world and develop their skills.

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H.R. College of Commerce and Economics has been a pioneer in industry-academia collaborations & innovative pedagogy, paving the way for holistic education thereby creating leaders with a heart
– Pooja Ramchandani , Principal

Holistic Education with Industry Partnerships

Industry-academia partnerships have become increasingly important for higher education institutes today. The objec-tive of these partnerships is to align pedagogy with industry requirements and ensure that students are job-ready. H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, established in 1960, has been at the forefront of such collaborations, partnering with various industry bodies, signing MOUs, and offering industry-driven speaker sessions, internships, and place-ments to their students.

Regular interactions with the industry have enabled the college and its students to understand the current trends and requirements of the industry in relation to the future job market. The college has developed strong linkages with the corporate sector in the field of Finance, Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Tourism, Media, Retailing, Marketing, and various other industries. These links have helped the college achieve its mission of providing holistic education.

Innovations in Pedagogy

“The college is committed to becoming a center for holistic education where students not only gain knowledge on the curriculum designed for a particular programme but also acquire different skill sets and attributes that make them re-sponsible and committed citizens of the country”, says Dr. Ramchandani, Principal. To achieve this, the college plans to introduce newer undergraduate and postgraduate pro-grammes, accelerate international and industrial collabora-tions, introduce a wide range of skill enhancement programs and certificate courses, expand its focus on experiential learning, improve student engagement and industrial visits, and make self-learning components useful for the students.

The college holds the distinction of being awarded the highest grade with CGPA of 3.72 on a scale of 4 by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) and was awarded 'The Best College in Mumbai by the University of Mumbai' in 2011. The college was awarded as ‘College with Potential for Excellence’ by UGC in 2016 and is also a recipient of the Innovation Award 2015 Graduate College: Commerce from Higher Education Forum. The college re-ceived the award from Indian Education Network Awards for Excellence in Higher Education as "Most Emerging Higher Education Institute of the Year" in 2016.

H.R. College of Commerce and Economics has been a pioneer in industry-academia collaborations and innovative pedagogy, paving the way for holistic education for its stu-dents. With its strong linkages with the corporate sector and its commitment to providing students with a well-rounded education, the college is well-positioned to meet the chal-lenges of the future and continue to produce responsible and committed citizens of the country. In order to ensure that students are empathic, compassionate and humane, the col-lege has a vibrant and expansive network of social commit-ments. Clubs such as HR Enactus, HR NSS, Rotaract Club of HR among others provide students with the opportunity to undertake social initiatives. These avenues help students acquire the much-needed sensitivity and skills to work for social upliftment and community building.