Enriching professional education
Opportunity India Desk
Sep 29, 2017 -
5 min read
Offering a unique blend of vocational training with formal education programs in Hospitality Management and Business Management via franchising is UEI Global Institute. In an interview Manish Khanna, CEO, UEI Global Institute, shares the institute’s journey and expansion plans.
Neha Gohil (NG): Share with us the brand’s journey. What made you to venture into management institutes?
Manish Khanna (MK): The journey has been quite rewarding so far as there is educational collaborations with various international organisations and as result of brand credibility. There is a mutual exchange of knowledge which provides a global experience to students. A lot of research has been done to develop a curriculum that will not only bridge the gap between industry and education sector but will also create finer professionals with the highest quotient of employability in leading organisations. Furthermore the aim is to provide industry-integrated programmes, both through vocational and formal education mode, where a student is prepared from the need of the industry to acquire optimum blend of personal and professional competencies.
Initially the company ventured into the educational segment as a vocational institute targeting the hospitality sector. However, it was realised that as an educational organisation the company has tremendous potential to enter into the business management vertical as well. Students who enrolled got in the Hospitality Programs have benefited immensely with the industry relevant curriculum and focus on employability skills. Therefore the brand wanted to provide a similar experience to Business Management students as well.
NG: What is the USP of the brand?
MK: The USP lies in the course structure and delivery, resources and above all credibility.
NG: What according to you is the market size of management institutes in India? What are the major growth drivers?
MK: It would not be incorrect the present century is called as ‘The Indian Century’ as India is one of the main talent suppliers to fill the demand for Business school professionals. The belief that India can be a talent supplier to the world is growing, and it has fuelled significant growth in the business school industry.
The main growth drivers have been: the contemporary curriculum which bridges the gap between industry and professionals, capacity building through own, PPP, and private entrepreneurship.
NG: What inspired the company to venture into franchising? What kind of business opportunity is offered to the franchisees?
MK: UEI Global aspires to penetrate into smaller cities and provide vocational education to the youth at large. By doing so UEI would be able to reach out to the larger mass base of youth looking for skill development for better employability opportunities. UEI Global wishes to associate with likeminded partners to deliver the vision of ‘education to employment’.
NG: What are the major challenges that franchisee faces while operating a franchise of your brand? What solutions do you offer?
MK: The challenge could be to get trained faculty members with industry exposure who could lead the students in the right direction.We at UEI have a R&D (Research and Development) Team that works constantly towards Train the Trainer programs and ensures that faculty members are abreast with the current trends in the industry.
NG: To maintain standardisation, what kind of training and support do you provide to a franchisee?
MK: UEI Global has standardised the entire process of operations of the institutes, right from the identifying of locations, design and layout, setting up the infrastructure, ordering of equipments, screening of faculties, selecting and training the trainers, setting up the Lead Management Support, developing of marketing collaterals and territory mapping, ERP support, content for the programs, Academic alliance, industry placement to developing the entrepreneurial skills of the partner. Relevant Training is provided in all respect that will ensure smooth functioning of the franchisee.
NG: Tell us about your brand’s presence. How many of your institutes are franchised or company owned?
MK: UEI Global brings together industry experts with a vision to offer world class education to future professionals in a wide field of service sector. Programs in Hospitality Management and Business Management both at Under Graduate and Post Graduate level are offered through 13 state-of-the-art campuses across 12 cities.
This includes eight company owned and five franchised institutes. The curriculum of the programs are crafted to bridge the ever growing demand-supply gap in the service industry, there is a unique blend of vocational skills training along with formal education.
NG: What are your company’s expansion plans? Which cities are you targeting?
MK: In near future, we plan to come up with 15 more institutes across India. We are planning to come up with institutes in the eastern-region as well; we already have a liaising office there.
NG: Is the business lucrative for aspirants?
MK: Education industry demands credibility and it is also a means of economic interest for organisations.
NG: What are your expectations from franchisees in terms of educational and professional background?
MK: Willingness is the foremost requirement together with passion and credibility to serve the society at large.
NG: What is the area and investment requirement for opening a UEI franchise?
MK: To own a franchise of UEI Global aspirants requires:
Investment: Rs50 – 75 lakh and Area: 3,500 – 5,000 sq. ft area
