Test to launch commerce students into job market

From next year commerce students across the country will be able to appear for a newly-launched All India Commerce and Management Talent Search Examination, a kind of recruitment test to help commerce students enter the job market.

From next year commerce students across the country will be able to appear for a newly-launched All India Commerce and Management Talent Search Examination, a kind of recruitment test to help commerce students enter the job market.

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The Indian Commerce Association (ICA) announced on Sunday, the final day of its 65th annual conference in Mumbai, that it would be conducting the test from next May on an annual basis with a view to helping link up students with industry.

Any student from a commerce background with at least a Class 12 qualification will be eligible to appear for the test. The ICA is an academic and professional body of teachers, researchers and professionals from commerce, business, economics and management fields.

The scores of the top performing students will then be sent to the industry. The test will be based on objective questions and will be conducted online.

The ICA will be appointing a committee to set the question papers and will administer the test across the country. "It will be a test like the NET or SET and we will give the students' scores to those in the industry," said TA Shiware, principal of Hinduja College and the newly elected president of the Association. "We are already in talks with the industry."

It will also help create a standardised assessment platform for commerce students across the country, he added.

As part of his plans Shiware also announced the setting up of regional offices for the Association, focussing on reducing the academia-indusrty gap and emphasising on research.

The three-day annual conference, held for the first time in Mumbai featured several research papers and seminars. All India Council for Technical Education chairperson SS Mantha, who was the chief guest on the final day said he had received suggestions from some officials to introduce a commerce component in the technical education curriculum.

"But most financial corporations are headed by engineers, so they don't need any extra commerce teaching," he joked.