Take for example NIIT Imperia, which was set up in September 2006 by NIIT to address the demand for executive training. In merely 18 months, it has grown rapidly and now has a presence in 8 cities and, it has aggressive plans to be present in 75 cities by 2010! Numerous other organizations like Reliance Webworld, HughesNet Global Education, NIS Sparta, 24 x 7 Learning and U21 Global are growing rapidly too.

Top tier management institutes like the IIMs, XLRI, MDI too have recognized this require-gap and have launched many long-term executive education courses. For instance, IIM A delivers Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX), IIM C provides Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEX), IIM I provides Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Management. IIM L has launched its International Programme in Management for Executives (IPMX) this year.

Prior to we go any further, lets define Executive Education. According to Wikipedia, “Executive Education is the term employed for programmes at graduate-level enterprise schools that aim to give classes for Chief Executives and other top managers or entrepreneurs. Executive education developed in the 1980s and 1990s, as the growing pace and scope of global enterprise demanded higher levels of education among employees. As longstanding company concepts became obsolete, continual training was necessary–but earning a degree was not.”

As per estimates of New York based BusinessWeek magazine, Executive Education in the United States is approximately a million per year company, roughly 80% of which is provided by universities (mostly company schools).

How are executive education programmes different from the normal MBA programme? Answers Dr Lalit Johri, Head of Advance Management Programme (AMP) at UK’s prestigious Oxford University Said Organization School, “Although MBA is a much more general programme, executive education is geared towards creating managers transform into enterprise leaders. High quality executive education focuses on challenges of leadership and gives perspectives on emerging as a leader.”

Dr Samarjit Dey, President – Strategic Initiatives, NIIT, who spearheaded NIIT Imperia, explains further, “Executive education is quite distinct from MBA. The two are various in their approach, content and expected outcomes. As an executive moves up the organizational hierarchy, two points happen: one, he acquires some encounter and know-how of the function place and two, he develops certain skill and knowledge gaps or requirements to do his job greater. Executive Education fills this gap. It is customized to function on a certain will need whilst standard MBA is far more generic.”

So if you want to accelerate your career and move towards leadership in corporates, which are the organizations and institutes you can look up to? We can classify executive education programmes on the basis of duration and delivery mode.

We define executive education as management and organization programmes meant for working experts. The mode of delivery can be on-campus, online or a combination of both modes (hybrid). Also the duration of executive education programmes can vary from just a few days to even 1 year, as in case of IIM-A’s PGPX. But the common thread remains – these programmes are meant for executives who want to find out new abilities and move up the hierarchy.

Executive Education options are:

1. Full-time long-duration (generally 1-year) accelerated courses like IIM-A’s PGPX, IIM-L’s IMPX and other top B-schools.

2. e-Understanding programmes offered by U21 Global, NIIT Imperia, and others.

3. Component-time three-year EMBA provided by B-Schools &amp Distance programmes offered by reputed B-schools.

4. Brief-term MDPs &amp AMPs offered by B-schools aimed at creating distinct abilities. MBAUniverse.com Executive Education channel will cover all these alternatives.

Oxford University Online