National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) has pioneered professional postgraduate programmes of study in areas such as Construction Management, Project Management, Real Estate Management, Infrastructure Management, Quantity Surveying, Contract Management and Digital Construction.
Dr Mangesh G Korgaonker, Director General, NICMAR
"These programmes are unique, first of their type in the country, and have contributed significantly to the development of professional management competencies across entry-level, middle management and senior management levels in the construction Sector and related areas,” says Dr Mangesh G Korgaonker, Director General, NICMAR, in an interview. Excerpts.
How is the institute seeing the ‘Aatmnirbhar Bharat’ initiative for the construction sector and what role is NICMAR is playing in the same?
The Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure, and Project (CRIP) is one of the rapidly evolving sectors in India. It also significantly contributes to the nation’s economy. With several new mega projects being launched all across the country, the sector is one of the major contributors to the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. The exponential growth of the sector has led to increasing demand for a skilled workforce. In this regard, NICMAR’s contribution to the construction industry in India is similar to that of Intel’s contribution to the IT sector.
NICMAR has pioneered professional postgraduate programmes that are unique, first of their type in the country, and have contributed significantly to the development of professional management competencies across entry-level, middle management, and senior management levels in the construction sector and related areas.
This has also meant that the country is now fully able to fulfil its managerial and professional requirements of human resource capabilities for this sector, indigenously, without dependence on external talent. NICMAR’s success in the field has also stimulated establishment of similar programmes of study across a whole range of educational institutions throughout the country. The institute today has four fully functional campuses with state-of-the-art infrastructure at Hyderabad, Goa and Delhi NCR, along with itsmain campus at Pune.
Which skill sets are a must-have for professionals joining construction and allied industries? What efforts is NICMAR taking in this direction?
The construction sector is witnessing a pronounced change in the way the activities are being planned and executed. Though the pace of change may have fluctuated due to unforeseen circumstances, now with big infrastructure projects lined up for the next five years by the Government of India, there are two major thrust areas that can be clearly seen. One major area of focus is adopting “Formal project management policy framework, practices and competencies” and the other is “Technological Innovations and Digitalisation in Construction Sector.”
NICMAR is a contributing institute to the Quality Council of India project to create a standard handbook of infrastructure project management knowledge and practices called the Indian Infrastructure Book of Knowledge (InBoK) under the aegis of NITI Aayog. This project is aimed at creating certified programme and project managers well-versed with the latest project management practices to tackle various risks that may arise during different phases of a project.
How is NICMAR preparing students in digitalisation and technical innovations?
The terms such as Big data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence, now find application in the construction sector. Several path-breaking innovations such as in materials of construction, construction equipment, aerial surveys, manufacturing for construction methods, building information modelling (BIM), mobile computing methods, radio frequency identification (RFID), are completely transforming the way construction is being carried out. NICMAR has always been a pioneer in adopting (and propagating) new technology. Our course curriculum equips the students to use technology to execute projects and tasks productively. We provide our students with comprehensive knowledge of some of the state-of-the-art software in construction including Building Information Modeling (BIM) , Lean Plan Do (LPD), Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), among others.
What role has NICMAR played in solving industry problems?
NICMAR strives to maintain excellence in its attempt to address industry problems. In fact, over the years, NICMAR has emerged as an integral part of the Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure, and Project (CRIP) sector. Even as the CRIP sector has emerged as one of the major contributors to the nation’s economy, its rapid growth translates into abundant employment opportunities at both operational and strategic levels. Further, there is an ever-increasing the demand of new skill sets and competencies, fuelled by immense advancements in technology, methods, and practices in the industry. This is where NICMAR steps in.
NICMAR clearly understands the emerging industrial requirements and imparts the essential knowledge and skills required in the Construction, Real Estate, Infrastructure, and Project Management (CRIP) sectors. The knowledge, skills, and competencies NICMAR focuses include project management, site management, contracts management, business development, quantity surveying and estimation, design coordination, advisory services, software implementation, facilities management, procurement, quality assurance and quality control, valuation among many others.