10, Dec 2011

As environmental consciousness increases, so does demand for professionally trained environment managers. Economic growth for the most part leads to excessive use of natural resources leading to environmental imbalance and degradation. Hence, it is only natural that a responsible government and society would look for trained professionals specially trained to understand environmental issues and achieve sustainable development.

A testimony to this trend is the successful placement of candidates who have completed the MBA Environmental Management program, a two-year course offered since 2005 by the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi. They have been posted as environment research officers, consultants, and executives in organizations in India and abroad. They include Grass Roots Research and Creation Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi; Sahara Computer Pvt. Ltd., Johannesburg; Water Treatment Technology Services India Pvt. Ltd., Tirupur; Geo-Envirocare, Chennai; Birla Sensory Textile- ETP, Gujarat; Evergreen Managing Consultants, Coimbatore; AF Mercados Consultant Firm, New Delhi; and General Electrical Company, Pune.

The department is currently in the process of approaching public sector undertakings such as BHEL and TNPL to persuade them to absorb quality manpower. Today fresh MBA graduates have a range of opportunities to choose from to become environmental entrepreneurs: eco-sanitation, reuse and recycle of plastics, preparation of pellets from plastic refuse as raw material for industry, composting solid waste, decentralized waste water treatment, organic farming and energy auditing, says M. Ravichandran, professor and head, Department of Environmental Management, Bharathidasan University.
Placement prospects are bright as corporate sectors want to meet the demand for green products and technologies and conduct environment impact assessment for new projects.