The Hindu Business Line : Zee interactive plans strategic changes for turnaround

ZEE Interactive Learning Systems, determined to turnaround from a loss making company, has opted for a strategic change in its offerings in the education segment.

"There is a changing demand in the market and we have decided to cater to those segments that have a dearth of professionals," says the Chief Executive Officer, Mr A.K. Khetan.

The company uses various mediums such as ground learning centres, multimedia and Internet to deliver its education content. It now has 225 ground learning centres.

After a detailed study of the education market, the company has launched several new courses that are `industry-smart'. For instance, its 12-month programme in Digital Arts has been test marketed and launched in Delhi and Mumbai.

"Three hundred students have already been enrolled. We are restricting the numbers as we are taking high quality students and making them industry-ready," Mr Khetan says. Soon, the company plans to set up centres in South India offering this course.

Riding on the outsourcing wave, Zee Interactive has also zeroed upon the finance area and launched the `Professional Accountant' course, which is a modular one. This is aimed at fulfilling the aspirations of commerce graduates, postgraduates, clerks and semi-qualified CAs.

In the pipeline are courses in logistics, supply chain management, retail management, media, film and entertainment. For the logistics course, the company has an alliance with the Asian Council of Logistics Management where the latter will provide course content and faculty.

Talking about the opportunities in the area, Mr Khetan says, "It's a whopping Rs 50,000-crore business. Nearly 10 per cent of the country's GDP comes from this industry. And with all MNCs coming into India, the industry will need a lot of trained professionals," is his surmise.

Zee Interactive is also considering a course in retail management.