Lush green Andaman opens door for corp training

Port Blair, Dec 20: A MoU has been signed between the AndamanNicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) and aRetd. Colonel today for a project on Out-Bound Training for thecorporate executives in Port Blair, the Capital city of Andaman&Nicobar Islands.

"There are only few locations available today in our country forcorporate training. The launching of an out bound adventure orientedprogramme in our treasured Islands is bound to attract a good number oftourists from the major corporate sectors as it would provide them atrip to these Islands as well as experiential learning on leadership,team building, conflict resolution etc," Col. (Retd.) K V Cherian toldUNI after signing the MoU.

He said that trends in the field of tourism is fast changing andtoday a new concept of coupling work and learning with tourism has comeabout.

"The corporate companies are looking for exotic touristdestinations and high end hotels for conducting their conferences aswell as other programmes," he said.

The concept of Out Bound Training is new in India, in which theparticipants are made to go through a programme which is mentally andphysically challenging in a setting out of the routine schedules.

The Megapode Camping Resort belonging to ANIIDCO, situated at thecoastal area of lush green Andaman Island, has been identified for thesaid training, which will continue through out the year depending onthe availability of number of trainees and batches from corporate worldfrom mainland as well as from abroad.

These programmes are usually conducted in wilderness sites faraway from human civilization. In a tranquil and informal environment,up close with nature, people are found to become more introspective anduninhibited, paving the way for a complete and effective learningprocess.

"After spending a few days in an outdoor situation, team memberstend to bond together in a way that is impossible in an urban officeatmosphere with its worries of attendance and stress," he said.

The retired Col added that in unfamiliar environments andunpredictable situations, stretched beyond their normal comfort zones,people tend to lose their inhibitions, shed their masks and become morereceptive to learning. In the environment thus created, it becomespossible for a sensitive and experienced facilitator to identifystrengths and trouble areas, and suggest new coping behavior.

Business Standard has keen interest on the rising trend ofoutbound training which uses an offsite to teach team building, trustand such. It is known as Experiential Learning (EL) and this will bemore interesting if this is offered in an attractive tourismdestination like Andaman Islands.

More and more companies in India are incorporating EL modules intheir executive training programmes, acknowledging the superiority ofthis way over conventional methods of teaching several critical lifeskills, informed Colonel Cherian.

The Military type training meant for the corporate executives willcomprise of river crossing with the help of rope, Tarzan swing, monkeyrope, trekking, water-sports, tent-pitching, rock climbing camp gamesand find and rescue etc, it is reported.

The school students will also be taken to the camp on some holidayfor various exercises to help build their mental and physical standardsturdier, said Col. Cherian.

Col. Cherian has already conducted about fifteen such trainingcourses for corporate executives especially from Tata ConsultancyService in Camp Corbat of Nellore Island in Chennai, he informed.

UNI