Lush green Andaman opens door for corporate training

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Business Standard has keen interest on the rising trend of outbound training which uses an offsite to teach team building, trust and such. It is known as Experiential Learning (EL) and this will be more interesting if this is offered in an attractive tourism destination like Andaman Islands.

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

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

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

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

UNI SKR BA RD 0948