Individual courses and EMBA: top programs for business education in St.Petersburg

Experts interviewed by Delovoy Peterburg news media named the 2021 most popular business education programs and outlined new areas that are in particular demand among the modern generation of entrepreneurs.

MBA and Executive MBA programs continue to be popular. Сriticism of these formats has begun to subside, according to Yaroslav Pavlov, Rector of the International Business School IMISP (St. Petersburg). Nowadays people are beginning to understand better that this is an international standard.

"Having AMBA accreditation is a benchmark of quality. At the same time, there has been a significant decline in the popularity of cheap versions of such programs. The magic letters MBA themselves are already worth much less than what they really stand for," spokespersonsaid to the DP.

In addition, there is now a growing demand for individual learning paths, both in personal and corporate education.

"We were offering this product when clients didn't even know it existed, but now people are increasingly requesting such a product themselves. You have to understand that this is a very expensive product in terms of development and few people can afford to develop and implement it. There has been a demand for narrowly focused programs. For example operational efficiency, product launches, and digitalisation. Such demand is understandable. Training in trendwatching has been very commonly requested recently as well," the expert added.

The Stockholm School of Economics in Russia (SSE Russia) portfolio includes several popular educational programs: Executive MBA General Management for executives, top managers and business owners of both large Russian and international companies, short-term open programs for managers and owners of both small and medium-sized businesses, as well as corporate programs where courses are designed individually for each client.

The SSE Russia anchor program is EMBA, which offers a full European degree program of Swedish standard. "Completing this degree program from one of the world's leading European business schools gives the graduate qualifications and skills not available in short training workshops or online courses. Our program is popular among managers as it meets the challenges of our newreality and the leaders’ of the future needs. With our Executive MBA, participants broaden their perspective on business reality, allowing them to make more effective decisions," Anders Paalzow, president of SSE Russia, says.

The School's academic team works hard to ensure that the EMBA program is regularly updated and the practical context is constantly brought to the fore and emphasized. Several hours per day in each module are devoted to meetings with entrepreneurs and researchers, including alumni of the SSE EMBA program over the years. This approach provides our participants with the opportunity to expand their competencies by absorbing the experience and knowledge of others, as well as to build networks that will further support their professional and personal development.

"In addition to active personal case studies, individual coaching sessions, carried out in order to enhance leadership potential, business plans building, development and implementation of a change project in their companies, in 2021 the program gives participants the opportunity to attend two additional optional modules (electives) in Stockholm, Riga or Russia. Moreover through SSE's membership of GNAM (Global Network for Advanced Management), EMBA participants have the opportunity to take a module at one of the partner schools, which contributes to international networking and develops cross-cultural skills," Anders Paalzow added.

All market participants hope that the issue of the borders opening will be resolved soon. This will make it possible to take advantage of all the opportunities business education has to offer, including international studies.

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