Exclusive Interview with Team LastBench! on their First Ride

Few days back, I covered an article on LastBench prior to their launch. So with the arrival of their first program Essentially Business, LastBench is all set for a ride. Here is an exclusive interview by Startups Media with the team of LastBench, Rajeev Chhajer (CEO), Sajid Chougle (COO) and Venkat Iyer (CMO), sharing interesting insights and experiences.



What exactly is your concept behind LastBench ?
Last-Bench is an education services start-up aiming to fill the gap between traditional formal education and applied learning. The concept ‘Last-Bench’ literally signifies the last bench of the classroom where the methods of learning are unconventional and requires a more comprehensive approach to aid the idea-generation process. Last-Bench highlights the difference in the learning needs of individuals, students or working professionals, and aims to provide customized learning solutions to promote personal and professional growth. 

How is the present business environment ?

The current business environment is extraordinarily challenging, competitive and dynamic. Companies are constantly in search of young professionals, a lot of students entering the workforce or people already in the workforce are from non-business backgrounds and there are entrepreneurs who need to stay ahead of the curve in order for their business to succeed and grow. In any case, you need the business and management skills to advance your career to the next level.

I have been hearing about your latest course offering. What is it all about ?

In accordance with research, Last-Bench has developed its first offering - a highly flexible yet comprehensive program suite, ESSENTIALLY BUSINESS. Last-Bench has begun delivering a specialized in-person course for young, ambitious students and working professionals called MANAGE WHAT which aims at enhancing an individual's ability of directing the activities of oneself and other people, while coordinating the goals of the individual and the organization. The program focuses on effective management with a strong personal dimension and puts you on the path to be a complete professional and a good learner with a high level of self-awareness and the ability to manage stress and time well. Apart from all the applied knowledge you’ll get, you also get a personalized report with detailed feedback about your strengths, weaknesses, performance and contribution.

That seems great and well researched. What is the current scenario of India as per your studies ?

Though the soft skills crisis is a universal phenomenon, the problems and reasons in the Indian subcontinent are peculiar because our educational system is so designed forcing students to concentrate more on rote learning than on developing a spirit of enquiry.

As a solution to this what do you think is the need of hour? How does your course targets to solve this ?

Soft skills are essential for career progression. If you can’t communicate well with colleagues or clients you might come across as incompetent, even though your technical ability is far superior to others.Our program focuses on effective management with a strong personal dimension and puts you on the path to be a complete professional and a good learner with a high level of self-awareness and the ability to manage stress and time well.

That’s great. We wish you all the best for your endeavor. All the best !

Visit Last-Bench here: LastBench!