By The People For The People: People’s Influence On Students In Selecting Technical Educational Institute

Abstract

Purpose: There is a rapid growth of technical education in last decade in terms of the no. of institutes and the intake capacity in India. However, there is noticeable gap in between the actual no. of enrollments and intake capacity of these institutes. In Maharashtra 41% of seats were vacant in 2016. ‘People’ factor of service mix is very important mix of education services. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the people factor that influence students in selecting technical educational institute of their choice. Design methodology: A qualitative research was conducted with a survey of students those who are presently enrolled (pre-students) and those who have completed their study (post-students) belonging to the institutes offering technical education affiliated to the North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon. Findings: The study found that there are some reference groups/influencers related to students and institutes that have a direct influence on the students in the making decision of selection of technical education. Their satisfaction of this decision also has relationships with the influencers. Research limitations: The survey is limited to the students of technical education belonging to North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon. Practical implications: The marketing segmentation of technical education will be better if we consider these reference groups (people mix) as an influencer. It is found that there are some People Mix - influencers - related to the institute and previous schools along with peoples associated with the students. So, it is useful to consider all these influencers rather than considering only traditional students related influencers. This article provides empirical support for the importance of interpersonal influence for educational choices. Different communication strategies can be used for these influencers who motivates students towards their decision in selecting technical education. The paper represents new form of influencers that motivates students in selecting their technical educational institute.