Kolkata: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Calcutta launched a one-year residential post-graduate programme for executives in 'visionary leadership in manufacturing' in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur and IIT-Madras Sunday here.

The programme has been designed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) - a governmental agency of Japan that provides technical cooperation to other developing countries.

"We want Indian students to apply Japanese technology in the manufacturing industry and make their presence felt among world leaders. Under this programme, we are confident that the manufacturing industry will undergo complete transformation in another five years," JICA chief advisor Shoji Shiba told reporters on the IIM-Calcutta campus here.

Director of IIM-Calcutta Shekhar Chaudhury said the course was designed in the Indian context to deal with Indian customers.

"The manufacturing industry in India has been languishing for the past 20 years. This is a unique course that blends conceptual knowledge with skill-based training," Chaudhury said.

"After completing the course, the annual income of a candidate will increase from Rs.500,000 to Rs.1500,000," he added.

JICA will provide all equipment required for the course. During the course, students will be taken to various firms in Japan to get a practical knowledge of the technology and its application.

The new session will commence from next month.