Consider cooperative as career choice

Ranjan K Baruah *

There are many tasks which cannot be done by one or two individuals. There are problems where we need engagement of many people or working in a team to bring solutions. Cooperation of individuals is necessary to make many things possible on earth.

We should be proud that more than 12% of humanity is part of any of the 3 million cooperatives in the world and the largest 300 cooperatives and mutuals report a total turnover of 2,034.98 billion USD globally. Apart from this, the cooperative employs 280 million people across the globe (10% of the world’s employed population).

The best part is the principles of cooperative which includes
Voluntary and Open Membership;
Democratic Member Control;
Member Economic Participation;
Autonomy and Independence;
Education, Training, and Information;
Cooperation among Cooperatives and Concern for Community.

Co-operatives also foster external equality. As they are community-based, they are committed to the sustainable development of their communities - environmentally, socially and economically.

The earliest record of a co-operative comes from Scotland on 14 March 1761. In 1844 a group of 28 artisans working in the cotton mills in the town of Rochdale, in the north of England established the first modern cooperative business, the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society. First Saturday of July is also observed as International Cooperative Day around the world.

There are different types of cooperatives societies like Consumer Cooperative Society, Producer Cooperative Society, Co-operative Credit Societies, Marketing Cooperative Society, Housing Cooperative Society, Co-operative Farming Societies, etc.

Many economic and social activities could be performed through cooperative societies. During COVID 19 situations, we have seen that many young people and others have come back to their own states. They may get engaged with cooperative societies and start their economic activities.

There are courses related to cooperative management. Apart from diploma and short term courses even aspirants coming from management background with passion may get associated with careers related to cooperatives. One may work as a different post or designation in different cooperative societies depending on skills and qualifications.

We are more familiar with banking jobs related with many cooperative banks across the country. One must be skilled to be successful in the field of cooperatives.

NCCT: National Council for Cooperative Training is registered autonomous society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Department of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India.

The Council is responsible for organizing, directing, monitoring and evaluating the arrangements for cooperative training for the personnel working in the cooperative sector in the country.

The main objective of the Council is to organize need based training programmes and facilitate the process of human resource development for cooperatives for the country. It also envisages conducting research in critical areas of cooperative movement.

ICM Guwahati : The Institute of Cooperative Management, Guwahati, is one of the nineteen Institutes of Cooperative Management in the country and functions under the overall administrative control of National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT), New Delhi, being funded by Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. In the North Eastern region there is another ICM in Manipur.

ARGUCOM: Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management (ARGUCOM) is the first cooperative management university in the country established under the Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management Act, 2010.

ARGUCOM has schools like School of Entrepreneurship and Management, School of Innovation and Technology, School of Public Policy and Law, School of Culture and Media and School of Ecology and Sustenance.