The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad on Thursday introduced a course specially designed for officers of the armed forces who are on the verge of retiring and keen to take up managerial jobs.

The six-month course aims at providing rigorous training in business administration to help officers of the three services resettle in society, military officials said.

Inaugurating the certificate course, Maj Gen Harwant Krishna, director general of resettlement in the defence ministry, said, "We are very happy to strike a partnership with the premier business school of the world. Discussions were on with the institute for the last few years and finally we have started the course," he said, adding that participants should consider themselves lucky to get enrolled in the prestigious business school.

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Welcoming those taking the first course, IIM-A director Bakul Dholakia said his institute felt privileged to have such a course for officers of the Indian armed forces. Dholakia said extra care had been taken while designing the course as the profile of the participants was different from that of other students.

"The officers participating in the programme are already leaders of men. They have strategic insight, they know how to deal with the ground situation and have the highest standard of discipline. We would like to teach them business administration in a way that would be useful to them in life," he said.