Overview

On 12 October 2026, the Project Management Institute (PMI) South Asia announced the outcomes of its Campus‑to‑Career Challenge, a programme that brought together 133 students from six Indian cities – Kerala, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Gujarat – to apply project‑leadership skills to community‑focused sustainability challenges such as waste segregation and groundwater management.

Participant Details and Regional Reach

The cohort represented a mix of institutions, including Presidency University (Bengaluru), L.D. College of Engineering (Ahmedabad) and the SMEF Brick School of Architecture (Pune). Students were tasked with problem identification, stakeholder mapping, risk assessment, implementation planning and outcome measurement.

Competition Outcomes and Global Exposure

Five top‑performing teams presented their solutions at the Project Management South Asia Conference (PMSAC26) held in Bengaluru on 3 October, where more than 800 project leaders from over 180 organisations gathered under the theme “MORE, Together: Future‑Ready in the Age of AI”. In addition, four students were selected to attend the PMI Global Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) in Seoul, extending their experience to an international professional platform.

Highlighted Student Projects

  • Presidency University, Bengaluru: Developed an integrated water‑resource‑management plan aimed at reducing groundwater dependency.
  • L.D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad: Designed a structured waste‑segregation initiative for local communities.
  • SMEF Brick School of Architecture, Pune: Created a programme to instil sustainable habits among school‑age children.

Leadership Commentary

Amit Goyal, Managing Director, South Asia, PMI, emphasized that the transition from campus to workplace requires students to move beyond theory, collaborate with diverse stakeholders and deliver measurable outcomes. He noted that the challenge combines practical problem‑solving with mentoring, leadership development and exposure to the global project‑management community.

Abhin. A, a student leader from the PMI‑DKU Student Club at Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, described the Asia‑Pacific South‑Asia Leadership Institute Meeting 2026 as a transformative experience that broadened his understanding of leadership, student engagement and community building.

PMI Student Community

PMI South Asia now supports more than 25 student clubs and over 1,800 student members across the region. Students can join as PMI Student Members, become part of existing clubs, or universities can apply to launch new clubs through the PMI Student Club programme available on projectmanagement.com.

About PMI

Founded in 1969, the Project Management Institute is the leading authority on project success, serving a global community of millions of professionals, corporations, government agencies and academic institutions. PMI provides knowledge, resources and certifications to enable effective project and transformation leadership.

Contact and Disclaimer

For further information, PMI can be reached via www.pmi.org, LinkedIn, Instagram @pmi_org and TikTok @PMInstitute. The press release is provided under an arrangement with Newsvoir; PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.