New Delhi: State run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) wants its top officials to pursue doctorates and has joined hands with the premier Management Development Institute (MDI) to help them.

"Many of the top IOC officials will study PhD in our institute," Ashok Kapoor, Dean (continuing education & consultancy), MDI, told the sources on Wednesday.

"You will see many pursuing the course at MDI. We have signed the agreement only last week," said Kapoor, who was one of the professors in charge of felicitating the agreement with IOC.

The oil major wants its officials to hone their professional skill to remain market leader.

"The executive fellowship programme will help improve their leadership qualities. It's a part of the human resource development programme."

The five-year agreement would facilitate IOC in its various areas of talent and organization development.

Some of the areas identified are management development programmes for competency development at four levels - board level director's programme, advanced management programmes for leadership development, senior management programmes and management development programmes for the middle level.

As part of the partnership, the MDI will also do research and help IOC in solving consultancy problems and develop case studies from company's best practices. IANS