New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS): Delhi University's St. Stephen's College has launched a special centre to conduct certificate and advanced level courses across a range of disciplines, starting with a short-term certificate course on Public Policy and International Relations (PPIR).

The St. Stephen's Centre for Advanced Learning (SCAL), launched on Saturday, will start with offering a certificate course on Public Policy and International Relations, to be held over six weekends at the college, an official statement said.

The Centre's PPIR course is designed to help young graduates gain a better understanding of the field, "how it is framed, theorised, formulated and implemented", it said.

The first batch of participants includes entry-to-mid-senior level professionals from the fields of banking, development, consultancy, NGOs, politics and healthcare.

The course will engage with topics in policy formation, development and implementation, policy economics, international relations, international security and diplomacy among others.

The SCAL will draw on the intellectual resources of its alumni, many of whom have vast experience in this field, across government ministries, departments and corporate boardrooms, it said.

These will include several current and former ambassadors, bureaucrats and leaders from a host of fields.

The list of resource persons for the course includes Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, diplomat and MP Mani Shanker Aiyer, and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant among others.