An industry-institute survey initiated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has evoked a positive response from engineering institutions across the country.
The survey aims to showcase the best practices in AICTE-approved institutes in the branches of Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Electronics and Communication and Computer Science and Information Technology (the two taken together).
The survey is an attempt to map best practices being followed by institutions and industry, to recognise them and to create a benchmark of quality education in the country. CII representatives associated with the survey told The Hindu-EducationPlus that 250 institutions had registered for the online survey.
Eligible institutions need to fill up an online questionnaire, available on the institute login for AICTE institutes and university departments. The deadline is August 15. The survey is part of the University-Industry Congress initiative to stimulate industry-academia collaborations both towards achieving excellence in higher education and benefiting industry by producing quality human resource and research outputs.
Key imperative
AICTE officials said it was a key imperative of growth for both the universities and the industry to map the current situation. The survey of higher educational institutes on their industry linkages would capture success stories and best practices of such linkages and create a roadmap for others to follow.
In 2012, the scope of the University-Industry Congress will be limited to the six branches. Future surveys are expected to be for other specialisations and disciplines.
A national publication featuring the profiles of overall top 50 engineering institutions, stream-wise top five engineering institutions and top three faculties and the top engineering institution in each State, mapped on the parameters of their industry linkages, will be published based on the outcome of the survey.
The compendium will also carry the profiles of companies who are leaders in industry-institute linkages. The CII will promote this publication in India and overseas for promoting the top institutions for increased industry linkages.
A national-level recognition by way of a citation, trophy and cash award sponsored by CII member companies will be given to institutions and the faculty having the strongest industry linkage in categories that include overall best engineering institute (three awards); best engineering institute (six awards: one for each stream); and best engineering faculty (18 awards: three for each stream).
Stream-wise best institution will be presented an opportunity to enter into a MoU with the sponsor company to enhance their curriculum, placements and student internships and to depute industry experts as visiting faculty. Top institution, one in each state, will be chosen to house an AICTE-CII Industry Institute-Interface Cell, which will be manned by professionals to facilitate industry-institute collaborations in the States on a sustainable basis.
Normative ranking will be conducted against seven parameters of industry linkages in institutes including governance; curriculum; faculty; infrastructure; services; entrepreneurship and innovation; and placements.
AICTE-approved engineering institutes and university departments which have been in existence for at least 10 years as on August 1, offering degree courses in at least three of the six streams are eligible to participate in the survey.
