Industrial training should be made mandatory for undergraduate students in all arts and science colleges affiliated to the Bharathidasan University to give them an insight into industry expectations, K.Meena, Vice Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, told principals and placement officers at a meeting on Friday. Institutions must work in strengthening these expectations by interacting with industry experts through field visits, in-service training, and internships.
Combined industry academia action being the need of the hour, colleges should take innovative measures and design their own mechanism to make undergraduate students industry ready, Ms.Meena asserted at the meeting organised by Wipro Technologies and the University at Bishop Heber College. “Placement training should not begin in the final year; start from the first year,” she said urging colleges to fulfil and raise industry expectations. The university would focus on making students of constituent colleges in rural pockets employable by improving their numerical, logical, analytical, computing, and communication skills.
Clusters for interface
All colleges affiliated to the University must form an industry-institution interaction cluster (IIIC) with placement officer as nodal agent. The clusters should initiate short-term intensive programmes to improve internal motivation, interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills of students. An industry associateship scheme (IAS) would be unveiled where the university would collaborate with medium, large and small industries to ensure the placement readiness of students. Besides signing of MoU with industries to enhance professional competence of students the university would concentrate on designing syllabus to match industry requirements.
On the research front, university will launch ‘action oriented research projects’ to encourage quality research in emerging industries. Exchange visits of industry and academic experts would be promoted to explore how university could collaborate with industries for advanced research.
There was a demand for arts and science graduates in multinational companies with expansion of industry, Lavanam Amballa, region campus manager, talent acquisition, Wipro Technologies said. “We believe with training, these students can perform on par with engineering graduates.” The ‘earn while you learn scheme’ offered by Wipro Technologies where graduates will get on the job training with an integrated M.S from BITS Pilani offers students better scope for career growth.
Small details like good self- presentation with clean shirt and shoes, being on time for an interview, giving a solid handshake, proper sequencing of certificates, sporting a smile and maintaining eye contact is not only speaks of the candidate’s confidence of his seriousness towards the job. From 129 candidates from the university in 2010, recruitment has doubled to 238 in 2011. The Vice- Chancellor suggested the company set up an incubation centre where students can be readied at the campus.
K.P.Sai Kumar, national campus manager, Wipro Technologies, spoke on grooming students as sustainable employees. P.B.Kotur, general manager, talent transformation, Wipro Technologies, dwelt on the programme.
