Heads of software and manufacturing firms on Wednesday asked teachers and students to focus on application-oriented learning rather than rote learning.
They were speaking at ‘Bridge 2014’ a two-day seminar organised by the ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu, an organisation run with help from the Tamil Nadu Government and leading companies.
“Once graduates join us, it takes us another two years to re-train them. The rote learning students do in schools and colleges is not helping them. What we need is an education system that is a mix of learning and doing,” said N.K. Ranganath, MD, Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd. He said it was important for teachers to stay updated and build a pool of leaders from students who can inspire teams and also adapt to change.
Krishnakumar Natarajan, MD, Mindtree, said students must think of being employers rather than becoming employees. Teachers must also try to instil the right attitude in their students to help them cope with changes in personal and professional lives, said Ganesh Natarajan, CEO, Zensar Technologies.
T. K. Ramachandran, secretary, Information Technology, said imparting specialised skill training will help to tackle underemployment. Vice-chairman, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Lakshmi Narayanan said it was time entrepreneurship was incubated in colleges so that students are encouraged to think differently. He said colleges had to focus on research to meet the needs of the market.
B. Anbuthambi, Vice-President, ICTACT, and other members of the academy participated in the sessions.
