Varsity encourages girl students to pursue Mechanical Engineering

To attract girl students to pursue mechanical engineering in the backdrop of India’s emergence as major automobile manufacturing hub, the Centre for University – Industry Collaboration (CUIC), Anna University, conducted a sensitisation programme at E.G.S. Pillai Engineering College, last week. Around 1,500 students from 60 government and government-aided schools in the district took part in the programme conducted with full funding by Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre India Private Limited (RNTBCI).

Chennai, Nagercoil, Virudhunagar and Coimbatore are the other zones identified for conduct of the programme, T. Thyagarajan, Director CUIC, AU, said. Girl students at the higher secondary level studying Maths, Physics and Chemistry were identified for the sensitisation programme, he said.

Vice-Chancellor M. K. Surappa had conceptualised the programme for girl students so as to prompt them to choose faculty of Mechanical Engineering as course of study and thereafter to plan their career in the field of Mechanical Engineering (Mechanical, Automobile, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, Production, Industrial Engineering). This initiative will increase diversity in core mechanical engineering, Prof. Thyagarajan said.

Anna University had conceptualised the programme factoring in the scenario of increasing growth in demand on back of rising income, expanding middle class and young population base, and presence of a large pool of skilled manpower and growing technology propelling India to a position of one of the top five auto-producers. Accounting for 23.6% of the country's manufacturing gross domestic product (GDP), the auto sector is one of the biggest job creators, both directly and indirectly.

India is currently the fourth-largest automobile producer in the world with an average annual production of 30.5 million vehicles, and is on way to become the fourth largest automotive market by volume, by end of 2019. The Centre encourages foreign investment in the automobile sector and allows 100% FDI under the automatic route. Based on this, many multinational auto makers have started to invest heavily in various segments in the Industry in the last few years, Prof. Thyagarajan said.

T. Kalaiselvan, Additional Director, CUIC; K. Udayakumar, Deputy Director; V. Subathra , General Manager, Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre India Pvt. Ltd.; and K. Gunasekaran, Chief Educational Officer of Nagai District; and S. Paramesvaran, Secretary, E. S. Pillay Group of Institutions, addressed the students.