Engineering students must hone their communication skills along with academics before they leave their colleges and strive to become employers rather than employees, chairman of Sujana group of industries and Rajya Sabha Member Y.S. Chowdary said at a function here on Friday during which 14 engineering students were presented the Sujana gold medals for their academic excellence.
Mr. Chowdary said his group, with a turnover of Rs. 10,000 crore, would look for entrepreneurship in the candidates along with their academic record while conducting campus selections.
“We will also help fresh engineering graduates in setting up small-scale industries or ancillary units, if they have ideas,” he assured.
India was a closed economy and opportunities were few and far between when he started his engineering company in 1986.
“But now you are in a globalised economy and the chances are plenty. Make use of them,” he told the students.
The gold medals were instituted by the Sujana Foundation on the occasion of silver jubilee of the group and 50 students from all over the State were selected to receive the award.
The students who received awards here were from colleges in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts.
Eight students had already received gold medals during a function held in Vijayawada during January.
The awards might be extended to medical students, Mr. Chowdary said.
Value system
Vice-Chancellor of AP University of Law R.G.B. Bhagavath Kumar appreciated the Sujana group for encouraging academic excellence.
He wanted the students to emulate Mr. Chowdary.
By setting up an industrial unit a student would be giving back to society whatever they had gained from it, said Prof. Bhagavath Kumar.
Principal of Andhra University College of Engineering G.S.N. Raju told the students that value system and innovation were important and asked them to develop problem-solving capacity.
CEO of Sujana Foundation P. Ramakrishna spoke on the occasion.
