Anna University Vice-Chancellor R. Velraj has emphasised the importance of diverse skills for engineering students, underscoring the need for emerging field expertise such as artificial intelligence, automation engineering, internet of things, robotics, and cyber security.
He was speaking at the launch of “Ungal Kuzhandayum Aagalaam Engineer” scholarships sponsored by Sumangala Steel, on Saturday to empower the children of construction workers and steel dealers.
Stating that students graduating in Computer Science Engineering had greater scope of finding employment in the upcoming years, Mr. Velraj requested all students to develop some skills in the emerging fields other than their domain as “focussed knowledge is no way useful”.
G. Priyadharshini, daughter of a mason, shared her thoughts and said she aspired to join NASA after completing her Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Azhagumanikkam, a father from Virudhunagar district, highlighted the importance of education in realising his daughter’s dreams of national recognition.
CSR initiative
There were 1,037 applications for the Ungal Kuzhandayum Aagalaam Engineer programme, a corporate social responsibility initiative, from across Tamil Nadu. Of these, 150 students with a basic 70% Class 12 cut-off were selected for draw of lots. After the draw of lots, 18 candidates were selected as per a press release. These deserving students will receive financial aid of up to ₹1 lakh a year, along with laptops, during their course.
Sumangali Steel Chairman Rajendran Sabanayagam expressed his company’s commitment to expanding the programme in future.
