n order to increase the employability of candidates passing out of the B.Tech. programme and to make engineering education more relevant to practices in the corporate world, the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) has introduced life skills and management modules in the B.Tech. syllabus.
The three courses would be dovetailed into the third and fourth semesters of the B.Tech. programme, the KTU Pro Vice Chancellor Abdul Rahman said here. Already, the KTU had introduced a paper on sustainable engineering in semester one and a paper on design and engineering in semester two.
The idea behind introducing life skills in the B.Tech. curriculum was the development of communication competence in engineers and to enable them to convey ideas with clarity and focus. Included in the module would be sessions on report writing skills and on how to face interviews and participate in group discussions.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We want to inculcate critical thinking in our engineers and to equip them with problem-solving skills. We want them to understand team dynamics and effectiveness in a group. We want them to be aware of engineering ethics and human values, to have moral and social values, and loyalty. We want them to learn and practice leadership qualities,” Dr. Rahman said.
The course on Business Economics has been introduced to familiarise would-be engineers with the elementary principles of economics and managerial economics.
ADVERTISEMENT
The module will expose students to the tools and techniques of managerial decision-making which, in turn, would increase their employability. The course would also enable students to understand macro-economic concepts and enable them to gain insights into the world of business. For instance, the preparation and understanding of a balance sheet at an elementary level is one of the lessons on offer.
The course on management skills aims to provide engineers the ability to critically analyse and evaluate a variety of management practices in the contemporary business context and to understand and apply a variety of management and organisational theories.
Ethical theories
“In addition to mirroring existing practices, we want students to be able to create their own innovative management competencies required for today’s complex and global workplace. They should be able to critically reflect on ethical theories and social responsibility ideologies to create sustainable organisations,” Dr. Rahman added.
The ICT Academy of Kerala will be the KTU’s resource partner for these new courses.