Over two lakh engineering students pass out every year, but they are described as ‘raw hands’ by the manufacturing sector.
Every year, top IT and automobile firms recruit the cream among the students through campus interviews, but the students have to undergo an internship for six to nine months either in technical or managerial aspects, said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises — Development Institute (MSME-DI), Additional Industrial Advisor, S. Sivagnanam.
To help these graduates particularly from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, four qualified professionals have developed a portal to offer online mentoring.
Titled ‘Quadruple Education Network,’ the company has launched a web portal ( >www.procademia.com ) that would connect students with academicians and professionals. The service is offered to the students at a minimal cost. Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Sivagnanam said most of these students are considered not readily acceptable by the industry due to outdated syllabus, lack of guidance and time. They have to be groomed right from the day one.
“As MSME-DI mission is to help entrepreneurs, we thought it fit to help these professionals, who are bound to make every student a mentor over a period of time. By the end of fifth year, the State can easily have around five lakh mentors churning out industry ready graduates,” he said.
Quadruple co-founder T. Mohan Thilak said; “Mentoring as a concept has not taken off in India. Ours is a first online mentoring platform providing information about jobs, grants and mentors. “The students are particularly weak in communication and leadership skills. We are trying to bridge the skill gap through this new initiative. Initially, the service will be available only in Tamil Nadu,” said R. Dhanapal, Quadruple Director, Research and Development.
