Last week at a workshop organised by the All India Council for Technical Education, its chairman T.G. Sitharam spoke about training students and making them industry-ready.
He said Tamil Nadu was way ahead when it came to gross enrolment ratio. Repeatedly during his speech he urged colleges to register with the council so that the students would benefit.
He said the Council had a separate portal for internship which would benefit students. Though the programme was targeted at colleges offering BBA and BCA, the message was not hard to comprehend.
The larger the pool for students the greater is the opportunities for them to land internships and jobs. On the horizon is the hope that today’s students will be change makers of the future.
Though colleges seem to understand the concept many, private or government, are yet in the nascent stage as far as engaging industry for internships or setting up incubation centres to develop entrepreneurship skills go.
The Government Arts College for Men in Nandanam has received a grant of ₹1.5 lakh this year that it proposes to use to set up facilities for cultivation of spirulina and mushroom. It has also planned to establish an aquaculture pond for its life sciences students to conduct research, said its Principal Jothi Venkateswaran.
But first the aim is to bring together the students as a team. Recently the college launched a students’ Exnora club that would clean up the campus ahead of the proposed developments, the principal said.
This was being done to present the college in good light, he averred. “We will be going in for NAAC inspection in September,” he said. The student club would not only inculcate a sense of belonging but also help them understand the need for sustainability, he felt.
The Queen Mary’s College for Women, has produced several researchers in liberal arts programmes but incubation centres are yet to reach the students. Uma Maheswari, Principal, said her students are trained by industrial partners. Postgraduate science students in both physical and life sciences are trained in instrumentation laboratories, she explained.
Some of the middle-rung engineering colleges are looking up to inculcate in students teamwork and resilience, a precursor to developing entrepreneurial skills. From the academic year 2024-25 Rajalakshmi Engineering College will introduce students to entrepreneurship.
“Our goal is to transform innovative ideas into successful business ventures,” said Abhay Meganathan, vice-chairman of Rajalakshmi Institutions. “We believe that by providing the right guidance, resources, and environment, we can significantly contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and empower our students to become the changemakers of tomorrow,” he said.
He said the programme was not just about creating start-ups but about instilling a mindset of innovation and problem solving. “We are excited to see the diverse and impactful ideas our students will bring to the table,” he said.
While institutions are trying to find ways to train their students much depends on the support their alumni can provide. An example is the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, whose alumni is engaged in almost every activity – from internship to helping students launch into entrepreneurship.
