The Higher Education Review

Skill development has been conferred a national priority by the leaders of our country, considering it as one of the natural tools to ensure sustainable growth. Indeed, in the present context of globalization, the demand for skilled workers has increased over a race that holds numbers of degrees. Realizing this fact, a team of two young and enthusiastic engineers, Vikram Jadhav and Sameer Latkar, took the pledge to produce skillful professionals by establishing IFS Academy, A Center of Excellence in CAD/CAM/CAE, in the year 2008 where substantial training and upgrading of skills is provided to the fresher graduates and working professionals in the field of Engineering Design.

"We target to hand over our students with complete capabilities, which will enhance their careers and way of life through different shortterm and long-term (6 Months) courses. Focusing more on the final outcome of the training, we try to include every tool in each programme, which can prove beneficial for the students," says Vikram Jadhav, Founder Director, IFS Academy. The academy covers a number of modular, diploma and career programmes in the field of Engineering Design, Analysis and CAD/CAM/CAE, using Software Tools like AutoCAD, Creo, CATIA, NX CAD, ANSYS, Hypermesh, Staad. Pro and so on. The academy has recently launched a six month duration full time Post Graduate Diploma in Automotive Thermal System Analysis for ME/ M. Tech fresh students and experienced candidates. The academy is also going to launch programs on SAP for IT students and Piping Engineering using PDMS software programme for students who wish to pursue career in Oil & Gas industry.

The courses are designed in a manner where the students are taught skills and software purely industry oriented and tool based by assigning them live projects as the students enrolling for the courses have already learned the fundamentals in their engineering colleges. "Our ranges of courses are classified into parts, where introductory courses are for fresher graduates and advanced programme are for working professionals," pinpoints Jadhav.

Apart from classroom teaching, which is conducted on an exemplary teacher-student ratio of 1:5, the institution grants online courses for the professionals who have difficulties in attending the classes physically. The online courses are performed with the help of Webex or Skype as per the schedule fixed in advance and accordingly, the students are allowed to use the academic software license for their workshops and exercises. The academy recently became Authorised Educationa Partner of TATA Technologies for implementingtheiri GET IT Online Training Solutions for Autodesk, CATIA V5 and PTC Creo in Asia Pacific region.

Delivering Industry-Recognized Certificates
IFS Academy presently has three own centers in major parts of Pune, and also Authorised franchise center scattered over the entire west region of India. In order to provide students internationally recognized certificate on completion of their courses, the institution has been associated with education- based organizations, becoming Authorized Educational Partner with companies like PTC, Autodesk, Dassault Systemes, Siemens PLM Software, Bentley Institute, Integrated Environmental Solutions and so on. "These companies take equal participation in setting the course curriculum for the students and detailed importance is given on tuning with the industry demands," shares Jadhav.The trainers who teach at the institution are certified by these companies where the trainers have to qualify the exams conducted by the respective companies on their software proficiency.

IFS Academy has signed up 50+ MoU’s with Engineering Institutes for conducting need based Skill Development Programs for students of Mechanical & Civil Engineering. The Academy has signed with renowned Engineering Institutes like Dr. D Y Patil School of Engineering & Technology Maharashtra Academy of Engineering, Sinhgad Technical Education Society, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, just to name a few. "Maintaining cordial relation with the top institutions and educational establishments has always been a part of our priority list. This
helps our students in terms of placements and our institution in building a good reputation among the peers," explains Jadhav.

Training approximately 600 students annually, including in-house and on-site students, IFS Academy is known as the turning point in the career among the student community. "Every year we conduct onsite training in 10-20 colleges simultaneously in order to reach every sphere of students, letting them experience the opportunity of undertaking practical training, which is considered as the imperative element today by the recruiters," adds Jadhav. Technology certainly plays a vital role in the skills landscape and thus IFS Academy has plans in launching their own online training tools in the future, giving downright relevance to students staying afar.