According to NASSCOM, only 25 percent of the currently graduating engineers are considered employable. Most engineering students who are churned out from the many engineering colleges of the country lack the necessary skills and knowledge to practically apply the theoretical knowledge they have been endowed with. Understanding these shortcomings and setting a priority on ensuring that the upcoming engineers are competent individuals who can deliver value to the industry and not just degree holders is Nandha Engineering College.
"We realized that majority of the engineering students did not know how to practically utilize the knowledge they possessed," says V. Shanmugan, Chairman of Sri Nandha Educational Trust; "We decided that we would focus on endowing them with the same." The institute attained autonomy in 2013 which has enabled it in doing what is required to meet the current market dynamics.
Gaining autonomy enabled the institute to change the way knowledge was being assessed. The institute introduced application based questions which ensures that students are able to think out of the box and be more innovative. As a consequence, the institute has guided students to improve their knowledge exponentially, thereby granting them capabilities to become top quality engineers.
Reinforcing this objective is the curriculum at Nandha Engineering College that has been developed and ensured that it is closer to the requirements of the industry which will aid in guiding students to be industry ready from day one. "The curriculum at our institute is amended every six months so that all the latest developments in the industry can be added to it," adds Shanmugan.
Possessing Industry and Academic Experienced Faculty - A Huge Plus
Delivery of the revived curriculum is ensured by the crucial contribution of the hardworking faculty of the institute where 12 percent of them come from the industry. In order to provide the necessary skills and improve their existing knowledge, the faculty members of Nandha Engineering College are sent to the industry to receive training and offer practical applications of the knowledge to be imparted on their students. The institute is also one of the very few select institutes that offer its students the option to select their own faculty members for the subjects that they have chosen. "We provide our students the flexibility to select their own faculty members to guide them in their academic endeavors," reveals Shanmugan.
Adapting to the Requirements of the Industry
The corporate tie-ups of an institute determine the industry exposure it offers to its faculty and students alike. The MoUs of Nandha Engineering College speak volumes on the hard earned efforts compiled in providing apt inputs of the current scenario of the industry. A designated Center of Value Added Courses provides the skill development that grants students the knowledge, skills, and awareness of their contribution to the corporate sector. Nandha Engineering College has also established a separate Industry Institute Interaction cell that seeks to expand the institute’s ties with the industry and academic organizations. "By increasing the tie-ups, we encourage the involvement of the industry in the various activities including research," unveils Shanmugan. Research activities at the institute take up student and faculty centric projects. While consulting research work is taken into consideration, the institute always encourages its students to pursue research work in their field of study.
Methods in Making Job Ready
Apart from the industry being interested in the research carried out by Nandha Engineering College, they are also interested in providing advanced training to the students thus creating more possibilities for the students to gain knowledge and skills and also to practically apply the same. "We send our students for internships to understand the problems that the industry is facing. During the internships our students also understand their own shortcomings and gain an opportunity to improvise them," adds Shanmugan.
Project based learning methodology has also been introduced by the institute in a variety of subjects which helps them to understand the outcomes of learning a particular subject. "We provide our students the opportunities to utilize Project Based Learning to understand the subjects thoroughly and apply them at the right times," adds Shanmugan.
By taking dynamic footsteps the institute ensures that its students are industry ready and the placements received hold testimony to these efforts. Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, TVS, Hexaware, Igate, L&T Infotech, TCS and many others have visited the campus of Nandha Engineering College only to return with a dynamic bunch of talent. The institute aspires to become one of the top institutes in the country in vision of which it deploys its constant efforts to achieve its mission of providing engineers to the world and not just graduates.
V Shanmugan
He is the Chairman of the Nandha Educational Trust which was established in the year 1992. He has completed his Bachelor in Commerce from Sri Vasavi College in Erode. He runs a Textile Business and management of financial agencies alongside the educational trust.
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