Sri Eshwar College of Engineering: Filling the Gap between the Industry and Institute

Dylan D'Souza
When K. Nanthakumar was provided with the opportunity to learn Japanese while pursuing his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Information Technology, he never thought that he would be able to get placed with Tech Mahindra and engaged in a Japanese client's project. The same was in the case of P.J. Soumya, a fourth year Electronics and Communication Engineering student who was able to get placed with UST Global as the High-tech Labs and Equipment and highly knowledgeable faculty members transformed her into an employable engineer.

These two students are just a pick from the bunch that were able to secure employment with renowned companies such as Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, UST Global, Larsen & Toubro, Cap Gemini, Hewlett Packard, Mindtree and many others. The driving force to achieve their best in the educational life to enter and have a successful career is Sri Eshwar College of Engineering (SECE). "We realized that being in constant and consistent contact with the industry will help in achieving our primary goal of filling the gap between the industry and our institute," says Dr. Sudha Mohanram, Principal.

Increasing involvement of the Industries at an Exponential Rate

Working towards closing this gap, the institute which is currently in its 7th year has secured tie-ups with more than 25 plus companies who are continuously guiding in every aspect to ensure that it produces top quality students. "Students receive extensive training and opportunities to participate in a project which will improve their knowledge and skills," says Dr. Mohanram.

While some of the students go to the companies to carry out their projects, a significant number of students are able to complete their projects within the institute as they have the necessary infrastructure to do so. "Through the MoUs that we have signed, some of the companies have been kind enough and setup fully equipped labs or have paid the majority cost of setting up the necessary infrastructure," says Dr. Mohanram. A few examples of the infrastructure setup by various companies from the industry are Mitsubishi Powered Factory Automation Lab, Texas Instruments Powered Analog Systems Design Lab, Roots Powered IC Engines Lab, Messer Powered Thermal Cutting Technology Lab, Cloud Kinetics powered Cloud Technology Lab and many more.

The institute through its tie-ups with the industry has constantly sought inputs from the industry to improve their curriculum. Each department has ensured that subject matter experts from five to six companies are enlisted and they constantly provide a range of inputs which include curriculum, projects, electives, courses and others.

Industry Training to Faculty is the Way to Go

To provide industry exposure to their faculty, SECE ensures that the faculty members make week long visits to the industry which allows them to understand the needs of the industry and the practical applications of what they teach in class. "Our faculty members through the industry training programs are able to gain tremendous knowledge and exposure and are able to pass on relevant knowledge and skills to the students," says Dr. Mohanram. Ms. R. Kavikuzhali, electronics and electrical engineer and an entrepreneur who studied at SECE, agrees with the Principal as she credits the faculty members for bringing out her innovative capabilities thus enhancing her chances to win at various events and also to start her own enterprise.

Along with the trainings provided, the faculty members at SECE are also interested in conducting research activities which will benefit the industry. To solve various problems that the industries are facing, people from various companies work with faculty members and publish research papers. "Our faculty members make most of the various enriching opportunities they are presented with," says Dr. Mohanram.

By consistently publishing research papers, the institute has been acknowledged by the national and the international engineering community. Taking a step further, since last year, SECE has been organizing an International Conference on Advanced Computing and Communication Systems. This platform has allowed the faculty members and students to present their work in front of the national and international engineering community.

Furthermore, SECE encourages its students to take part in various technical events conducted all over the country to provide more exposure to the students and gain more visibility for their capabilities. The Turbo Titans which is a Go Kart Design & Development team from the institute won the second runner up and a Jury Award for Quality in Manufacturing at the International Go-Kart Championship-2015 organized by Lovely Professional University. "Due to the various experiences that the students and the faculty have received from the industry, the gap between the industry and the institute has been drastically reduced," says Dr. Mohanram. The institute is striving to become one of the top institutes in the state of Tamil Nadu and in the country too and further hopes to provide top quality engineers to the nation.

Dr. Sudha Mohanram

She has graduated from Government College of Engineering, Salem and has obtained her Masters in Engineering from Coimbatore Institute of Technology. She has also completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering and has published more than ten papers in leading journals. Out of the 20 year journey in her academic career, Dr. Sudha has served at the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore and another premier institute for 13 years. For the past 7 years, she has been involved with the founding and running of Sri Eshwar College of Engineering and was made the Principal in the year 2011.

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