The Higher Education Review

Dr. T. Kannadasan, Principal

He is currently the Principal of Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology. Apart from his 35 years of experience in teaching and research, he has guided 14 Ph.D. Scholars and 25 M.Tech thesis. Before taking up the mantle of Principal, he served as the Director of Research followed by the post of Vice Chancellor (officiate) at Anna University, Coimbatore.

Born in an agricultural family, T.S.R. Khannaiyann with his dedication and commitment today has curved into an eminent Coimbatore based industrialist and philanthropist. From starting his career by trading Electromagnetic Equipment to manufacturing power transformers, over the years Khannaiyann has proved himself as a self-made man. However, out of his altruistic nature, Khannaiyann established "The Hindusthan Educational and Charitable Trust" in 1992 to serve the youth and humanity through the Hindusthan Educational Institutions, which consists of a number of institutions classified into different domains of education. Fuelling the need for a quality and affordable engineering education of the students hailing from the underprivileged section of the society, the trust initiated Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology (HICET) in the year 2000.

"We are motivated to focus on uplifting the employability quotient of the students coming from the rural districts of Tamil Nadu. Most of them lack in basic communication skills and the"confidence to face the corporate world. We at the HICET empower them in every possible manner," shares Smt. Priya Sathish Prabhu, Joint Secretary HICET. The institute facilitates the financial hurdles of the students by providing them ample scholarships and concessions on merit basis, given which the management of the institute has distributed an amount of Rs. 50.4 lakhs to the students in the year 2016-2017. Accredited with "A" Grade by NAAC, the institute that has included avant-garde

facilities adopts modern teaching methodologies in its sprawling 200 acres campus.

"More than bookish knowledge, HICET impressively emphasizes on bestowing students with industry exposure and practical training, which will help them to sustain in the long run"

More than bookish knowledge, HICET impressively emphasizes on bestowing students with industry exposure and practical training, which will help them to sustain in the long run. The institute has incorporated 13 engineering departments in the campus namely Civil Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Rngineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, Food Technology and so on, both at UG & PG levels. "As research is emerging as an integral part of the education framework, our students and faculty members are encouraged to take up research activities regularly. Five of our departments are in fact recognized by Anna University as Research Centers where students are guided throughout their doctorate journey," opines Smt. Priya Sathish Prabhu.

Affiliated to Anna University, HICET has earned the autonomous status, owing to which except the final year curriculum, the institute is responsible to frame the curriculum for rest of the years taking suggestions from the industry veterans, Board of studies and representatives from different universities. Dr. Kannadasan, Principal,HICET, opines, "The autonomous status assists us to encompass the essential"components in the curriculum in sync with the industry requirements. Through the customized curriculum and training, our students are assured to be job-ready from day one at their workplaces". The institute also offers value-added courses of two weeks apart from three weeks internships and industrial training, to the students comprehending that regular curriculum might not cover everything that the industry expects.

Producing Trained Engineers

Students of HICET get access to the finest facilities of the campus, which comprises of sophisticated equipment and laboratories, well-stocked library with over 68,750 Volumes, 16606 Titles and 179

National and 1775 International journals, an active entrepreneurship cell, various outdoor and indoor games, gym, post office, ATM and many more. The vibrant Industry Institute Partnership Cell of HICET also undertakes initiatives to build a robust relationship with the industry. On account of this, the institute has signed 18 MoUs with leading organizations such as Global Business Foundation Skills, Celebrus Commodities, Key Mind School of Sales, Axis Global Institute of Industrial Training, Engineers Institute of India, Madras Radiators and Pressings, to name a few.

From the second year itself, the students along with following the orderly classes, are involved in extra training classes through conducting awareness sessions, language initiatives, technical training, attitude and soft skills, GD and mock test by both in-house team and reputed HRs. Moreover, the students are rendered a real-life experience through Infosys's "Campus Connect", Oracle Academy for Java programming and Nasscom SSC's FSIT programs. "Hindusthan has recently received an international recognition from MAC Singapore, the 'Le Platina Royce Award', for the world-class brand status and the HR Club, Mumbai awarded our Institution as the "Best Institution in TamilNadu" for the Campus to Corporate Employability Programme," states Dr. Kannadasan.

Students who choose to study at HICET undoubtedly achieve the holistic goals by participating in varied co-curricular activities and are likely to stand out from the crowd, as they are equipped with creative and innovative thinking abilities. "Because of the collaborative and constant efforts put by our students and the team of adept faculty members, one of our student Mr. Rohan Ganapathy and his team received a grant of Rs. 14 lakhs for the development of "India's first Microwave Induced electromagnetic Thruster" from JSW Steel. His work received recognition from ISRO as well," proudly says Dr. Kannadasan. Having tie-ups with major companies like CTS, TCS, WIPRO, Tech Mahindra, L&T Infotech, HP, DELL, FORD and so on, the graduates of HICET are welcomed in the form of job offers by the industry with open arms. "In order to promote academic excellence, we aim to collaborate with more international universities and earn the deemed-to-be-university status in the coming years," concludes Dr. Kannadasan.