The Higher Education Review

K. Karunanithi

He is the Chairman of SKP Group of Institutions and also an owner of a successful transportation business in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu.. After completing his B.E Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Karunanithi pursued his Master of Business Administration degree. He was the Edupreneur award by Dr. K. Rosaiah, Governor of Tamil Nadu.

Jiju A. Jacob

He is the Director of Quality at SKP Group of Institutions and has an experience of 17 years in successful running of Engineering Colleges. Jacob has completed his B.E in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University and went on to pursue Master of Business Administration from Alagappa University.

Fascinated with the world of mobile app and software development, Venkatesh Selva, a fourth year IT engineering student has been improving himself consistently to keep up with the constantly changing trends in the industry before the judgment day at the end of the his four years degree at SKP Engineering College. "Realizing this at the initial stages while pursuing my engineering course was the saving grace and with the help of my institution I have pursued additional courses which helped me improve my skills immensely," says Venkatesh.

During his course, Venkatesh has pursued independent courses such as Android Application Development, JAVA, PHP and others which have guided him while working on various projects that he was interested in. Some of the projects that he has worked on are creating a website for employee registration and login, and an android application which helps to connect the Arrear Students with High Knowledge

Students (Tutor) in order to get help with the difficult subjects in the course. "Like Venkatesh, many of our students are pursuing add on courses and putting a lot of effort in gaining the necessary skills which will help them become what the industry wants," says Jiju A Jacob, Director – Quality, SKP Group of Institutions.

Upgrading the Curriculum and Promoting Research is a Necessity

The SKP Group of Institutions, started in 1998 houses SKP Engineering College and SKP Institute of Technology, is on the constant lookout to decrease the gap. The group of institutions which offered 3 branches initially currently offers seven under graduate, seven post graduate and four doctoral programs. Being given an A+ accreditation by NAAC and NBA speaks volumes of the group's achievements. "We are trying to improve our curriculum by applying for the autonomous status this year," says Jacob.

Despite being under Anna University which prescribes a vast syllabus, the management has ensured to keep upgrading the syllabus. By becoming autonomous the institutions hope to deliver a curriculum which will satisfy the requests of the industry thereby being able to provide industry ready professionals who are able to go beyond the job requirement and bring great profitability to the companies.

To teach the curriculum effectively the faculty members of 275 members are encouraged to participate in more research activities which will broaden their practical knowledge of what they teach the students. While 45 – 50 faculty members are PhD holders, there are 80 others in the pipeline ready to present their research and acquire their doctoral degrees. The faculty members who teach at the group of institutions are constantly participating in research activities. Furthermore, they encourage the undergraduate and postgraduate students to aid their research activity or conduct research on their own.

Students are constantly encouraged to participate in a variety of contests which will help them grow tremendously. An example of this is when Venkatesh created E-Mandi

which is an Electronic Vegetable Martket for IBM – The Great Mind Challenge (TGMC).
"Due to the support given by the management and the faculty, I was able to grow my knowledge tremendously and create a website which will help the people of the nation whether they are buyers, retailers, whole sellers and even farmers," says Venkatesh. He has also presented a research paper on Development of an Academic Library System using Cloud Computing at University College of Engineering – Villupuram and won the first prize for the same.

Provide Right Tools to Promote High Quality Learning

While the management has built classrooms and various other facilities, they have taken numerous steps in building labs and acquiring equipment which will aid in research. The management has established a nano-technology lab for Rs. 30 lakhs which few engineering institutions in India possess. For research in the field of mechanics the management has acquired top CNC machines which will aid in the various projects and research conducted by the M.Tech students and faculty members.

The management has signed MoUs with the companies in the industry such as TVS and others, two years ago, and conducted an international seminar. "Our students have been able to gain a lot of practical knowledge which is required while working in the industry," says Jacob. He adds, "The tie-up with Tokyo Institute of Technology has inspired our faculty members to do research." As part of the tie-up, the institute manufactures various parts of a device that the Tokyo Institute of Technology is building.

The SKP Group of Institutions are planning to apply for autonomy and hope to be able to change the curriculum to cater to the industry needs. By gaining autonomy the group hopes to entice companies to setup their labs and workshops within the campus which will benefit the students greatly, further increasing the number of projects which will be pursued and completed. Last but not the least; the management is striving to make SKP Group of Institutions become one of the best destinations for students interested in pursuing their engineering studies, participate in research activities and become industry ready professionals.