Tamil Nadu leads in Engineering Education

To realize the ‘Make in India’ initiative, India will need a high number of well trained and extremely qualified engineering graduates

India, a top global technology services outsourcing destination has the world’s largest pool of technical talent. And in this context, Tamil Nadu has become one of the leading technology hubs attracting talent from all over the country. Demographic advantage aside, the fact that South Indian states attract most expertise is because IT services companies are increasingly hiring more fresh engineering graduates and younger technology workers. The entire ecosystem is acting like a magnet to attract talent and freshers who want to pursue career in these fields. Experts feel that engineering graduates have a strategic and long-term impact on productivity, engineering industry and service sectors. To innovate and produce sophisticated industrial tools and services that are competitive in the global market and to realize the ‘Make in India’ initiative, India will need a high number of well trained and extremely qualified engineering graduates. Fulfilling these talent gaps are the Universities in Tamil Nadu where a large number of students are being trained for a successful career in engineering fields.

STUDENTS PREFER TN FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION

A large number of engineering institutes coupled with the presence of big IT companies and other large scale manufacturing units has put Tamil Nadu in the education map of India as students trained with technical knowledge will ultimately dream of working in leading industries. Hence, this state has emerged as the top destination for aspirants. The capital city Chennai has been at the forefront of engineering education in India. Home to some of the finest universities and oldest engineering colleges of the country, these education institutions of excellence have evolved to offer world class pedagogy that is not only academically sound but also corresponds to the contemporary needs of the industry. The city is home to several auto majors in its vicinity due to which Chennai has earned the nickname of Detroit of India. Hence it has traditionally propelled engineering education in Chennai. The recent advent and rapid expansion of IT sector have rejuvenated the engineering domain with the prime focus on service based technology domains. Due to this economic environment, several Universities in Chennai offer engineering courses on evolving disciplines and industry relevant topics. The presence of a large number of engineering colleges and seats further makes this state a preferred education hub. A second destination in Tamil Nadu attracting students is the city Thanjavur. This city is known as the ‘rice bowl’ of Tamil Nadu and is also the cultural headquarter of the state. And it is becoming a technology education hub with leading institutions providing quality education to engineering students.

INDUSTRY NETWORK AND PLACEMENTS

Private universities play a major role in providing talent to the industry. They continuously improve the quality of teaching and learning and are geared to adapt to the changing needs of the job market. Engineering colleges in these universities mostly focus on quality teaching and have the systematic capacity building effort in education and research. A strong industry network is the hallmark of placement cells in these universities and colleges. The Placement cell works tirelessly towards ensuring employment for all students across various industries. For those who want to become entrepreneurs, the placement cell encourages students and budding entrepreneurs in establishing successful businesses. The department organizes activities and workshops at a regular basis to enable students to be effective team leaders and players. Some of these universities are led by strong academic leaders and administrators who continually drive aspirations of the students to help them achieve excellence in academics and career. One such university is Sastra University in Thanjavur. The University has excellent teaching and research-intensive courses. Through its strong links with industry in design, development and delivery of the courses and programs, the University has excellent placement records. Dr Vaidhyasubramaniam Sethuraman, Dean Planning and Development of Sastra University, Thanjavur says that the vision of the University is to prepare enlightened value based individuals for a humane society through contemporary programmes. The guiding model of the University is built on four foundational pillars – students, faculty, curriculum & infrastructure to provide quality teaching programmes and research activities to become a world class university. On the importance of engineering education, Dr Vaidhyasubramaniam says that engineering education has the capacity to convert theoretical ideas to practical solutions. The propensity of relevant practical solutions to create transformational change in the socio-economic development of a country makes engineering education an integral part of a country’s progress. India is no exception with its demographic dividend being a strong focal point for quality engineering education. At Sastra, the top job offer during the last placement season was bagged by Pranav Ram in a leading MNC with an annual pay package of Rs.25 Lakhs. Leading companies like e-Bay, PayPal, Microsoft, Freshdesk, Zoho, MuSigma, TCS, IBM, TVS Group, Hyundai, Ford, TATA Communications, etc. visit Sastra for campus recruitment which reflects the transparent and merit based admission process of Sastra without collecting even a single rupee as donation or capitation fees. Bharath University is another foremost educational institution that has excellent record in adaptation of academic framework that is responsive to stakeholders’ needs. The University was recently ranked by MHRD in National Institutional Ranking Framework as the No. 1 amongst universities in India for outreach and inclusivity. The University is ranked sixth amongst private universities and 21st amongst all universities. It aims to establish benchmark standards in professional practice in the fields of innovative and emerging areas of engineering. Employers are satisfied with quality of the talent pool provided by the University. The staunch corporate patronage which separates the University from its contemporaries originates from its unequivocal focus to produce world class technocrats and managers for which the regular corporate interactions weave the thread. Led by strong academic leaders and administrators who continually drive aspirations of students to achieve more, Bharath University in chennai has created a name in the field of engineering education. Eminent professors with strong industry links head the placement department in these Universities. They have a proven track record and have made a mark in the industry. The placement cell introduces students to the concepts of corporate culture and gives them a sense of industry expectations. With an impeccable record to boast of, the placement cell works round-the-clock to ensure that the students are placed in reputed companies at lucrative terms across various industries. The placement cell also provides assistance to students in applying for summer trainings and projects in various companies. The University critically evaluate these summer trainings and projects as they form a part of the curricular. Regularly, several guest lectures by veterans across various industries are conducted every semester to enable students to understand reallife situations and experiences. This aims to make students ready to face situations which may arise in their professional lives. These Universities have a deep engagement with industry and the employers. With strong links in the industry, the colleges encourage entrepreneurial and innovation spirit. Special efforts are made to provide students and the faculty with exposure to the corporate world making the entire experience of education worthwhile.