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Is marks important or skills? - 15-Jul-2017
Every year over 1.5 lakh candidates aspire to study Engineering in Tamil Nadu. In the last few years this number has not gone up at all. However, number of seats in Engineering colleges go up every year. This is the reason why vacant seats are on the rise.
The main reason for students to choose Engineering studies is to get job immediately after completing studies. This attitude is not wrong. But, students should develop skill sets that are required for the industry that provides jobs.
Earlier, IT companies used to provide jobs if one knows coding. But, today since automation has taken place, companies expect more skills such as 'source', 'analytics', 'mobility', and 'cloud'. Further, they also require candidates with innovative and logical thinking skills, critical thinking skills and sound project experience in the particular field.
Today, domain wise competition is conducted at the national level and the top candidates are provided jobs in leading companies. Job priorities are also given to skilled students based on their internship and project.
This process is being followed by most of the companies. Hence, domains like digital factory, embedded, automotive systems, solar and industrial robotics are likely to get the attention. Therefore, considering the future requirements it is highly important to develop needed skills beyond the prescribed curriculum. Likewise, Internship is also highly important.
Students should be prepared right from the first year of college itself to develop additional skills. Even to rectify small and trivial problems we depend upon foreign countries spending huge amount of money. Students should bring out a change in such scenarios.
For this reason, students should improve their self confidence. Only if they happen to become independently strong in thinking, acquire the composure to handle challenges and skills to solve tricky situations, they will be able to accomplish great thinks in the future.
Putting all these things together, self learning is very much needed. Teachers should encourage students to through mobile, computer and laptop. Reason is that self learning will help to become exceptional personality.
---P. Sriram, Principal, Chennai Institute of Technology
