Engineering Education from an Industry Perspective Chitralekha Potnis, Ajit Potnis The Learning Institute / T I Automotive Abstract Development of a country to a large extent depends on the progress made in science and technology. It has been widely accepted that industrialization is one of the major tools which shapes national destiny. The qualitative and quantitative improvement in the industrial status of a nation is strongly based on the quality of engineering education. Technical education must be suited to the development in economy, science and technology, and culture of the country and it plays a vital role in promoting their development. Due to development of higher technology and its rapid application in industries, future technical education should be relevant to the needs of industry. With the industrialization of national economies all over the world, it is increasingly important to generate future technical personnel adaptable to the requirements of industry. According to authors Engineering Education cannot serve its purpose, if it merely limits itself to transfer of information from the notebook of the teacher to the notebooks of students. It helps to apply the knowledge learnt. The student should know the industrial atmosphere and industrial problems. The aim should be to produce engineers who are equipped to enter the industry and who are aware of the priorities and needs of the industry. With the rapid rate at which technologies are changing and the still faster rates at which new technologies and disciplines are emerging, the in-service technical personnel as well as the employers are desperately in need of an organized system which could assist them in periodically updating their knowledge and professional skills. A strong or solid interaction between Industry and Institute should be developed to provide ample opportunity for a life long learning process. Authors suggests that Academia and Industry should interact closely and co-operate with one another for their mutual benefit Introduction Industry is the backbone of the country s economic development. Knowledge is the most important wealth in the world that man can possess. Technical institutions are the centers of excellence to produce engineers and technologists with good theoretical background to shoulder industrial responsibilities with competence and meet specific requirements at any stage of industrial activity and productivity. Engineering education is undoubtedly a different type of education than others like arts, law, commerce, and even science & medicine. The education in the medical field is more practical
oriented, whereas education in arts is skill based. Engineering education is certainly practical oriented, and it also requires some basic talent, aptitude & knowledge. The quantitative and qualitative improvement in the industrial status of a nation strongly propels the need of effective and efficient manpower. It can be achieved only when industry & institute walk hand in hand and co-operate with each other in getting right type of technical staff at the right time. With the rapid rate at which technologies are changing and the still faster rates at which new technologies and disciplines are emerging, the in-service technical personnel as well as the employers are desperately in need of an organized system which could assist them periodically in updating their knowledge and professional skills. An engineer is basically a problem solver. A particular structure of thinking, mental organization and intellectual ability is required for solving problems. Careful planning to inculcate these abilities in a prospective engineer is essential. Engineers are involved in the implementation, design & development, application, operation, & management of projects. According to the authors, in order to prepare engineers to meet these challenges, engineering education & training must be revised and modernized based on industrial requirements. General Education Model The role of a teacher in the process of imparting education is always challenging and dynamic. Over and above transmission skills, the teacher should have an aptitude to engender in his students the skill to receive knowledge systematically. The professionalism which is the demand of the day is passed on to the students through the teacher. In the fast changing technological society, following skills are required for an engineer in addition to his knowledge, for him to succeed in his profession.
Social skills Speaking & listening Negotiating Interpersonal skills Management skills Leadership Goal setting Decision making Public relations Mathematical skills Problem solving Analytical skills Logic Need of linkage between institute & industry Modern technology is characterized by rapid changes and innovations in the form of new technologies, methods, materials, processes & products. In the face of international competition & globalization of services & technology, industry needs a competent & skilled work force. This calls for appropriate training of the youth in our technical institutions. The youth should also be trained on the basic aspects of entrepreneurship such as relationship between market, technology cost, human & aesthetic factors in relation to the development of technically & commercially viable products. Authors want to suggest that close linkages should be established between the technical institutions and the user organizations. This will promote better understanding of each other s requirements. Training given to engineering students should be planned in such a manner that they are exposed to practical problems during the period of their studies, thus enabling them to acquire other requisite skills in addition to academic capabilities. Strengthening of industry institute linkage is a way to optimize their resources and generate an atmosphere of cooperation. Sharing will be to the mutual benefit of both. It is a way of improving the relevance and quality of engineering education and at the same time, giving skilled & competent human resources to the industry.
Industry institute linkage model Linkages 1. Visiting faculty Top personnel from industrial organizations should be called upon to deliver lectures to students with practical approach to keep them abreast of the latest developments in technical field. It is essential to train the teachers well particularly on the practical side of their subjects of specialization. The proverb What you read, you forget, what you see, you remember, and what you do, you understand is equally true for students & teachers. Whenever possible, exchanges should be done on exchange basis between the industry and the educational institute. 2. Representatives Representatives of the institutions should be nominated as members of the management, R & D & boards of the industries. Likewise there should be representation of industries on the governing bodies and academic councils of educational institutes for curriculum planning. Institutions should invite specialists from industries and research institutions so as to ensure that the academic programs are oriented to meet the requirements of the industry. Industries as the prospective employers are the best source of information & guidance in framing coursework. Industries being well aware of the deficiencies in the existing curriculum as well as trends in their occupations should advise on curriculum development. Engineering syllabi should be modified to be consistent with the latest engineering practice followed by industries and updated at regular intervals. This should be done by involving industrial & practicing engineers in curriculum development. 3. Consultancy The educational institutes can play a commendable role in the field of consultancy. This is because these institutes have the largest concentrations of most qualifies men in various areas of science & technology. The initiative in this regard should come from industry and the educational institutions must accept the challenge. Consultancy will immensely improve the utility of both teaching and research which would turn out to be an advantage to the industry. 4. Research & development Undertaking research on the problems of industry by educational institutions means handling of
such problems in the classrooms and the laboratories of these institutions. That is one of the surest and most effective ways of building up a faculty involved in practical problems and preparing students to deal with such problems. Industries should establish their own R & D wings which should work in close liaison with educational institutions to carry out the researches. 5. Ancillary production center Authors feel that projects at undergraduate & post graduate level should be essentially industrial based. i.e., requirements of industry. Ancillary production centers should be started at various educational institutes. The product (requirement of industry) at the center should be jointly designed, manufactured & marketed by industry & institutions. 6. Practice school 1 Authors feel that practice school method should be adopted by all technical institutes to impart practical training to students while learning theoretical principles. The practice method of education is a vehicle through which one can meaningfully innovate in methods of student education. Students can do self evaluation to bring them closer to real life situations. The educational process in the practice course seeks out and focuses attention on many latent attributes which do not surface in normal classroom situations. Some of the attributes are, intellectual ability, professional judgment and decision making ability, interdisciplinary approach, skills for data handling, ability for written and oral presentations, initiative, ability for team work, leadership qualities, industrial sense of responsibility, and ability to meet deadlines. Benefits Author feels that if such interaction is considered definitely there will be a meaningful technical education. Technocrats coming out of educational institutes will be more useful to industry. The benefits: To institute To get acquainted with the needs of industry Improvement of faculty knowledge and confidence To develop positive attitude towards work To learn to translate theory into practice Get to know the latest type of equipment needed by industry Better industrial based trained technicians To improve employability Familiarity with live problems in industry To industry To improve skill, knowledge of workers Project & research facilities developed through this interaction save time and money Improve innovative & modernization pace Technocrats can be trained in specialized & advanced fields Conclusion The dichotomy between engineering education & the world of work appears to be mainly due to lack of proper appreciation of the fact that university industry cooperation is a prerequisite for sustained industrial development. A strong linkage would be beneficial to both partners. Authors
have suggested a few linkages to meet these requirements for progress in both academic and industrial spheres. Industry institute linkage is an urgent need of the time to promote generation of suitable expertise & technologies, utilization of resources available, and product & quality development. References 1. Mandke V.V. BITS Practice School A case study in industry- institute (university collaboration) CHITRALEKHA POTNIS (B.Tech., D.D.E., D.I.M., L.M.I.S.T.E.) is an electronics engineer by qualification, and has taught at universities in India most of her working life. She has also worked in industry for a few years. All through her career she has strived to establish collaborations between her institute and the industry which is the prospective employer for her students. For the last four years she has worked for The Learning Institute in Brampton, Ontario, where she retrains employees (WSIB) for reentering the job market. AJIT POTNIS (M.E., M.I.E., C.Eng.) is a mechanical engineer who has extensive industrial experience. His main forte has been hard core engineering including being the Engineering Head and handling several projects for multinational companies in India as well as in Canada. He has worked in a variety of industries manufacturing carburetors, aluminium extrusions, special purpose tubes made from steel, brass, copper, aluminium, radiators, specialty gaskets, and other automotive parts in a JIT environment.