The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, has urged its faculty to visit industries to understand their needs so that an industry-oriented curriculum can be devised and also to increase collaboration.
After chairing a meeting with the Automation Industry Association (AIA) on Saturday, director of the institute Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi said that IIT-M had made it possible for its faculty members to go to industries for over a month to explore possibilities for collaborations.
“Industry has also moved a lot in the last 10 years because of globalisation and competition and we have had a large number of young faculty joining us in that time.
So I wanted to create an opportunity for the faculty to spend time and work together to know what can be done for both sides,” he said.
Prof. Ramamurthi pointed out that several faculty and industry experts had started to work on either sides. “We also need to know the latest in the industry to enhance our curriculum, besides strengthening our ties with the industry”, he added.
Mr K Nandakumar, vice-president, AIA said that the country faced a huge skill shortage and higher education institutions had no proper curriculum to cater to industry needs.
He, however, noted that the union government had started national knowledge functional hubs in metros to train prospective students, faculty and industry people to improve their talent.
“From the industry’s side we have signed a memorandum of understanding with IIT-M to set up a centre of excellence in industrial automation, which will focus on producing the next generation of automation engineers with the skill and knowledge to take up future challenges in the automation industry”, he added.