Regular Short-Term Training Programmes ensure students are updated with latest technology, says ARIET Faculty

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, the Head of the Mechanical Department at Alamuri Ratnamala Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajesh Kumar talks in detail about the institute’s pedagogy and initiatives taken to make students industry-ready. He also talks about the Short Term Training Programmes (STTP), regular industry visits and frequent workshops that are organised with an aim to give students corporate exposure and enhance industry-academia relationships.

Read the excerpts of the interview below:

Q: What are the salient features of the teaching methodology adopted by your college? How does this differ from others?

A: We are always there for the benefit of our students. We are one of the first colleges under the university to adopt smart boards and projectors connected with high-speed internet in our institute. With the help of these, we teach our students from very basic to the advanced level. We provide them presentations with animation videos and real-life videos so that they understand the topic, not only theoretically but also they will understand the practical applications and science behind it. This also makes our lectures engaging and interactive for students.

We also provide students online test series so that they can check and improve their knowledge on various topics such as general knowledge, reasoning, aptitude and English whenever they want from the comfort of their home.

Q: How are you preparing your students to be industry-ready?

A: We organise Short Term Training Programmes (STTP) at regular intervals so that our students get the knowledge about current industry demand and various ongoing industry-related work exposures.

We also arrange frequent industrial visits that are not limited to only nearby areas but for better exposure and experience, we take our students to industries that are even located far from the institute, that too without any fee being charged from the students.

We also conduct offline workshops facilitated by prominent industrialists and online learning programmes in association with Coursera so our students can keep themselves equipped with the latest technologies and practices in the corporate world. This helps them stay updated and abreast of others

Q: What are the qualities you are looking for in student applicants? What qualities do they need to do well in your course?

A: While selecting students for our institute, we only look for hardworking students. We believe rest other qualities can be incorporated with habits and time. If a student is passionate about the achievement of goals and hardworking at the same time, there can be no obstacle in their success path.

Also, to do well in the curriculum they must be focused during lectures and also must take their own initiatives to dig into the concepts apart from what is being taught in the class. This zeal to know more and focus on details will open up new avenues for the students in the future.

Q: How do you ensure that your course curriculum is up to date and meets industry requirements?

A: We do analyse our course curriculum at regular intervals. With the help of industry experts and renowned academicians, we design our curriculum so it is at par with the current industry standards. This is also one of the most important steps in making students industry-ready

Q: Is your college receptive to innovation, technology, science & entrepreneurship? Could you cite some examples of these?

A: Our college believes in innovation in technology, science and entrepreneurship. 

Every year our college organises Tech Festival which is a platform open to all engineering students across the country to come and showcase their talent and innovation. There are different tech competitions organised that helps students realise their true potential.

Not only that but we also encourage various school students across the city to participate in our institute’s science exhibitions and present their innovative ideas to the audience.

Many of our alumni are also successful entrepreneurs. Many a time we invite them to talk about their challenging yet successful journey with the students and inspire them with their entrepreneurial skills