Decoding the future for the 'four year engineering curriculum'

The good news - The campus placements of engineering graduates over the last few years have shown a steady increase, and at least one out of every two graduates is now hired by companies at the end of the program. The figures compiled by the All India Council for Technical Education reveal that little over 25 per cent students who took admissions and 52 per cent of those who completed their undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in 3,311 institutes of engineering, architecture and design courses got placed in the last semester. Increased hiring, closure of engineering colleges, revised curriculum, better training of faculty and lower enrollments are cited as reasons for the increase in the placement percentage.

IT Companies continue to be a major employer in the campuses. One of the noticeable change in IT recruitment in the last 2-3 years is, the process has grown more competitive, the bar has been raised, and programming skills have become a hygiene factor. While in the past the students were selected based on aptitude tests, most of the recruiters have introduced a coding assessment, where the students are expected to write, compile and execute a program. The focus has shifted from ‘knowledge’ to ‘skills’

The recent programs launched by IT companies, necessitates us to rethink and decode the future of the traditional four year technical education programs, and see what adaptations we may need to keep them industry relevant.

1. IBM’s Open P-TECH Program : First launched by IBM in 2011, the P-TECH (Pathways to Technology Early College High School) model has been adopted in 220 schools across 24 countries with over 150,000 students and 600 corporate partners.

Open P-TECH scales the most essential workplace preparation elements of the P-TECH program making them available to more students than ever before. Using the platform, students preparing for internships and new collar jobs earn the same badges as professionals in the field. In tandem with this, IBM is offering online webinars on a variety of workplace topics, along with activities that students can engage in over the summer. 

Initially launched across Australia, Brazil, India and the United States, Open P-TECH will bring components of the P-TECH model to 250,000 additional students in these countries, many of whom would otherwise not have access to innovative digital learning. In India, the program has been launched in partnership with National Skills Development Council (NSDC) and the free digital education platform, focuses on emerging technologies such as cloud, AI, cyber security and professional development skills.

Click here to enroll for Open P-TECH program.

2. Grow with Google : New Google Course Doesn’t Need a College Degree, Could Help Bag Well Paying Jobs - reads the headline. As part of the ‘Grow with Google’ program, Google IT Professional Certificates are being offered on Coursera, which provides one with job-ready skills to start or advance their career in IT. The skills range from customer service, troubleshooting to network protocols and cloud computing and connects the candidates with more than 50 employers who are hiring for these roles.

Click here to enroll for the course.

3. Microsoft Global Skills Initiative : Under this program, Microsoft Corp. plans to provide free online classes and job-hunting resources to 25 million people by the end of 2020. The training, is available to all, and designed to teach digital skills to enter 10 occupations, such as help-desk technician, digital marketer and data analyst. Microsoft, in concert with data from its LinkedIn business, chose the 10 jobs because demand for them is growing and they pay well relative to other roles and most of the jobs have the potential to provide opportunities for those with or without a college degree, as per the company’s blog.

For more details click here

4. edX - MicroMasters Program : MicroMasters programs are a series of graduate level courses from top universities designed to advance your career. They provide deep learning in a specific career field and are recognized by employers for their real job relevance. Many industry leaders like IBM, GE, Volvo, PWC have recognized this program. Interesting to see endorsements like, Tech Mahindra offering to interview anyone in India who completes one of the nine select edX MicroMasters program and meets eligibility requirements.

5. HCL’s Tech-Bee Program : Forget ‘B-Tech’.. it’s ‘Tech-B(ee)’… Under the “TechBee” programme HCL is tapping students who have completed Plus 2 or Intermediate course and gives them a year’s training to make them employable. Hired in entry-level jobs at the company after the programme, they can pursue their graduates from partner universities. As per the news article, so far about 700 candidates completed the course and were absorbed into the company. 

For more details click here

Where does this all lead to? The initial buzz and success of the programs listed above, necessitates a deeper introspection to decode the future for the traditional ‘four year engineering program’. My personal view is the above programs should be seen as complementary and not supplementary to the existing program, and the four year program should integrate these design elements to align with industry needs which can significantly enhance the job prospects of students.

More interested in hearing your views.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are my personal point of view and do not in anyway represent that of the organization I work for.