Panel to explore job opportunities for engineers, says Rayareddi

Belagavi: Higher Education Minister and VTU Pro-Chancellor Basavaraj Rayareddi on Saturday said the lack of job placements for engineering graduates was a matter of concern and called for greater focus on job creation.Speaking at the 26th annual convocation (Part-I) of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) at its Jnana Sangama headquarters here, Rayareddi said the state government would soon constitute a committee on job opportunities, comprising experts who would offer suggestions on creating employment opportunities.“The recommendations of the committee will be implemented,” he said, adding that the government had also asked VTU to introduce courses in railway, aviation and space engineering to meet future industry requirements.Rayareddi said students often faced difficulties in securing placements after completing their courses. The government and society needed to give serious thought to job creation to ensure that young engineers were not disappointed. Engineering education must also evolve in accordance with changing industry requirements, he added.Communication and related technologies would be important sectors in the future, Rayareddi said. Railway engineering, in particular, would have significant potential, given India’s extensive railway network. The aviation and space sectors were also expanding rapidly, he said.“Talks have been held with the VTU vice-chancellor to explore the introduction of new courses in these sectors,” he said.New curriculumIn his welcome address, VTU Vice-Chancellor Vidyashankar S said the university’s 2025 scheme of teaching marked a significant milestone in engineering education. The curriculum has been designed in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy-2020 and to address the rapidly evolving technological landscape driven by Artificial Intelligence, digital transformation and emerging industry requirements.The curriculum adopts a continuous project-based learning approach throughout the programme, beginning with innovation and design thinking, followed by interdisciplinary, societal and hackathon-based projects, and culminating in capstone projects in the final years.Honorary doctorates conferredVTU conferred honorary doctorates on CMR Jnanadhara Trust President Dr Sabitha Ramamurthy, RV Education Committee Trust President Dr M P Shyam and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) former chairperson Prof T G Sitharam.Gold medallistsA total of 38 students received VTU gold medals, while 49 students received endowment gold medals along with cash prizes. Seven students received endowment gold medals only, and 300 students qualified for ranks.Jain Institute of Technology, Davangere student H M Vishwanath topped the list with 12 gold medals.VSM Somashekar R Kothiwale Technical College, Nippani student Sakshi Hadalge received eight gold medals, while Chinmayi Kashyap of CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, and B M Dhanyashree of JNN College of Engineering, Shivamogga, received seven gold medals each. A C Kavina of Coorg Institute of Technology received six gold medals.Honorary doctorates VTU conferred honorary doctorates on CMR Jnanadhara Trust President Dr Sabitha Ramamurthy RV Education Committee Trust {resident Dr M P Shyam and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) former chairperson Prof T G Sitharam. A total of 38 students received VTU gold medals while 49 students received endowment gold medals along with cash prizes. Seven students received endowment gold medals only and 300 students qualified for ranks. Jain Institute of Technology Davangere student H M Vishwanath topped the list with 12 gold medals. VSM Somashekar R Kothiwale Technical College Nippani student Sakshi Hadalge received eight gold medals while Chinmayi Kashyap of CMR Institute of Technology Bengaluru and B M Dhanyashree of JNN College of Engineering Shivamogga received seven gold medals each. A C Kavina of Coorg Institute of Technology received six gold medals.

Source: Deccan Herald