Students have dedicated time to learn via workshops & experiential pursuits, says Professor Jayanti Panchal, UID

Professor Jayanti Panchal, Dean, UID at Karnavati University, is a product designer with more than 55 years of experience in the field of design teaching and design practice. He has a background in mechanical engineering. He started his career as a lecturer at RC Technical institute in the year 1961 and spent 1 year in the textile machinery manufacturing industry in Ahmedabad. He joined NID in the year 1963 and retired as the principal designer in the year 2000. He is a consultant and has been visiting a professor in design colleges such as NID, MIT, NIFT, DJAD, Symbiosis, and many others. He joined as the dean of UID on 8th May 2017. During his tenure, he was awarded a scholarship from the ford foundation in the year 1970-71 and from the Rockefeller Foundation in the year 1985-86.

In this Take 5-Series with Shiksha, he talks about the unique aspects of studying at Karnavati University, the kind of projects, internships and placement opportunities that students have, the best programs to study and how to take admission to these.

Q. What are the three things that Karnavati University is doing that will enable it to differentiate itself from other Universities?

The three things that differentiates Karnavati Universitity from the other universities are:

a) World-class/ internationally benchmarked Infrastructure & facilities - Smart classrooms, Workshops with latest plant, machinery & equipment, Cutting edge - State of the art CNC labs, Studios, Work arena, Maker Arena and workspaces, equipped libraries and separate Girls & Boys hostel.

 b) Highly competent and experienced top class faculties - Full-time faculty members, Adjunct and visiting faculty from Industry. International faculty and practitioners are also invited to conduct workshops and master classes for students.

c) Career Service Department – Career Services Team proactively and collectively builds a partnership with the employer to facilitate career pathways to students with internship, graduation projects, and job placements.

Q. What are the top three initiatives undertaken by Karnavati University that are helping your students become more industry ready?

The top three initiatives undertaken by Karnavati University are:

a) Forging a wide network of alliances with the top-class universities worldwide – The network allows students to gain international insight into Design- through summer courses/ semester exchange/ faculty exchange.

b) CSD – The dedicated Career Services Department, whose aim is to provide guidance and support to all students from the foundation year onwards to help fulfill their aspirations towards placement / higher education.

c) Learning - Centered Model - The learning model at UID is incubated to create and adapt to an appropriate environment of learning that facilitates its students with new experiences. A considerable amount of the curriculum is dedicated to students learning from hands-on experiences. The students have dedicated time to learn via workshops & experiential pursuits by putting their academic knowledge to practical implementations.

Q. What are the key attributes that a student should have in order to qualify for your institution and get top grades in your institution?

The Key attributes are mentioned below:

a) Qualify for KU (Design Programmes)- Curiosity, focused, open-mindedness, questioning mind, positive attitude, problem-solving approach, and Critical Thinking.

b) Get top grades in KU – Creativity, collaborative, communication Skills, out of the box thinking, understanding of aesthetics.

Q. Which Programmes/Specializations according to you are your best? What is it that helps your institution differentiate itself for this programme?

a) Industrial Design- Skilled & Experienced faculty; industry benchmarked labs with the latest equipment. The students are taken through modern realities, including sustainability and industrial evolution. The students are consistently provided with various engagement platforms to get connected to the relevant industries like industrial equipment, interaction design, furniture and automobile.

b) Visual Communication- Experienced faculty; Live projects with industry which keeps the students updated with latest happenings in the world out there. The curriculum has scope to allow the students to push their boundaries and get out of their comfort zone and work on strategic projects that leverage critical thinking & experiential design.

c) Lifestyle Accessory Design- Knowledge in multiple materials to explore – leather, metal, glass, ceramic; bamboo to name a few. Skilled faculty and fully equipped studios that enable a student to develop skills & knowledge starting from concept to production, learning drawing, draping, pattern-making, garment construction, and fabric manipulation with traditional as well as contemporary techniques.

d) Automobile & Transportation Design- Young and enthusiastic faculty who have learned and worked across the globe in the field of Car Design.  The programme is specifically designed to align with the industry requirements. In additions to being technology-driven, the course also adheres to important factors such as cultural & ecological contexts, consumer needs, environmental concerns and socio-economic conditions.   

e) Animation & Motion Graphics – The animation industry is witnessing an unprecedented growth. UID facilitates the animation and motion graphic enthusiasts to handle the creative, artistic and technical tools required to tell stories through synthetic images of their creation.

Q. What are you doing to improve/drive better campus placements for your current students and alumni? What kind of jobs routinely come to campus? What would you say are the key recruitment trends for your college (observed over the past five years)?

Our Career Services Department at UID supports the professional journey to our students. We work with Creative Leaders, Artisans, Top Designers, Corporate recruiters, and Alumni to cultivate meaningful affiliations that foster connections to a dynamic professional network. We create enduring partnerships with established and emerging companies, artists and designers that support all majors. A diverse team of professionals with rich experience in Corporate, Recruitment, Placements and Entrepreneurial Pursuits drives the Careers Services Department of United world Institute of Design.

• Campus to Corporate Toolkit - This includes assisting the students to get industry ready via sessions on how to compile their Curriculum vitae, portfolio, and cover letter reviews, conducting practice/mock interview sessions and help them with information about effective job/internship search strategies and networking opportunities.
• Internships, Graduation Projects & Placements - The CSD team heavily works towards evaluating student aspirations and establish necessary company connects to help the students land in prestigious internships, graduation projects & jobs of their preference.
• Industry Talk, Guest lectures & Master Classes - UID regularly calls experts from the industry to help the students get industry insights and also allow them to get first-hand information from the speakers who help them understand the current status and upcoming trends in the industry so that the students get some insights into how to take their career decisions.
• Workshops - The students go through workshops & various hands-on sessions facilitated by typical Artisans & Craftsmen from the industry.
• Industry Visits - The students are regularly taken out to Industry Visits to experience & explore the work culture & processes of the organizations belonging to their sector.