Our students get to learn, travel and work across the globe, says Dr. S. R. K. Prasad, CIT

Dr. S.R.K. Prasad, Chariman- CIT, Coimbatore is currently Chairman of CIT, Managing Trustee of V.Rangaswamy Naidu Educational Trust, Chairman Governing Council of CIT. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree with Distinction in Chemical Engineering from Madras University and his Master of Science (MSc) degree in Advanced Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London. He obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Operations Research from Madras University.

In this Take-5 Series with Shiksha, Dr. Prasad talks about the initiatives taken by CIT to ensure that their students are industry-ready, 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 your college is doing that will enable it to differentiate itself from the competition?

The three things that our college is doing are as follows:

1. Coimbatore Institute of Technology is a global knowledge hub that enables interdisciplinary approach in teaching-learning, research activities and collaboration with various industry and public sector.

2. The institute offers project-based education, hands-on-learning and students are highly encouraged to think independently, creatively, critically and sharing ideas and opinions.

3. CIT provides unlimited opportunities to learn, travel and work across the globe through internships, in-plant training, industrial projects, industrial visits, and placements.

Q: What are the top three initiatives undertaken by you that are helping your students become more industry-ready?

The top three initiatives undertaken are:

1. CIT transformed from the existing curriculum to contemporary curriculum involving innovation, research and promoting hands-on-learning, teamwork and entrepreneurship courses to suit the industrial needs. Immersive learning through labs, workshops, simulation projects, pre-recruitment training, soft skill development, industrial visits and internships are widely implemented to make the student more industry-ready.

2. Experts from industry and leading institutions are invited every fortnight for technical lectures. The departments have collaboration with various industries in terms of Board of Studies, offering credit courses, conducting workshops & faculty development programmes, offering internships, projects and placements.

3. Industrial personnel are invited to handle several courses that can bridge the gap between the students and their future life. Employers’ feels that CIT graduates are more adaptable with higher technical skills with a high rate of employability.

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 that a student should have are:

a. To qualify for the institution: Students should undergo the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission process to obtain B.E/B.Tech. admission in our institution. CIT conducts a separate entrance examination at various centres in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh to get the admission for Five Year Integrated M.Sc. programmes (Application can be downloaded from our website).

b. To get top grades in the institution: Regularity to the classes, attentive to the lectures, usage of the central and department library, using time wisely, studying in a proper way, taking the class tests seriously, improving the verbal skills, tutor-ward interactions, creative thinking, problem-solving, novel ideas and skills are the key attributes to get top grades in our institution.

Q: Which programmes would you say are your best? What is it that helps your institution differentiate itself for these programmes?

Computer science & Engineering is a very sought-after field. The course accounts for some of the highest paying jobs globally. This may be due to the growing demand for highly experienced and talented engineers. Software engineers, system engineers, web developer, system administrators, project managers and most recent jobs in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are very much in demand.

CIT offers a unique Five-year integrated M.Sc. program in Software Systems, Data Science, Decision and Computing Sciences and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. These courses create industry-ready data & decision scientist through the blend of theoretical and practical knowledge on mathematical, statistical and intelligent learning techniques along with internship equip the students with the current industry practice of analyzing the real-world issues and present the analysis report in an efficient way.

Q: What are you doing to drive better campus placements for your current students and alumni? What kind of jobs routinely come to campus?

For better campus placements we are -

• Bridging the gaps between industry and the institution
• Working closely with the students to guide them about industry need
• Career and soft skill guidance to the students
• Aligning the students' skill to job requirements
• Arranging guest lectures, industry visits and workshops related to career placements
• Building a strong connection between alumni, students and industry
• Bringing reputed companies on campus for recruitment
• Surveying continuous feedback from industry and modifying curriculum according to the industrial requirements
• Working closely with academic departments sharing the industry expectations and the latest trends
• Implementing entrepreneurship courses in the curriculum
• Creating a cohesive placement environment

Over the years, CIT has been consistently improving its placement performance. The industry has been offering jobs with diverse profiles to our students. CIT grooms its students to inculcate a flexible and adaptable nature so they are well prepared for the corporate world by the time they leave the institute. We at CIT are encouraged to see several industries returning, year after year, to our institute for recruitment. Core, Non-Core and Dream companies are visiting CIT regularly for the student placements. To mention few companies, TCS, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Google, Samsung, DE Shaw & Co, Infosys, Amazon, L&T, Spic, Vedanta, Hyundai, Renault Nissan, Bosch, Mu Sigma, Thoughtworks, Saint Gobain, Qualcomm, Zoho and many more.