With over 15 lakh graduates each year, engineering is one of the most popular higher education streams in India. To support the increasing popularity of engineering courses, there are 3500 engineering colleges in India. Even with that being the case, according to a NASSCOM survey, only 2.5 lakh of the engineering graduates gets employed in the core engineering industry. Another alarming statistics found in a survey conducted by Aspiring Minds, a global job skills credential leader is that 80 percent of Indian engineers faced unemployment in the year of 2019. Narayan Murthy, who is the Founder of Infosys and is considered as the father of the Indian IT sector commented on the Indian engineering domain few years back, stating that “Engineering colleges in India are churning out only 25 percent quality engineers and nearly 80-85 percent of youngsters are not suitably trained for any job”.  

The Problems behind the Skill Gap

The lack of skilled talent in the engineering domain is now more palpable than ever in India, with a study stating that 63 percent of companies in India reporting shortage of talent especially in the engineering and IT sector. The rapid advancements in technology has widened the skill gap in the country with a recent report stating that only 2.5 percent engineers in India possess sufficient skills in AI. At the same time, the same report found that only 5.5 percent of engineers are qualified in basic programming. There are multiple reasons behind the prevalent skill gap in the country and some of them are: a) the overreliance on textbook learning and inability to offer job-centric education, b) lagging behind technology trends and not exposing students to the latest technologies, c) lack of industry exposure which results in an increasing industry academia gap, and d) inability to inculcate soft skills in students.       

The Potential Solutions

There are multiple easy yet effective ways to nurture a skilled engineering workforce and it all starts with engineering colleges. Making industry internships a mandatory aspect of the curriculum can help students see firsthand the requirements of working in the industry. As of now, only 40 percent of engineering graduates take up internships to gain hands one experience and improving this percentage can go a long way in helping students gain valuable job-centric skills and knowledge. Live projects can be a great tool to acquire real-life experience, understand the dynamics of working in a team, and developing problem solving skills. While in India, the percentage of graduate engineers choosing to take up project works outside their curriculum stood at 36 percent.

A recent study found that only less than 2 percent of Indian engineers are skilled enough to get into new-age jobs. Technology exposure has been a perennial challenge for many engineering institutions in India. Exposing students to emerging technologies as part of their curriculum and by making them understand the practical uses of knowing these technologies is a great way to tackle this issue. After introducing students to these technologies it is also important to constantly update them with the latest changes or trends in these technologies. Soft skills training is one aspect that is often overlooked in engineering education but with businesses becoming more integrated and communication channels opening up, it is important that engineering institutions offer more opportunities for students to hone their soft skills. A 2021 Indian Education Forum report further extenuates the importance of soft skills as it states that communication, presentation, and writing skills are some of the most sought after skills employers are looking for in candidates now.   

Industry-specific Engineering Programs

As the name suggests, these programs offer industry-specific engineering education to the students. By focusing only on one industry vertical and teaching students on even the most subtle nuances when it comes to the engineering requirements of the industry, engineering institutions will be able to create engineering experts for targeted industries which can increase the employability of the students. Let’s look at some of these industry-specific engineering programs and how it can help students to be more employable.    

B. Tech in Marine Engineering

B. Tech in Marine Engineering is one of the most popular industry-specific undergraduate courses that train the students on the basic concepts of marine engineering. The students will get to learn more about oil platforms, harbors, as well as ship building in this program. Aside from that, the students will also be trained on construction of these structures and the various technologies used in marine engineering. A marine engineer is responsible for the design and development of machinery that will be in ships as well as boats, construction as well as installation of equipments, inspection and maintenance of the parts in boats, and maritime vessels. Aside from that, maritime engineers will also be able to work on research projects related to the industry.  

The B. Tech in Marine Engineering program offered by Tolani Maritime Institute (TMI) Mumbai is for four years and is structured in eight semesters. Aside from the normal training, students also have the opportunity to take part in plethora of curricular and extra-curricular activities. When it comes to the curriculum, the institute focuses on imparting the fundamental foundation on engineering sciences while at the same time, expose students to other areas such as social science and humanities. Later in the program, the students will be trained on maritime mechanical engineering with key focus on operating, managing, and maintaining shipboard machinery. Aside from the ability to gain hands on training in the campus, at TMI, students also spend a semester working in a maritime organization as an intern.   

B.Tech in Food Technology

B Tech in Food Technology is a four year graduate program where the students get trained on food engineering as well as food science. The learners will get to know more about the different facets of a food including its chemical constituents, preservation techniques, packaging of foods, and storage to name a few. Outside of that, the students also get to develop an in-depth understanding of the nutritional value of different foods, the microbial growth, laboratory techniques, and quality testing technologies etc. Aside from that, students will also be taught about marketing in the food industry and the selling points of food items.  

MIT College of Food Technology, Pune is one of the premier names when it comes to food technology education in India. The B Tech in Food Technology program offered by the institute offers students plethora of research and outreach activity opportunities to take part in and by doing so, helping them gain valuable hands-on experience and improving their critical thinking skills. In order to offer the perfect learning environment for the students, the institute offers state of the art infrastructure. The faculty at the institute is also highly skilled and they have relevant teaching experience in this segment. Outside of that, the faculty aspires to create job givers rather than job seekers and inculcate a leadership mindset in their students.  

B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering

B. Tech in Aerospace Engineering aims at imparting knowledge regarding the fundamental aspects of aircrafts, space crafts, as well as launch vehicles. This unique program aims at giving specialized training to the students on the above mentioned vehicles and helps them acquire knowledge on the design, development and working of these vehicles. Aerospace engineering also deals with the electronics aspect of aerospace, and the technology used in this arena. Students will also be able to understand the manufacturing and maintenance procedures of aircraft, and spacecraft through aerospace engineering. The majority of the curriculum in aerospace engineering comprises of mathematics, physics, and aeronautics to name a few.  

The four year B.Tech program offered by the Department of Aerospace Engineering in IIT Bombay is one of the best in the country. Through the program, the institute is aiming to offer the best learning environment both in terms of infrastructure and quality of faculty to the learners. The course, aspires to foster the culture of research and innovation among the students and make the learning experience more engaging. Outside of the normal curriculum, at the institute, students will also be able to gain hands-on experience through myriad of practical training programs. Through all this, the Department of Aerospace Engineering in IIT Bombay is aiming to nurture not just capable aerospace engineers but also leaders who are research-driven and passionate about the industry.

These afore-mentioned industry-specific engineering programs are a great platform for students to identify their niche, get custom-designed training and become specialist in those areas. With normal engineering graduates struggling to get into core engineering domains with their education, these industry-specific programs might be a great option for the learners to get employed in an industry in which they are most passionate about.