While many engineering colleges give importance to textbook-based teaching and focus on preparing students for examinations, Chennai-based KCG College of Technology is altogether in a different league and takes pride in preparing its students for life. Focusing on creative pedagogy, the college creates opportunities for students to develop their creative thinking that, in turn, enables them to develop their innovation and entrepreneurial skills.

Named after its founder Dr KCG Verghese, who had the noble vision "œTo make every man a success and no man a failure", the two-decade-old engineering college, affiliated to Anna University, has been committed to achieving excellence in technical education and bridging the gap between the industry and academia.

The institute has ten engineering departments, viz. Aeronautical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering, Fashion Technology, Information Technology, and Mechanical Engineering.

Having won a number of awards including the 'Best Industry Interface Engineering College in Tamil Nadu' by Prime Time and AICTE - CII Survey of Industry-Linked Electrical Engineering and Allied Institutes Award and National Excellence Award in the recent past, the institute has been raising its standard and contributing productively to the field of engineering. "Our college is widely appreciated by stakeholders for generating industry-ready workforce. The institute gives primary importance to meeting the industry requirement and this aspect of institution-industry interaction makes us different from other institutes," said Principal, Dr. G. Prabhakaran. It is part of the quality policy of the college to create the environment conducive for effective teaching, active learning and purposeful research and to periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes offered at the institute and respond positively to the need of the industry.

"The faculty members, who are also the backbone of the KCG College of Technology, put their complete effort in providing the students a blend of strong theoretical knowledge and technical training"

The faculty members, who are also the backbone of the institute, put their complete effort in providing the students a blend of strong theoretical knowledge and technical training. "Along with classroom sessions, our students are engaged in mini projects, internships and industry visits which instill in them a sense of confidence and scope to apply their learning in practice," added Dr. Prabhakaran. The students are also motivated to undertake value-added programme, which is designed by industry experts along with faculty members of the institute and is included in the day-to-day routine. This greatly helps them in enhancing their employability quotient.

Where Ideas are brought to Life

Commenting on the importance of preparing students to the workplace, the Principal said, "Recruiters today are looking for skilled candidates rather than generic ones and, therefore, we are strongly conscious of this at KCG College of Technology". Owing to the institute's rich legacy and reputation that it has earned over the years, KCG College of Technology takes pride in having 55 active MOUs with well-known organizations such as NIWE, NIELIT, Intel, Nokia, NASSCOM, BSNL, GAVS and foreign universities. These MOUs help students reap varied benefits regularly in terms of research, industry interference, placement opportunities and many more.

Responding to a query on consultancy and funded projects, Dr. Prabhakaran said, "From time to time some members of the faculty are engaged in consultancy works with some prestigious organizations and are actively involved in projects funded by industry and government agencies."

Being the first college under the Anna University to launch government-funded Technology Business Incubator (TBI), the management of the institute has also incorporated an Entrepreneurship Cell (e-Cell) to promote entrepreneurial spirit among students and an Innovation Cell (i-Cell) to develop the innovative capabilities of the students. The establishment of the e-cell has motivated 113 students to venture into creative startups. Dr. Prabhakaran proudly stated that the strength of the institute's focus on innovation was proved when our students bagged the first prize in Smart India Hackathon 2017 and 2018 organized by AICTE, first prize of Rs. 1 lakh at the International Project Competition (ELECRAMA) and won many more competitions.

The campus, in fact, also plays a significant role in creating opportunities for students to think out of the box. "KCG campus with excellent facilities is a happy place to stay and receive education, where countless activities are being organized frequently. The campus has 21 clubs for nurturing students' talents," said the Principal.

The institute has been associated with professional bodies like IET, IEEE, CSI, ICTACT, ISTE, IETE, SAE and CII. "Our Placement Cell grooms our students and prepares them to the workplace. Our students get placed in companies like Infosys, Capgemini, Amazon, TVS, Renault Nissan, ZOHO, TCS, MindTree to name a few," said the Principal.

Continuing to foster holistic development and professional competency, the institute aspires to become a globally recognized center of excellence for science, technology & engineering education in near future.

10 Salient Features of KCG College of Technology

1. Management Scholarship for meritorious / sports students
2. More than 100 Anna University Rank holders in last 3 years
3. Five of the departments are approved as Research Centres by Anna University to offer M.S (by Research) and PhD Programmes
4. Industry Supported Laboratories: Intel, Cisco, Oracle, Dell-EMC, CDCE, EaagleView, Factory Automation and Robotics
5. The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) to enhance quality in academic activities
6. Training partner for National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
7. Industry-oriented value-added programmes
8. Higher Education Cell to guide and promote higher education of students
9. Toast Masters Club to develop students' communication skills and leadership qualities
10. 100kW Grid Connected Roof Top Solar Power Plant and Rainwater Harvesting, a Green initiative