MUMBAI: The state
government will for the first time help colleges start placement-oriented
courses in cyber security, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, product
design, among others. Autonomous colleges can offer these interdisciplinary
subjects as electives in their curriculum, while others can launch them as
value-added courses.
Also,
an impact study will be done for the first time to understand benefits of the
courses on campus placements.
The
state will conduct a baseline study on campus placements in some colleges this
year to understand average salaries drawn, kind of skill sets required by
industries and other details. The data will be compared with placement reports
at those colleges a year after the courses’ introduction, to understand the
impact, said Meeta Rajiv Lochan, the state’s project director for Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA).
The tailor-made courses of 70-300 hours
will be offered to students from second and third year of undergraduate
programmes. The state has organised workshops in specialised job-oriented
courses for engineering and pharmacy colleges, along with arts, science and
commerce colleges. “Companies spend a lot in retraining fresh graduates. These
courses will increase the efficiency of placements. AI and deep learning will
be pervasive in future. All job profiles will require deep learning and machine
learning at some level. It is being used in humanities too,” said Priyanka
Sharma from Nirma University. She added that industries have started
conversational AI too.
For students from computer science background,
the AI course will span over 75-80 hours, but for those from arts and commerce
backgrounds, colleges may have to include 75-80 hours more to train students in
basic applied mathematics. The robotics programme, open for science and
engineering colleges, will require a little investment in a lab, said Kavi Arya,
professor, IIT-B. The institute is helping setting up labs across colleges in
the country under a central government initiative. Another resource person who
attended the workshop said colleges can choose modules. “They can add or delete
topics. Nasscom has designed qualification packs for 11 topics. Cyber security
and network security will generate hundreds of jobs on campuses,” she said.
St Xavier’s College plans to offer robotics
and geographical information system (GIS). Principal-designate Rajendra Shinde
said they may modify course content and offer them as electives. The college
will also look at courses such as capital market for commerce (night shift)
students. HR College has shortlisted cyber security and GIS. “Since our college
is not autonomous, we will have to offer them as value-added courses. Students
will have to attend courses and lectures. We will work out modalities soon,”
said principal Parag Thakker.
Source:THE TIMES OF INDIA - August,2018
