Hire edu push gains pace as colleges double down on industry tie-ups to boost employability

BENGALURU: As hiring patterns shift and companies prioritise job-ready talent, engineering colleges across India are embedding industryled courses, certifications and internships into their curricula to narrow the gap between academia and the workplace. These programmes, however, are inherently short-term, often lecture-driven, and closely tied to current technology demand — making them prone to rapid obsolescence as industry needs evolve.

At Gitam University, industry participation is integrated through credit-based courses designed and delivered with companies such as Google, Capgemini and Wipro. Typically carrying 2–3 credits (48–72 hours), these are spread across semesters and cover AI, data analytics, Python, Power BI and cloud technologies. Niche subjects like GenAI and prompt engineering are taught by industry practitioners.

“There are certain topics which faculty cannot handle… for that we bring in trainers from companies like IBM, Google and Microsoft,” said Edwin Anthony, senior director at Gitam University.

At the Manipal School of Information Sciences, collaborations with GE Medical Systems, Infineon and Philips have shaped specialised programmes aligned to industry needs.

“We realised that if you tie up with one single company, competitors will not take your students,” said Keerthana Prasad, professor and director at the institute.

Programmes have evolved with market demand — from medical software to healthcare data analytics, then broader big data. “Whatever is relevant today may not be in a few years… we constantly adapt,” Prasad said, adding that nearly 90% of placements are secured through internships enabled by such programmes.

In contrast, institutions like IIIT-B take a more balanced approach. “Educational institutions are not training centres,” said R Chandrashekhar, dean of academics at IIIT-B. But Silicon Labs recruits only from students trained in its partner programmes. Happiest Minds has hired around 100 students through a trainand-hire model, said Rajesh Chandran Sogasu, head of talent acquisition and L&D.
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