India faces an acute skill crisis as an ever widening gap mushrooms between skill acquiring and education. Degree holders of advanced subjects, especially from Science and Technology fields, are forced to opt for menial and low waged jobs for sustenance, while industries face a lack of adequate human resource.The irony of this simultaneous existence of underemployed talent and under skilled human resource is dark and saddening.
Colleges and Schools located in Tier II and Tier III cities have it the worst as their students barely get any exposure to the real world industry scenarios and are unaware of what skills are expected out of them upon graduation.
It has never been more important than now to devise a skill oriented education program, which focuses on building practical problem solving skills in people, instead of monotonous spoon feeding of irrelevant facts and figures.Times World group, which is known for its various initiatives in Robotics Education has been working on developing a multi-dimensional, career oriented skill development program. Schools, Colleges and Universities, would be able to host the Career Development Unit at their campuses, which would focus solely on sharpening the technical skills of students.
There are three offerings by the CDU, designed while keeping in mind the unique needs of different categories of educational institutions.
- Robotics Literacy Program – Recommended for Schools, along with the set up of an NxR Robo Lab. This program offers Literacy Certificates which provide appreciation and certification to the Robotic skills of young learners, and encouragement for challenging their limits and further extending their abilities. Students across India can register for three levels of Basic Certifications – O, A, B and C Level.Colleges and Training Institutes aspiring to build basic technical skills in their students can also opt for this program and avail the same opportunities. For more info on starting a Robotics Literacy Program at your Campus click here.
- Value Addition Program – Designed for Engineering Students, this program works as an extra-curricular Robotics Training running in parallel with the Engineering curriculum. Consisting of 4 Levels, each level made of two modules the program takes students from a basic understanding of Robotics and Automation to proficiency in the field. Starting with an intro to 8051 and Electronics 101 in the 1st level, the program eventually leads to Neural Programming in the 4th The program concludes with advanced projects in Home Automation. This program has been developed in three separate offerings for Computer Science, Mechanical and Electronics Engineering students.
- Short Term Value Addition Program – Designed as an alternative to the 4 year Value Addition Program, the short term program has two offerings of basic and advanced level.
- Basic Robotics Training Program – A 100 hours long course for 1st year Engineering students, this program gives a basic training to students in Robotics and Automation. Students, who have just launched themselves into the professional education, can learn the basics of robotics and automation and know what is expected out of them by the industry they are striving to be a part of. This course can be finished in 3 to 6 months time, depending on the time committed by students.
- Core Robotics Training Program – A 225 hours long course designed for a 6 month time duration is for students in final year of their engineering studies. By undergoing this training, they can give a strong finish to their engineering degrees and acquire the skills essential for building a good career after getting out of college. It is recommended to take the Basic program before starting this program so that the basic knowledge about the subject is developed before exposure to more advanced core concepts.
All the programs come with an internationally acclaimed AICRA (All India Council for Robotics and Automation) certification, while the 4 year Value addition program comes with a membership of AICRA for every student undertaking the program. The membership would help students in exploring career opportunities upon graduation, and have an easy access to the companies associated with AICRA.
The CDUs are recommended for any institution interested in ensuring a good career for its pupils and aiming to inculcate relevant skills in its graduates. Schools by introducing children to Robotics at an early age, can make them advanced compared to their counterparts and bring them at par with their international peers, living in countries where Robotics are already a part of school curriculum.
The shortage of skills can be eradicated by a joint effort by all sections of the education centre. The Career Development Unit of Time World aims to do just that, and hopes to have the support of the other players working in the Indian Education Sector.