New Delhi: The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the country’s technical education regulator, on Wednesday, changed the engineering course curriculum and asked its affiliated engineering colleges to reduce theory and focus more on practical learning.
As a result, the number of credits required for B-Tech courses has been reduced from 220 to 160 and the technical education regulator has asked engineering schools to have periodic revision of course work.
Out of the 160 credits, 14 credits will be for industry exposure via internships. Around six to eight weeks of internship is mandatory for engineering students before completing their bachelor’s degree. Right now, though top schools offer internships to students, a vast majority of the 6000 plus schools don’t have such a provision.
The new curriculum, which was launched by human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar, underlined that unless the practical, shop floor experience increases it will be tough for engineering graduates to improve employability.
Several studies have found that around three-fourths of engineering graduates find it tough to get jobs. Javadekar said inclusion of mandatory internship, “both industry and social”, will help engineering graduates have better connect with the industry and society. Social internship is already in vogue at top B-Schools where they go and work with civil rights organizations or on corporate social responsibility projects.
The minister said the burgeoning technical education sector with some 11000 schools across verticals, needs a yearly updation of courses and advised regular training for professors as per the changing need of industries.