“There is no dearth of jobs. But young graduates should equip themselves with the skills needed in their profession of choice,” said K.K. Agarwal, chairman of the National Board of Accreditation, in Belagavi on Saturday. He was delivering the convocation address at the 19th convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University at the Abdul Kalam Hall.
He urged youngsters to stay abreast of the latest developments in science, commerce, humanities and the industrial sector. “You should always strive for excellence on the skill front and for creative use of knowledge. There is a lot of talk about artificial intelligence. We have to make sure that we are ready to face the entry of this technology into society. We have to develop an emotional quotient along with other skills to ensure that an equitable and progressive society is built using science and technology. According to a study, the demand for an emotional quotient will be eight times more than now,” he said.
He said that the future of the country was in the hands of young engineers and scientists. “Apart from skills and professional qualifications, they should also inculcate qualities such as commitment and social service,” Dr. Agarwal said.
Karisiddappa, Vice-Chancellor of VTU, said the university would start courses on artificial intelligence and computer science. VTU has been selected to start a course on research and technology for railway.
A new e-education methodology of using audio-visual aids is being implemented to teach graduate and postgraduate students. VTU is also starting digital evaluation and a Gyan Yaan fellowship. “A national skill development academy and a training centre will be set up. We will also set up research centres under Skill India and Make in India,” he said.
The university honoured Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K. Sivan with an honorary doctorate on the occasion.
VTU gave away 58,825 graduate degrees, 744 B.Arch, 4,606 MBA, 1,260 MCA, 1,582 M.Tech, 39 M.Arch degrees, along with 579 Ph.D certificates and 21 M.Sc. Engineering degrees.
Mahima Rao of St. Joseph Engineering College in Mangaluru won 13 gold medals. Sanmati Patil received 11 gold medals while Vidya G.S. got seven medals. Divya Chetti and Sidhura Saraswati got six medals each.