TN signs MoUs to prepare students for Industry 4.0

 CHENNAI:  

In a bid to skill the students as the state is making a transition to Industry 4.0,  Directorate of Technical Education signed two memorandum of understandings, including starting a new  diploma course on “Digital Manufacturing Technologies – Earn while Learn mode' and offering training to four government college students in Centres of excellence to make them industry ready. 

The tripartite MoUs were facilitated by Guidance Tamil Nadu between two industry partners - Tata Electronics Private Limited, Maxbyte, an Industry 4.0 global solutions provider, and Directorate of Technical Education in the presence of higher education secretary Dr D Karthikeyan. 

Under the first MoU signed with Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL), DoTE will develop a diploma course on “Digital Manufacturing Technologies - Earn while Learn model”, an industry-ready curriculum, with the required approval from AICTE and offer the same to students through polytechnics in the state. 

The programme outline will be based on three months of classroom sessions and nine months on the job at the TEPL plant. TEPL will provide support for faculty training to upgrade their knowledge of digital and smart manufacturing.

DoTE will also develop or modify the existing diploma courses considering the skill development course at TEPL for the 3rd year of the diploma programme.

The modalities for modification of the curriculum incorporating one-year training at TEPL will jointly be discussed and finalised by DoTE and TEPL for implementation with effect from the academic year 2024-25.

In the second MoU, Maxbyte will set up four centres of excellence for Industry 4.0 which could also be used by the students and faculty of Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli, Government College of Engineering, Salem, Government College of Engineering, Tiruchy, and Thanthai Periyar Government Institute of Technology, Vellore.

Maxbyte will provide technical inputs and guidance to DoTE on improving the curricula of polytechnic and engineering subjects in production. A subject matter expert will be nominated by Maxbyte to participate in the curriculum reform initiatives of DoTE.

The MoUs were signed by Dr T G Vinay, director, of the Directorate of Technical Education, Vishnu V, managing director and CEO of Guidance Tamil Nadu and Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, chief human resources officer, of Tata Electronics Private Limited, and Surendran D, chief autonomous officer.