BTech seats empty, PTU banks on vocational courses

Deepkamal Kaur

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 11

Having been able to fill only 40 per cent of the total available seats in BTech in the past few years, IK Gujral Punjab Technical University has this time chosen to introduce vocational courses in its affiliated colleges to attract students after Class XII.

Of nearly 21,000 BTech seats last time, the university could fill only 8,300 seats. Noting the trend, Vice-Chancellor Dr Ajay Sharma has decided to simultaneously give the option of vocational courses to students. The university aims at giving a new lease of life to the colleges that are becoming non-viable and are on the verge of closure.

Though the online centralised counselling process for BTech admissions has already started for colleges under three universities — IKGPTU, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda, and Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana — the IKGPTU has this time shifted its focus on non-AICTE courses.

The list includes 12 courses such as those in automobile servicing, automotive manufacturing technology, food processing, graphics and multimedia, multimedia animation, travel and tourism, medical imaging technology, electronic manufacturing services, refrigeration and air-conditioning.

The new three-year Bachelor of Vocational Course is based on multiple exit and entry system. If a student chooses to opt out, it will be considered a certificate course. If one finishes first year, it will be termed a diploma. After second year, the student will get advanced diploma and after third year it will be called a Bachelor of Vocational Course (degree).

Anshu Kataria, president, Punjab Unaided Colleges Association, and owner of Aryans Group of Colleges, Rajpura, said, “We have opted for three courses — refrigeration, automobile servicing and graphics.”

The VC said, “The IKGPTU is offering these courses to break the stagnation of traditional courses as well as to develop maximum skilled youth empowerment.”