AICTE project to boost employability of graduates in rural engineering colleges

Over 1,000 rural engineering colleges, where students often lack exposure to new technologies and industry internships due to poor infrastructure, will be revamped under Project PRACTICE (Project for Advanced Critical Thinking, Industry Connect and Employability), launched on Monday.

The initiative has been rolled out by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in collaboration with the Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP), LEAP — an IIT-Madras initiative — and the Maker Bhavan Foundation, with an investment of Rs 23 crore.

Over the next three years, Project PRACTICE aims to directly benefit 20 lakh students and 10,000 faculty members by fostering stronger industry linkages and innovation across the country’s engineering ecosystem.

Around 10,000 faculty members at selected AICTE-affiliated colleges will be trained by 50 mentor institutions, including IITs, through five- and 10-day immersive sessions, with certification from IIT-Madras. A 10-day residential innovation programme at IIT-Jammu will also provide hands-on exposure to faculty and students in areas such as intellectual property filing and innovation.

AICTE chairman TG Sitharam said only about half of India’s engineering graduates are considered employable in the modern industry. The objective of the project, he added, was to raise the employability rate by 2028.

“We must acknowledge the pressing challenge of employability. Having one of the largest networks of engineering institutions in the world, only about half of our graduates are considered employable in the modern industry. This gap is more pronounced in rural colleges where lack of industry linkages, shortage of quality teachers and outdated pedagogy continue to hold back the immense potential of our youth,” he said.

Project PRACTICE is built on three pillars — pedagogy reforms, industry linkages and mentorship. The initial focus will be on 1,000 underperforming engineering and diploma colleges, representing the aspirations of nearly 5 lakh students and 10,000 faculty members. “Only 20 per cent of these institutions have meaningful engagement with industry. We will take help from our IITs,” Sitharam noted.

Bootcamps will also be organised for 200 students per institute to provide hands-on experience in solving real-world engineering challenges.

CRISP founder and CEO R Subrahmanyam stressed that the programme is aimed at “non-meritorious and often neglected institutions”. He said: “The initiative seeks to support these colleges, promote their growth and bring them into the mainstream of quality technical education and innovation.”