A. Objectives of the Practice –

Skill Improvement Groups/ Special Interest Groups contribute to constant updation of knowledge and enrichment of practical skills. The main objective of this practice is to provide quality education and to enhance the Employability Quotient of the students. Our main aim is to provide Industry Ready Professionals. SIGs act like bridging the gap between Academic and Industry and skill up the students making them fit for 4.0 industries ready.

B. The Context –

The prime objective of the New Education Policy (2017) is to “make India a knowledge superpower by equipping its students with the necessary skills and knowledge”. The needs of the industries keep on changing and it is a prerequisite for us to change and modify the curriculum, pedagogies and evaluation procedures accordingly. The new digital age has compelled us to move towards OBE (Outcome Based Education). At the end of the programme, the students are expected to possess skills and knowledge on par with the demands of the challenging job market. Lack of training leads to unskilled labourers and in turn may result in unemployment and underemployment. To solve this problem IIST started new concept in year 2018-19 i.e special Interest Groups (SIGs)/ Skill improvement Groups which provide certified skill courses, Training, Internship, Workshops, Expert Lecture etc on latest research areas and technologies. Our special Interest Groups (SIGs) are based on Industry requirements on advanced technologies and tools. To enhance the industrial knowledge and latest technology we have invited/appointed experts from industry through our MoUs and association for giving training to our students.

The special Interest Groups (SIGs) are planned in such a manner it does not affect the academics. Therefore, SIGs are scheduled after examination and before the beginning of a new session in every semester or combine with regular time tables with extra hours. Right from the first year, branch wise SIGs are conducted during academics as regular practices.

In year 2018-19, Institute conducted 29 different activities under 17 different SIG’s.

In year 2019-20, Institute conducted 30 different activities under 20 different SIG’s.

In year 2020-21, Institute conducted 35 different activities under 21 different SIG’s.

In year 2021-22, Institute conducted 30 different activities under 21 different SIG’s.

During the situation of Covid-19 pandemic when offline conduction of SIGs was not possible, Institute adopted a system of online training on various software and technical skills were conducted wherein experts trained the students from far flung areas could learn the skills.

C. The Practice –

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) like Block Chain, Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Renewable Energy, Internet of Things (IOT), Robotics, Mechatronics, Sustainable Development through Energy Efficient & Green Buildings, Machine Learning, Waste to wealth Automotive, ChemPro Solution, Design & Fabrication, Android & IOSApp Development, Earthquake Resistant Design, Robotics Process Automation, Building & Project Planning, Rain Water Harvesting etc was formed based on emerging area or Industry 4.0 requirement. Conducted various Certificate Course, Internship, Training, Workshop, expert lecture etc under above SIG’s help students to be updated with latest technologies, receive fresh perspectives in their subject, provides relevance and orientation, practical outlook to their studies.

The Industry Institute Interaction helps students to bridge the gap between industrial expectations and educational outcomes. The staff and student members interact with industrial experts, acquire the necessary skills to become industry worthy and meet the employers’ expected level of workplace preparedness.

Institute categories the SIG’s based on evaluate criteria. In first category, more than 30 hours Certificate course, Internship, Training conducted under different SIG’s is evaluated through Quiz or coding competition and after fulfillment of criteria institute issue the completion certificate. In second category the Internship, Training, workshop conducted under different SIG’s is evaluated through project based / task based / assignment based and after fulfillment of criteria institute issue the completion certificate and in last category based on attendance institute issue the completion certificate.

D. The Evidence of Success–

Various evidence of success is as follows:

1. Smart India Hackathons (SIH):- In year 2018, 2 teams selected for final but none of teams won the prize, in the year 2019, 3 teams selected for final and two teams won 01 lakhs cash prize each and also one team selected for final of eYantra robotics competition with project title Agro-Drone and in the year 2022, again 6 teams selected for final of SIH.

2. Placement:- The students are placed in many MNCs and IT companies like, TCS, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, CSC, Amazon, hexaware, new vision etc with area of domain like IoT, Network security etc.

3. Various national and international competitions like Robotics, Toycathon, and Drone etc.

4. Various MOOC certifications/ Certificates like NPTEL, Skill-racks, and Code-chef etc.

5. Internshala: - In last five year 324 students selected for Internship and out of 324, 15 was top selection as per Internshala platform.

E. Problems Encountered & Resources Required-

1. Time constraint is a major limitation in implementing various skill improvement groups / Special Interest groups.

2. Finding and bringing trained professionals/experts from other institutions/ Industry is also very challenging.

3. Advanced computer peripherals are required and internet speed has to be increased.

4. To arrange On-campus Internship is very challenging.

5. During COVID times Institute conducted online sessions of SIG, at that time the problem of N/W & data from students’ side caused hindrance in learning, who was residing in remote areas.

6. To arrange hardware for hardware based SIG is a big problem.

7. To organize SIG with physical projects in COVID 19 Pandemic for Civil, Chemical & Mechanical engineering departments could not be given to students; therefore we focused on software trainings for the students of these branches.