Mysuru: The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) has launched COMEDKARES, a programme to set up Innovation Hubs across Karnataka to enhance the quality of institutions. The objective is to support engineering students to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in technology.

In Mysuru, the Innovation Hub was launched yesterday on the Ooty Road, next to Kamat Madhuvana Hotel. It has been set up in collaboration with QS iGauge, a world renowned quality rating company.

Dean, Faculty of Engineering at VTU and Principal, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering Dr. B. Sadashive Gowda, Executive Secretary, JSS Mahavidyapeetha Dr. C.G. Betsurmath, Vice-Chancellor, JSS Science and Technology University Dr. A.N. Santhosh Kumar,  CII Mysuru Chairperson Supriya Salian and former Mysore University Syndicate Member H.A. Venkatesh and others were present at the event.

The Centre will run courses that will supplement the learning of students in addition to their regular college curriculum. Starting Dec. 17, the centres are running a summer internship programme followed by two six-month courses on innovation and design thinking. Programmes in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, augmented reality will be introduced in the due course.

The fee for these courses will be minimal to ensure affordability. The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) recognising the merits of such hubs has extended support.

Technology-intensive initiative

Speaking about the initiative, COMEDK Chairman Dr. M.R. Jayaram said that jobs and workspaces of today are getting increasingly technology-intensive. Data sciences, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and meta are currently the buzzwords.

“Today, a majority of engineering students are not industry-ready and hence, need hands-on experience to enhance their theoretical lessons. Given the rapid pace at which technology and skills are evolving, a student needs to have suitable employable soft skills along with updated technological knowledge,” he said.

“The objective of these hubs is to enable students of our engineering colleges to benefit, undertake projects, gain hands-on experience and nurture them into compassionate and competent technocrats. The design of the programme is in line with the National Education Policy and will eventually foster a sense of entrepreneurship and improve employability,” he added.

Increases employability

CEO of ERA Foundation P. Muralidhar said that youth must be made more industrious and employable. “In the past decade, Governments have launched several programmes to help youth reach their full potential. COMEDKARES is also a step in this direction which aligns college education and skill development,” he added.

The Phase 1 of the initiative will have eight Innovation Hubs in Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Belagavi and four Innovation Hubs in Bengaluru. The Hubs will be equipped with high-end equipment (wood routing, laser cutting, 3D printers, AR-VR equipment, hand tools, computer software and UI–UX tools, etc.

Why the Hub is crucial

The Innovation Hub gains importance as technological advancements have created new challenges for engineers, prompting the inclusion of new practices in the engineering curriculum. As a result, engineers must have a clear understanding and goal in order to implement a project.

In fact, according to a study, only 7 percent of engineering graduates can handle core engineering tasks. Also, data from the Ministry of Human Resource Development says India has 6,214 engineering and technology institutions that are enrolling 2.9 million students, and approximately 1.5 million engineers enter the job market every year. However, they lack the skills necessary for employment.

COMEDKARES is an initiative that assists students from member institutions in becoming job-ready through skill enhancement courses focusing on data sciences, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and so on.