As India accelerates its infrastructure ambitions—from smart cities and high-speed corridors to climate-resilient urban systems and integrated mobility networks—the demands placed on engineering talent are evolving rapidly.
Modern infrastructure is no longer built through isolated engineering disciplines alone. It now relies on integrated digital workflows, digital twins, AI-driven modelling, and lifecycle-based infrastructure management. Yet a key question remains: Are India’s engineering institutions preparing graduates for this new digital infrastructure economy?
This question formed the core of a high-level roundtable titled “Engineering India’s digital future: Building a globally fluent, digitally ready talent ecosystem,” organised by ETEducation in collaboration with Bentley Systems at the TechEDU India Summit 2026 in Mumbai.
Moderated by Yasmin Taj, Editor, ETEducation & ETHRWorld at The Economic Times, the closed-door roundtable brought together vice chancellors, deans, professors, infrastructure and industry leaders to examine how India can transition from producing engineering graduates in large numbers to cultivating digitally fluent engineers capable of operating across the entire infrastructure lifecycle.
Participants included leaders from institutions such as Gujarat Technological University, IIT Roorkee, NICMAR University, Amity University, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, THDC Institute of Hydropower Engineering & Technology, Terna College of Engineering, and Kolhapur Institute of Technology, alongside industry experts from organisations including Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, Arcadis, Walter Moore, WSP, Kalpataru Projects, and Bentley Systems.
Across the discussion, one message became clear: India’s engineering talent ecosystem must evolve faster to match the pace of digital transformation shaping the infrastructure sector globally.
Building a global digital engineering talent hub
A key perspective during the discussion came from Chris Bradshaw, Chief Education and Sustainability Officer at Bentley Systems, who emphasised that preparing engineers for the future requires a coordinated effort across academia, industry, and policymakers.
“India has a tremendous opportunity to lead in building the next generation of digital infrastructure talent,” Bradshaw noted. “But that will require much deeper collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers. Universities cannot do it alone, and neither can industry. If we align curriculum, technology exposure, and real-world learning environments, India can produce engineers who are not just employable domestically but globally competitive in delivering the infrastructure systems of the future.”
Bradshaw highlighted that technologies such as digital twins, integrated data environments, and AI-enabled infrastructure systems are fundamentally changing how infrastructure projects are delivered worldwide. As a result, engineering education must move beyond siloed technical instruction toward workflow-based digital engineering training that mirrors real-world project environments.
The employability dilemma: Quantity versus readiness
One of the most candid conversations during the roundtable revolved around the employability of engineering graduates entering the infrastructure sector.
Industry leaders acknowledged that while India produces a large pool of engineering graduates each year, many lack the practical exposure and digital workflow understanding required in modern infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure delivery today increasingly relies on collaborative digital platforms, lifecycle asset management systems, and data-driven design processes. Yet many graduates entering the workforce have been trained primarily on individual software tools rather than integrated engineering ecosystems.
Industry participants stressed that organisations need engineers who can understand systems thinking, collaborative workflows, data integration, and project lifecycle management from the outset.
However, academic leaders at the roundtable pointed out that institutions alone cannot solve this challenge.
Academia’s challenge: Keeping pace with digital disruption
Academic leaders acknowledged the need to continuously update engineering curricula to reflect industry realities. However, they also emphasised that rapid technological change makes this task increasingly complex.
Prof Sharad K Pradhan, Director at THDC Institute of Hydropower Engineering & Technology, stressed that meaningful reform must begin at the curriculum level.
“The curriculum is the foundational document referenced by students, teachers, evaluators, and industry representatives,” he said. “It provides the most effective platform to incorporate reforms that ensure engineering graduates are industry-ready and equipped with 21st-century skills.”
He suggested introducing micro-projects aligned with each subject within the curriculum, enabling students to apply theoretical concepts through hands-on learning and digital tool integration.
Such initiatives, he explained, can help transform learning from purely academic instruction to experiential problem-solving.
From tool-based learning to systems thinking
A recurring theme across the discussion was the need to shift engineering education from tool-based learning toward workflow-based digital engineering.
Dr Sayali Apte, Senior Assistant Professor at Symbiosis Institute of Technology, emphasised that modern engineering increasingly demands systems thinking rather than isolated software expertise.
“Workflow-based digital engineering demands system thinking instead of just tool-based thinking,” she said. “At Symbiosis Institute of Technology, we update the civil engineering programme structure periodically to include flexi-credit courses so that students remain updated on the software and digital skills required to build the digital thread.”
However, she noted that the speed of technological advancement presents a major challenge, requiring institutions to frequently update programmes and collaborate closely with industry to establish digital labs and practical learning environments.
Learning beyond classrooms
Several participants stressed that preparing engineers for modern infrastructure projects requires learning models that extend beyond traditional classrooms.
Prof Rakesh Ranjan from IIT Roorkee highlighted the importance of immersive learning frameworks that allow students to interact with industry technologies throughout their academic journey.
“To shape a future-ready digital talent ecosystem, education must go beyond classrooms,” he said.
He pointed to IIT Roorkee’s Talent Enhancement Basket, a set of optional courses designed to strengthen expertise in computer-aided design and engineering analysis.
By integrating advanced software training alongside academic coursework, such initiatives help ensure graduates gain practical industry-relevant experience before entering the workforce.
Strengthening the industry–academia bridge
Participants widely agreed that stronger and more structured collaboration between industry and academia is critical to closing the skills gap.
Dr Priyanka Jadhav Salunkhe from Terna Engineering College highlighted the impact of collaborative programmes and live industry projects in building real-world capabilities.
“A strong partnership between industry and academic institutions creates truly industry-ready professionals,” she noted. She also suggested that inviting faculty members to participate in industry project teams could significantly strengthen collaboration. “With their strong research background and analytical expertise, faculty bring structured methodologies and evidence-based approaches that enhance innovation and project outcomes.” Such partnerships, she added, can foster research-driven solutions and a culture of continuous improvement within the industry.
Emphasising the need for deeper structural integration between academia and industry, Parthasarathi Mishra, a member of WSP’s Operation Digital Team (ODT) and Senior Management Team (SMT), highlighted the importance of embedding collaboration early in the learning journey. “To meaningfully close the gap between academic education and real project delivery, and to accelerate graduate readiness, there is an increasing need for an industry-aligned governance framework embedded during the study phase itself. This framework should provide a clear, progressive learning pathway that links academic principles with delivery realities, while allowing industry to actively co-shape outcomes through structured collaboration. Co-hosted engagement models—enabled by industry practitioners—can add real-world context and foresight, while safeguarding academic autonomy and ensuring appropriate confidentiality of industry knowledge.”
Rethinking the role of faculty
The discussion also underscored the need to rethink how faculty members engage with industry and technological change.
Many participants suggested introducing faculty immersion programmes within industry, enabling educators to gain firsthand exposure to emerging digital infrastructure tools and workflows.
Dr Rohan Vijay Nalawade from Kolhapur Institute of Technology argued that collaboration must function as a two-way exchange.
“There is no gap between industry and academia if faculties start contributing to industry and demonstrate the value of their research and expertise,” he said.
Such engagement can help ensure that academic teaching remains closely aligned with evolving industry needs.
Policy alignment and the promise of NEP 2020
While industry–academia collaboration emerged as a central theme, participants also highlighted the importance of policy frameworks that support ecosystem-level transformation.
India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 provides a strong foundation for applied learning, interdisciplinary education, and industry collaboration. However, participants noted that translating these ideas into practice requires greater coordination between policymakers, universities, and industry partners. Policy support could enable co-created curricula, shared research infrastructure, industry-embedded learning programmes, and stronger incentives for collaborative innovation.
Preparing engineers for a digital infrastructure economy
As India positions itself as a global infrastructure powerhouse, the expectations placed on engineers are expanding rapidly.
Today’s engineers must be equipped to operate in data-driven, digitally integrated environments that span the entire infrastructure lifecycle—from design and construction to maintenance and sustainability planning.
Dr Smitha Yadav, Dean at NICMAR University, captured the urgency of this transformation succinctly. “Innovate or perish,” she said. “The key to remaining successful is understanding what industry needs. Institutions must focus on creating professionals who are truly industry-ready.”
Reinforcing this perspective, Prithwiraj Ghosh, Senior Vice President – Human Resources at Kalpataru Projects International Ltd, emphasised that early industry exposure is becoming increasingly critical. “As projects become more complex and technology-driven, giving students early exposure to real-world practices will go a long way in making them industry-ready and building a future-ready workforce.”
From engineering graduates to digital infrastructure strategists
The conversation at the TechEDU India Summit ultimately pointed to a broader shift in how engineering education must evolve.
India already produces one of the largest pools of engineering graduates in the world. The next challenge is ensuring these graduates become digitally empowered engineers capable of designing and managing the complex infrastructure systems of the future.
Achieving this will require a new compact between academia, industry, and policymakers—one built on collaborative curriculum design, faculty upskilling, digital laboratories, immersive industry exposure, and enabling policy frameworks.
If these elements align, India has the opportunity not just to meet its domestic infrastructure needs but also to emerge as a global hub for digital infrastructure talent. And as the leaders gathered at the TechEDU India Summit made clear, the foundations for that future must be built now.
