I recently asked an engineering student who graduated from a Tier-3 college, the difference between brazing, welding and soldering. He could not answer.Every year, millions of youngsters enter colleges with hopes of building a good career. Families invest heavily in their children’s education. Unfortunately, many students have spent years learning how to answer questions set by an examiner rather than those posed by the real world.A degree does not necessarily demonstrate that the student can analyse a problem, work in a team, communicate an idea, use technology, or improve a process.This distinction becomes particularly important in India’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where a large proportion of our young people receive their higher education. However, these institutions or their students are not to be blamed. Many colleges outside major cities operate with limited access to experienced faculty, modern laboratories, and industry exposure. The real question is: Can we redesign education so that students get practical exposure even when their college resources are limited? The good news is that several institutions have already demonstrated what can be achieved.For example, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore’s well-known ‘sandwich’ engineering programmes combine classroom learning with industrial exposure in disciplines including mechanical, production and electrical and electronics engineering.The principle behind the model is that students should not spend four years only learning about industry; but experience it as well. A student who has worked inside a factory understands production, quality, maintenance, safety, people, and deadlines differently from someone who has only read about them. Industry experience should become an integral part of education rather than an optional activity at the end of a course.You do not necessarily have to go to Bengaluru, Chennai, or Hyderabad or have an IIT-sized laboratory to experience innovation. The ecosystem can be created locally. Students need problems, not just projects.Consider the difference between two final-year projects. In one college, students make a conventional project because the curriculum requires it. They prepare a report, make a presentation, and move on. At another college, the head of a local factory tells students: Our machine is experiencing excessive downtime. Find out why and suggest how we can reduce it.Now the students have a real problem. They must collect data and speak to workers, understand the machine and identify patterns. They may have to use statistics or AI and calculate the financial impact of downtime. Finally, they must present their recommendation to the management. The second group has learnt engineering, statistics, communication, teamwork, and business economics simultaneously.A small college could partner with 10 local companies. Each company could give the college two real problems every year such as high inventory, higher material cost, higher logistic cost, and seek a simple digital solution. Students can work on these problems under the supervision of faculty and industry mentors.The companies get fresh ideas. Students gain experience. Faculty members learn about contemporary industry requirements. The college builds relationships with employers. The same principle applies to commerce and management. Instead of merely studying ratio analysis, give the student the annual report of a real company and ask: Why has the company’s profit increased but its cash flow declined? The student must understand the reasons for higher working capital and work on how to reduce it.An MBA student from a Tier-2 or Tier-3 college could be asked: How to increase the sales through online platforms? A student of logistics could analyse why a product takes seven days to reach a customer when competitors deliver it in two days. A student of agriculture could investigate why farmers receive only a small portion of the final consumer price and how to reduce the number of middlemen.AI can give smaller colleges new opportunities, by significantly reducing the cost of access to knowledge. But access to information is not enough. What students need is structured practice, mentorship and real problems to solve.Teachers need support too. A faculty member cannot be expected to keep pace with every development in AI, robotics, semiconductor technology or modern manufacturing. Industry professionals can mentor teachers while companies can conduct workshops.Several smaller colleges could jointly establish one centre for AI, robotics, or advanced manufacturing instead of each college trying to build an expensive facility independently.India does not need to make every college an IIT. It needs to make every student capable of solving a real problem. A student from a small town may not have studied under the most experienced professor. He may not have access to the most sophisticated laboratory. But if he has been given ten real problems to solve, five industry mentors to learn from and the freedom to experiment, he can graduate with something more valuable than a degree; confidence in his ability to create value. That is just what the the country needs.Getting it rightThiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai’s Centre of Excellence network includes areas such as artificial intelligence, wireless communication, embedded systems, advanced manufacturing, materials, and sustainable energy. Its mechanical engineering department, for example, lists internships with companies including precision engineering, aerospace and tooling.Sastra deemed university, Thanjavur, has built deep industrial connects including collaboration with ISRO, DRDO, TATA Electronics and with several leading companies. Sastra HCL technology program is designed to build AI capability across STEM, Law, and management education.KSR College of Engineering, Tiruchengode, has built significant industrial connect with companies such as JSW steel and aerospace engineersGovernment Engineering College, Salem, has entered MOUs with companies for training students on embedded programming, hands on technicalPractical suggestions for Tier-2 and Tier-3 engineering collegesOne real industry problem every semesterMandatory internships before graduationIndustry mentors for every departmentPractical projects replacing some conventional assignmentsStudents trained in Excel, data analytics and AI tools irrespective of their disciplineLocal companies invited to provide live projectsStudents encouraged to participate in hackathons and competitionsEvery graduating student required to maintain a portfolio of projects(The writer is director and group president, corporate affairs, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE))
