Career advancements for a 21st century engineer

To make sure students are updated with the tech of tomorrow, UPES students can specialise in one of the latest technologies like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Robotics and Self-driven vehicles, Internet of Things, and Blockchain

When Nandan Nilekani started an engineering company in the 1980s, we were an impoverished country on the brink of economic decline. That was a turning point for India. In the next two decades, India became a powerhouse of tech consulting and innovation, banking purely upon the power of harnessing human resource, cementing its position in the knowledge economy. Indian engineers have propelled the tech industry to be one of the largest in the world, playing a pivotal role in the Y2K crisis, and gone on to not only to run back offices but lead some of the largest tech companies in the world like Alphabet and Microsoft.

Even as all of these developments were happening, many engineers in India were wondering why Indian engineers could be pioneers anywhere but India. That is because, over time, as tech education and engineering became mainstream, everyone wanted to get in on the action. This gave right to tech education that was catered specifically to the consulting industry, and didn’t focus on innovation or in-depth conceptual development. This is the reason why despite being at the centre of the consulting world, India’s domestic innovation and R&D has been found wanting.

Today, the situation is even direr as according to many publications, 85% of Indian Engineering graduates are found to be unemployable. Indian Engineering courses are found to be obsolete, not being updated in a long time. Many courses are also based on rote learning, something that does not work for engineering. There is little emphasis on experimentation or research.

Many students also spend the final years of their education in high school, highly specialising for Engineering entrance exams, which makes their soft skill base inadequate for modern employment. On a large, systemic scale, this has impeded the Indian tech industry’s ability to adapt to global changes, lead global disruptions and create a brand for consumers as opposed to businesses.

At UPES, it is primarily because of these observations that we realised that tech education needs a complete overhaul in India. So after consulting with top tech specialists and industry partners, we devised an engineering education module that would reshape the workforce to be able to respond to the biggest challenges faced by the Indian tech industry in the 21^st century. We call this engineering plus. It was designed to revolutionise tech education, and add a plus to engineering education.

To make sure students are updated with the tech of tomorrow, UPES students can specialise in one of the following specialisations: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Robotics and Self-driven vehicles, Internet of Things, and Blockchain. Students will have the option to minor in any of these technologies, in addition to their regular education.

The engineer of tomorrow will have to be a polyglot. A polyglot is a person who is well-versed in many skills, and can wear many hats. They will also need to be in the front office and present their own ideas and build a personal brand.

Another critical aspect we are working on improving is global exposure for students. Students get global perspective from 3900+ free online courses on Coursera to supplement their education and upskill themselves. They can also benefit from our many industry partnerships and courses co-developed with industry leaders from around the world.

In order to make the 21^st century an Indian century, we have to capitalise on our strengths. One of them is undoubtedly our large tech-literate workforce. That’s why we feel that the plus in engineering comes at an opportune time, to multiply skills, job prospects, abilities, and employability. You can find out more about engineering plus on upes.ac.in.