Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ collaboration with a European Union initiative has created opportunities for students to work in industry even before graduating and gain experience and training that can lead to pre-placement opportunities.
The project will also expose students to the real-time developments and the technological needs of the industry, a press release said.
A novel concept in technical education for developing countries called “Dual Education,” the TEEDE (Towards Excellence in Engineering Curricula for Dual Education) initiative is an European Union and “Erasmus +”- funded consortium of eminent universities in Europe and Asia that merges the classroom learning with industrial experiences.
In contrast to internships, which are short-term, TEEDE envisages students spending considerable amount of time employed in industry as full-time workers, rather than interns, as part of their curriculum, the release said.
Around 20 industry partners of this initiative attended a TEEDE workshop held at IIT Madras Tuesday. The partners of this TEEDE consortium are eminent universities in Russia, Italy, Germany, Cambodia, India, China, Finland, Belgium and Spain.
“This initiative will encourage more start-ups to come. If students have exposure to the industry while still studying, they will gain a lot of valuable experience that will help them to set up their own start-ups. Students interested in working on industry-related research can find a guide in the Biotechnology Department and another in the industry as well. The student and the guide will have the liberty to spend time in the industry, come back to IIT Madras and work on that issue,” said IIT-Madras Biotechnology Department head Prof D Karunagaran.