Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

`Develop communication skills'

Staff Reporter

This will be made part of curriculum for engineering students: VC

DEGREE OF EXCELLENCE: D. Viswanathan, Vice-Chancellor, Anna University, handing over a degree certificate at the graduation ceremony of VLB Janakiammal College of Engineering and Technology in the city on Sunday. S.S Ramakrishnan, Dean, Department o f Mechanical Engineering (right), and S.C Natesan, Principal, look on. - Photo: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

COIMBATORE: Anna University is planning to make communication and soft skill development part of the curriculum for engineering graduates to increase their employability, said D. Viswanathan, Vice Chancellor of Anna University.

Personality development and communication programmes should be made compulsory from the first to sixth semester in order to enable engineering graduates to meet the industry expectation, he said while delivering the convocation address at the VLB Janakiammal College of Engineering and Technology, here on Sunday.

"At least one lakh job opportunities await engineering graduates in India. But, we have four lakh graduates who are unemployed. This is because they lack good communication skill," he said. Along with sound technical knowledge, students should also possess proper communication skills, he pointed out.

Career goal

He urged the students to invest their career goals in India rather than migrating to other countries. At least 27 lakh Indian scientists worked abroad, while in India, there were only 75,000 scientists. "The country requires at least 10 lakh scientists," he said.

Nano technology

The emerging areas of interest among the science fraternity were biotechnology, nano technology and information technology, he observed, advising students not to miss the nano revolution.

International standards

"The Government has sanctioned Rs. 8 crores for Anna University to develop nano research facility. This will help build nano science in the country on par with international standards," he said.

Mr. Viswanathan also encouraged students to think of taking up entrepreneurial ventures especially in rural areas in order to generate wealth and added that the agricultural sector should not be neglected.

Use of cell phones

The use of cell phones on the college campus should be discouraged as it ate into the productive time of students, he remarked. "Students spend hours together on the cell phone. Parents should not encourage this," he said.

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