Dr. Vijay N. Kalbande is the Head and Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He has a total of 20 years of experience in teaching and one year of industry experience. He has published six national and 41 international papers and has applied for two patents and two copyrights. He has also published three books with chapters indexed by Springer. He has delivered over 35 motivational lectures to students, both inside and outside the college. He has handled various responsibilities such as T&P Officer, ED Cell Coordinator, PRO, III Coordinator, College Magazine Chief Editor, and Faculty Coordinator in the Rotaract Club of NIT, Nagpur. He is a life member of the Indian Society of Technical Education and also a member of the International Association of Engineers and the Quality Circle Forum of India. Dr. Kalbande has received several awards and recognitions, including the Best Research Work Paper Award at the International Conference on Smart Technologies for Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development (ICSTEESD 2018) and felicitations by Hon'ble Rotarian Kapil Bahri, Vice Chancellor of Amravati University Hon'ble Dr. Murlidhar Chandekar, and Chief Minister Hon'ble Shri. Devendra Fadnavis.

Nagpur Institute of Technology

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

Nation-building is possible through proper education only. The institute is a place where we will get a chance to build students as per industries’ expectations. I love to face challenges, and in this education sector, every year for a new batch, we have to deal with different types of students. Every student has unique individual problems, so daily, we are doing a new job while tackling these students. Every day I have to start with a new challenge, which keeps me connected in this education sector.

Being the HOD (Mechanical Engineering) of Nagpur Institute of Technology what is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

Being head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Nagpur Institute of Technology, I would like to take academics to New Heights and provide a hundred percent result, which means making every student employable with the help of my team members. I like to inculcate great positivity in my colleagues and work hard for the overall development of my beloved students.

The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here in your institute?

As per my knowledge, foreign countries provided more flexibility to choose a field as per the student’s choice. Our institute, Nagpur Institute of Technology, Nagpur, is affiliated with Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, and needs to follow the education scheme provided by them. Even though we always try to prepare our students concerning every situation in the industry and social life, We have very senior faculty members who teach subjects with a practical approach. Open electives I and II are included in the university scheme to gain knowledge in interdisciplinary fields like Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Information technology, and Computer Science Engineering while studying Mechanical Engineering. Professional and Open electives provide flexibility for students to work in any sector of their choice.

How does the curriculum of Nagpur Institute of Technology ensure the best practice of industry?

Nagpur Institute of Technology, Nagpur, is affiliated with Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur. To make students job-ready, we regularly organize industrial visits, internships, and industry-based mini- and major projects, and invite industrial executives to deliver guest lectures so that students can get more industrial exposure. Our college received a platinum ranking in the AICTE-CII Survey based on strong industrial connections. Most of the faculty members have industrial experience; they have already worked in industries, so while teaching in the classroom, they share their industrial experience with the students and prepare them concerning the work culture in the industry. We also provide Technical training through Workshops and non-technical training through the T & P Department.

Any insights into how your university/College could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

Our College president, Honorable Shri Anil Deshmukh, and our vice president, Honorable Shri Salilji Deshmukh, are great social workers, and our management has started this Institute to help students of all economic backgrounds. Our management waives the fees of economically weak students so that they will also get a chance to build their careers as engineers and serve the nation. The college is having tie-ups with Eduskills, various industries, and the NPTEL Chapter to provide more exposure free of charge to economically weaker students. The college also provides book banks and girls’ hostel facilities to economically weaker students.

What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the Institute and the students are?

As the head of the department of this Institute, my role is to manage all departmental activities while creating positivity in the faculty members and encouraging them to give their best to the students. We will try our level best for the overall development of students, which means not only in academics but also in sports, cultural activities, research and development, human values, ethics, etc.

What do you think should be the Institute’s top priority over the next 10 years? 

We should prepare ourselves to face the changing scenario in the market. We should opt for NBA accreditation, autonomy, and a better NIRF Ranking in private engineering institutes. We always try to keep ourselves one step ahead, and our college will be a role model for other new private engineering colleges.

What would you like people to know about your Institute they may not know? 

I would like the people to know about our Institute that we are having a very progressive management body. Our management body always strives very hard to take all-round care of our faculty members & students. Due to their tireless efforts our college could achieve following milestones

  • Platinum ranking in AICTE-CII Survey
  • NPTEL Nodal Chapter
  • MKCL Training Center
  • MSME & RTMNU incubation Center
  • MoU with National & International organization
  • Tie-up with Eduskills 
  • ISO 9001-2015 Certified

What do you see as Nagpur Institute of Technology greatest strengths?

At Nagpur Institute of Technology, our greatest strength is that all the departments always work together as a single family with the specific goal of nurturing our students and preparing them to be great Indian citizens. We are also doing interdisciplinary projects for the students so that students from all the departments will get interdisciplinary knowledge to work in any industry.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

To Aspiring students, I would like to suggest that they always try to get interdisciplinary knowledge so that they can very easily get absorbed in any one of the available recruitment opportunities. Students need to be flexible regarding job selection and update their technical and non-technical skills. 

Explain in Detail about Placement opportunities in your Department?

Our College has dedicated, experienced full-time T&P officers to take care of training and placement activities. The T & P Department provides training during the course as per industrial needs and provides placement opportunities in the final year. To enhance the employability skills of our students, we have a departmental T & P coordinator to conduct aptitude and soft-skills development training programs in our department as well. Regularly, we conduct industry-connected activities like Industrial visits, Internships, Guest lectures, and Innovative projects to provide industrial exposure. Technical and non-technical training is being provided to students under the Skill Development Program, Performing Art, and Employability Enhancement Program to make them employable.