Mrs. V. Usha Rani is a Senior Assistant Professor at the N. S. Raju Institute of Technology. She is the Lead of the Industry Institute Linkage cell of the college. With 13 years of experience, she holds a B.Tech. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and an M.Tech. in Power Systems and Control Automation. Presently, she is pursuing PhD from GITAM. She has been a part of renowned organizations like M/s. BGR Energy Systems Ltd., M/s. Greenko Energies Pvt. Ltd., and M/s. RVR Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd. Mrs. Rani is an associate member of the IAENG and a life member of the ISTE. She regularly publishes papers in journals and also attends conferences in her area of expertise.

N. S. Raju Institute of Technology

What do you think are your roles and Responsibilities?

I'm currently leading the industry institute linkage wing at NSRIT and we are located in Sontyam, adjacent to the Pendurthi – Anandapuram Highway. The IIL Cell was introduced in 2021 into the NSRIT and here we are looking at many aspects related to the industries. Wherever we call industry-related issues with the institution, we are actually talking about internships, one-credit courses, skill-oriented courses, and many other skill-up skills development courses. The cell concentrates on all those industry-related improvement activities that are related to student improvement and upskilling.

What are the factors that made this wing the best for the students?

When we talk about factors, initially, different kinds of companies came to NSRIT to link with us through MOUs. Till now, we have almost 34 MoUs. We have activities and courses for up-skilling, and FDPs for faculty training, among other activities. Upskilling is essential for students to not only land suitable jobs but also remain competitive in their careers. This is what drives the cell's efforts.

When did this program start and how?

The program started in 2021 at NSRIT. Right now, as a part of our curriculum, we have three different kinds of internships that are categorized into summer internship one, summer internship two, and full semester internships. Under this, we have already sent 1,500 students for internships at various companies. Over 21 companies are engaged in the upskilling of students through internships. Additionally, we have companies that offer skill-oriented courses and courses that give additional credits on completion. These are completed in both online, offline, and hybrid modes. This is meant to inculcate corporate discipline in the students.

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Is this program useful for the students only after leaving college or it will be useful for the future?

When we talk about upskilling, our main motive is to give skills to the student, irrespective of the percentage they get in their exams or their placements. We want to give them something they can carry on once they are out of the institute. We have students who are interested in digital marketing, technical courses, or content writing. We want to cater to these students and provide courses and training opportunities for them to develop these skills. In case the students are not interested in taking up a job in the campus placements, they can use these skills to start their own practice or entrepreneurship.

You have some years of experience in NSRIT. What do you think about NSRIT?

Initially, when I joined NSRIT around 5 to 6 years ago, it was different because we were not autonomous. After gaining autonomous status, we got the freedom to design our own curriculum. We started thinking about different ways to increase the student’s career options and how we could contribute to their future. We started to think of courses with future scope. With that thought, we introduced skill-oriented courses and industry connection courses that were introduced this year. They are meant to teach the students about industry trends and what they need to do to land jobs. Students get to know what they need to do and which skills are in demand in the industry. Through these, NSRIT is trying to be an industry-integrated institution. We also have an R&D and a coding laboratory, sponsored by industries, along with a centre of excellence to provide activities and events towards this goal.

How many industries were connected till now with NSRIT?

When I say industry connect, there are 21 companies that provide placements, internships, and courses. The IIL Cell provide different kinds of training and activities for the students to upskill and improve themselves. The activities that take place are internships, one-credit courses, and skill-oriented courses along with job training and pre-placement offers. To date, 35 students have been placed in jobs through NSRIT based on their performance in internships.