Imperatives for an Operative Engineering PipelineBrig (Dr) R S Grewal

Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University

2010 ASEE Global Colloquium – Track 1Keeping the Engineering Pipeline Filled –

Attracting Young Talent to Engineering in the New EconomyOctober 20, 2010

• Present Environment in India and challenges faced

• Key Factors – Why such skewed environment

• Likely consequences – the looming predicament

• Some recommendations

Preview

• Adequate capacity created in engineering colleges Intake capacity for Bachelors 1.08 million * 2906 Technical Institutes * Skewed demand and supply due to artificial increase in number of

institutions; No. of seats remain vacant

• Challenges Masters and Doctoral level programmes not the preferred choice Low preference to programmes dealing with basic sciences Average / Below par quality of Technical Institutions Deficiency of high quality faculty

Present Environment

* Source: http://aicte-india.org/adgeneral.htm

Growth Rate: Graduate Engineers

* Source: Study “Engineering Education in India”; Rangan Banerjee, Vinayak P Muley; IIT, Mumbai, Dec 16, 2008

India 10

Germany 0.9

UK 3.9

USA -1

S Korea 5.9

Japan 1.6

China 9.9

-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Engineering Graduates per Million Population

* Source: Study “Engineering Education in India”; Rangan Banerjee, Vinayak P Muley; IIT, Mumbai, Dec 16, 2008

Steady rise in demand for Engineering Graduates across the past fifty years, across geographies

Output Output

Comparison of Output : Bachelors & Masters

BACHELORS1947 - 2006

CAGR Graduates : 12%Number of Graduates 2008 : 350,000Number of Institutions : 1668CAGR Institutions : 6.2%

CAGR Masters : 11.6%Number of Masters 2006 : 20000Number of Masters 2008 : 23000

MASTERS1947 - 2006

* Source: Study “Engineering Education in India”; Rangan Banerjee, Vinayak P Muley; IIT, Mumbai, Dec 16, 2008

Percentage of Masters Output to Graduate Engineers Output

Masters vs Bachelors Percentage

* Source: Study “Engineering Education in India”; Rangan Banerjee, Vinayak P Muley; IIT, Mumbai, Dec 16, 2008

Students Graduating at Masters and Doctoral Levels

India USA

Engineering Masters’ Output 20,000 (2006) 35,000 (2003)

% Engineering Masters to Bachelors Output

8.5% 50%

No. of Engineering Ph Ds ~1100 3125

% of Engineering Ph Ds to Bachelors’ output

2.9 8.93

* Source: Study “Engineering Education in India”; Rangan Banerjee, Vinayak P Muley; IIT, Mumbai, Dec 16, 2008

India needs to encourage students to take up Masters and Doctoral level programmes

Output: PG, Doctorates and Salaries

Postgraduate & Doctoral Output

Output : Masters Programme

Year Number % of Sanctioned Graduated Intake

1995 2857 482008 ~23,000 57

Doctorates:

Annual number for 2007 : 1000 to 1100Growth Rate 1954 – 2005 : 8% per yearPh D Output to Graduate Engineer Output : Between 1 to 3%

Average Salaries

Degree Annual Salary (INR)

Bachelors 510,000

Masters 420,000

Doctorate 700,000

(Figs for IITs only)

* Source: Study “Engineering Education in India”; Rangan Banerjee, Vinayak P Muley; IIT, Mumbai, Dec 16, 2008

• Low technology based society content with import rather than research and development

• Fast expanding economy needs engineers to keep processes operative and need skilled manpower for repetitive work

• Students enticed away by industry after completion of bachelors’ degrees

• Short term profit motives inhibit R&D investment by industry• Absence of role model technologists and scientists for

younger generation to emulate as compared to large number of management experts

• Economy dominated by services sector

Why Such Skewed Environment?

• Academia Poor infrastructure and problem of lack of intellectual capital Theory based curriculum with hardly any emphasis on

practical applications fails to fulfill aspirations of students Lack of emphasis to produce problem solvers• Wide fluctuations in demand and supply of specializations• Disparity in compensation packages: Managers vs. Engineers

Why such Skewed Environment ? (contd)

• Knowledge creation neglected • Institutions not producing problem solvers

• Famine of faculty likely to become more acute; applied sciences may be worst affected; engineering no better

• Lack of stimulating environment likely to deter students from taking up engineering

• Knowledge economy will soon demand personnel with R&D skills and suffer due to paucity

The Looming Predicament

Some Recommendations• Time to act now before the engineering pipeline dries up

• Multi-pronged strategy to include changing mindset of society

Students and Parents: Job security vis a vis career growth

Academia: Develop ‘Executive’ M Tech/ME and other multi-disciplinary programmes with an element of Management; add incentives for ME/M Tech programmes; Faculty Development Programmes like IUCEE and Mission 10X

Industry: Greater emphasis on creative work; seek problem solvers

• Hiring of ‘Mentor Professors’ to boost R&D

Help in research and to create exciting careers; offer incentives

• Improve career options for engineers including forecasting

What more can be done to ensure that the present engineering education system : -

(a) Provides right type of knowledge workers for national development?

(b) Is capable of nurturing the future leadership to meet the needs of R&D in the Industry?

Some Points for Discussion

Thank You