SOME colleges in Coimbatore have not stopped with offering courses in IT and related areas. They (Rathinam College, PSG College of Technology, Kumaraguru College of Technology and KGiSL Institute of Information Management) have accommodated IT companies on their campuses, thereby giving their students an industry-friendly atmosphere.
Rathinam College of Arts and Science is situated in the Rathinam Techzone, which houses the Rathinam Software Park where nine companies occupy 60,000 sq ft of space. Madan A. Sendhil, chairman and secretary, started the college in 2001 with focus on IT. This co-location gives the students a perspective of the industrial/IT culture and also gives exposure to the faculty, he says. The benefits are mutual. While the companies provide the students internship, the college conducts tailor-made courses for professionals.
PSGs Science and Technology Entrepreneurial Park, located on the PSG College of Technology campus, serves as an incubation centre for 35 companies. According to its manager K. Suresh Kumar, the focus is on first-generation IT professionals and start-up companies. They take the help of students for their projects and the faculty for technical know-how. The park encourages students to open start-ups.
KG Information Systems Private Limited (KGiSL) has 300,000 sq ft of IT space co-located with the institute. Apart from other players, the KG group has its own companies sharing space. Our operations were expanding, and we needed people. The attrition rate at that time was 20 per cent. Hence, we started a college with courses focussing on IT. Add-on courses that provide skills in medical and business transcription are also offered, says R. Ravichandran, secretary and director of KGiSL educational institutions.
Amutha Kannan
